Motherless Brooklyn – Secrets of the City: An Edward Norton Film

The character who is always concerned with the various aspects of cinema and not only with regards to it, that is, the acting, the actor Edward Norton Over the years he has also distinguished himself as a screenwriter, producer and director. His first appearance in the latter role dates back to 2000, with the romantic comedy love temptations Where the stars play alongside him Ben Stiller. Before he got back behind the camera, it took 19 years, during which time Norton waited for the right story to be on his hands. Then he took shape Motherless Brooklyn – City Secrets (Here is the review).

Taken from the novel Motherless Brooklyn to Jonathan Lethemthe film presents a noir story that is indebted to the classics of the genre, first and foremost Chinatown to Roman PolanskiBut also gods gangster movie Made by Martin Scorsese. Norton, who in addition to directing everything also wrote the screenplay and plays the protagonist, gives life to a dark action, full of dark passions and equally complex intrigue. However, there is also a strong humorous element that softens the tone and makes the movie particularly interesting.

What also made this project dear to Norton was the fact that his grandfather was James Ross, an urban planner who argued that housing should be available to all and that communities should be shaped by human rather than purely economic motives. Therefore, Norton, through the story told, pays homage to Ross and everything he believes in, suggesting instead a critique of Robert Moses, an urban planner accused of lust for power, questionable morals, revenge, and racism, represented here by a character named Moses Randolph. But in light of that, what exactly is the movie about?

Motherless Brooklyn – City Secrets: the plot of the film

Motherless Brooklyn – City Secrets Story follows Lionel EsrogA lonely private investigator with Tourette’s Syndrome ventures out to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. Frank Mina. Armed with a few clues and his own obsessive mindset, Lionel slowly uncovers closely guarded secrets and balances the fate of the entire town. In a mystery that takes him from the leprechaun-filled jazz clubs of Harlem to the slums of Brooklyn, and finally to the gilded salons of New York’s powerful middlemen, Lionel runs into thugs, corruption, and the most dangerous man in town. his friend and save the woman who could be his salvation.

Motherless Brooklyn – City SecretsDifferences between the book, the movie, and the ending

In bringing the story of Lethem to the big screen, Norton decided to take several liberties with what is in Lethem’s narrative, while keeping the character of Lionel Esrog and his mentor Frank Mina and the investigations surrounding the latter’s death. For the rest, a lot was changed, starting with the setting, going from 1999 to 1950, as Norton thought it best suited to tell the characters like the ones Lethem had written. While Lethem caused a plot revolving around gangs, Buddhist monks, and Frank’s brother Mina.

Instead, Norton creates an entirely new plot, involving the Borough of New York and the illegitimate, mixed-race offspring of a powerful city official. Norton then added characters like Moses Randolph to the story, based on a New York City plot, Robert Moses, while neglecting others, such as Frank Mina’s brother Gerard. For the other characters, Norton was inspired by Hortense Gable And Jane Jacobswho were prominent critics of housing discrimination in New York in the 1950s and 1960s, and unwittingly replaced the book’s love interest Kimmerly with Laura, daughter of Moses Randolph.

Lethem spends a lot of time in the book describing Lionel’s childhood at St. Vincent’s Home for Boys, something the movie only refers to briefly. Finally, the ending Norton chose for the movie is also different. While the book ends with Lionel returning to the detective agency turned car service, with his love interest and most of his friends leaving him dead or missing, the movie ends with a happier ending and concludes with Lionel and Laura making out, once the case lies. Story resolved, consider living together outside of Brooklyn.

Motherless Brooklyn – City Secrets: the movie crew

So the movie is rich in characters, played by a cast of well-known actors, starting with Norton himself as Lionel Esrog. As mentioned earlier, the personality is characterized by being affected by Tourette’s syndrome. To prepare for the role, Edward Norton met and consulted with several members of the American Tourette Association, so that he could give the object to life in a realistic manner and thus not lead to a caricatured representation. Precisely for this interest, his interpretation and the film in general received the approval of the organization itself. Instead, the actor finds himself in the role of mentor, Frank Mina Bruce Williswho filmed his scenes over a few days.

Alec Baldwin Instead he plays unscrupulous businessman Moses Randolph, while Willem Dafoe His brother is engineer Paul Randolph. They are later shown in the movie as well Leslie Mann As Julia Mena, Frank’s wife, W.J Cherry Jones In that of Gabby Horowitz. Bobby Cannavale And Dallas Roberts Instead, they play Tony Vermont and Danny Fantle, co-workers of Lionel’s. Finally, of great importance is the presence of the actress Joji Mbatha RowAs Laura, the woman Lionel falls in love with. Declaring himself a huge fan, Norton decided to write the character of Laura, who is absent from the book, especially for her, so that he would finally have the chance to work with her.

Motherless Brooklyn – City Secrets: Trailer and where to watch the movie in live broadcast and on TV

You can have fun Motherless Brooklyn – City Secrets Thanks to its presence on some of the most popular streaming platforms on the net today. This is actually available in catalogs Rakuten TV, Chili Cinema, Google Play, Apple iTunes, Now, Tim Vision, and Amazon Prime Videos. To see it, once you have chosen the reference platform, it is enough to rent a single movie or sign up for a general subscription. This way you will be able to watch it in complete comfort and with the best video quality. The movie is also on the TV schedule Wednesday, January 11th in 21:00 on the channel iris.

Source: IMDb