Inspired by the 1997 Esquire article Mark of a Murderer, written by Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Mike McAlary, City by the Sea tells the gripping story of a dedicated police officer who discovers that the chief suspect in his current murder investigation is his own son.
New York City homicide detective Vincent LaMarca (ROBERT De NIRO) has forged a long and distinguished career in law enforcement, making a name for himself as a man intensely committed to his work. But on his latest case, the stakes are higher for Vincent — the suspect he’s investigating is his own son, Joey (JAMES FRANCO).
Vincent and Joey have been painfully estranged ever since Vincent divorced Joey’s mother and left the decaying boardwalks of Long Beach, Long Island for the anonymity of Manhattan and a successful career with the NYPD. He lives his life in solitude, keeping his girlfriend (FRANCES McDORMAND) at arm’s length. The closest relationship he maintains is with his partner, Reg (GEORGE DZUNDZA) — and Vincent makes sure that stops at the precinct door. As long as Vincent lives in the protection of the present, he doesn’t have to deal with the pain of his past.
The murder investigation draws Vincent home to Long Beach, the self-proclaimed “City by the Sea,” where the past has been waiting for him to return. In the course of his investigation, Vincent discovers that his own unresolved pain and failures as a father have deeply influenced Joey’s life and the destructive choices he has made.
As a cop, Vincent must bring a criminal to justice; as a father, he must find a way to save his son. Now he will put his life on the line in order to do right by both his family and his profession.
Franchise Pictures presents City by the Sea, a Brad Grey Pictures Production, directed by MICHAEL CATON-JONES and starring Academy Award-winning actors ROBERT De NIRO and FRANCES McDORMAND, joined by an ensemble cast featuring JAMES FRANCO, ELIZA DUSHKU, WILLIAM FORSYTHE and GEORGE DZUNDZA. The screenplay is by KEN HIXON, based on the article entitled Mark of a Murderer by MICHAEL McALARY. City by the Sea is produced by BRAD GREY, ELIE SAMAHA, Michael Caton-Jones and MATTHEW BAER and is co-produced by LAURA VIEDERMAN. Executive Producers are ANDREW STEVENS, DAN KLORES, DON CARMODY and ROGER PARADISO. The Cinematographer is KARL WALTER LINDENLAUB ASC, bvk; the Production Designer is JANE MUSKY; the Costume Designer is RICHARD OWINGS; and the Editor is JIM CLARK. City by the Sea will be distributed domestically by Warner Bros. Pictures, an AOL Time Warner Company.
City by the Sea has been rated “R” by the MPAA for “Language, Drug Use
and Some Violence.”
www.citybythesea.net / AOL Keyword: City By The Sea
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
The crime seems routine — the body of a murdered drug dealer has washed up on a Brooklyn beach. Nothing new for NYPD Detective Vincent LaMarca…until his son turns up as the prime suspect. Although the body is found in Vincent’s jurisdiction, the crime was committed in Long Beach, Long Island — home to the shattered family he’d fled fourteen years ago. It seems that the LaMarca family’s violent past has caught up with its youngest member.
Detective LaMarca is a respected veteran police officer whose professional success masks a troubled and isolated personal life. When Vincent was a child, his family was in dire financial straits. In a desperate act, his father Angelo kidnapped a baby from a wealthy family in order to collect a ransom. In a terrible turn of events, the baby accidentally suffocated in the car while he was waiting for the money, and Angelo was convicted and sentenced to death. Angelo went to the electric chair when Vincent was 8 years old. Vincent has spent his life trying to live down his father’s legacy.
“There is a painful irony in this story,” comments producer Brad Grey, “as Vincent, the son of a convicted murderer, dedicated his life to being a cop, only to see his own son accused of murder.”
Known for his outstanding work on films such as Rob Roy and Scandal, acclaimed Scottish director Michael Caton-Jones was searching for his next project when he read the script for City by the Sea. “I wanted material that I could personally connect with,” he recalls. “The first draft I read focused on the notion of a ‘murder gene,’ which didn’t interest me, but it was sitting right next door to a potentially great idea: that of the sins of the father being visited on the son.”
Producer Matthew Baer was intrigued by the film’s central concept. “What interested me about the story was its potential to combine an emotional family drama with a compelling police thriller. What happens when a detective has to track down a suspect who turns out to be his son?”
Vincent’s painful youth did little to prepare him for the challenges and difficulties of raising a family of his own. After a vehement argument with his wife, Vincent did something that he would regret for the rest of his life — he assaulted her. They were soon divorced, and Vincent’s contact with his son Joey was reduced to brief, court-ordered supervised visits. Feeling alienated and persecuted, he moved on to Manhattan, leaving his family behind in the “City by the Sea.”
“Vincent basically gave up,” explains Robert De Niro, who plays the troubled cop, “and as a result, he lost his relationship with his son for a long period of time. In the end, they both suffered because of that.”
Vincent has built a new life for himself in New York City, rising through the ranks to become a successful and respected police investigator. Dedicated to his work, he leaves little time for a life outside the force. His relationship with his girlfriend is caring but casual — uncomplicated and always a little bit distant. But when a murder investigation hits too close to home, Vincent is forced to reveal the secrets of his complicated past.
“Vincent hasn’t told his girlfriend about the whole situation with his son,” explains De Niro. “She doesn’t even know that he was once married. He doesn’t want to talk about it, doesn’t want to deal with it, and doesn’t want to make it her problem. He tries to put the pain of it out of his mind, until he’s suddenly faced with having to explain everything to her at once.”
Academy Award winner Frances McDormand plays Michelle, Vincent’s girlfriend and downstairs neighbor. McDormand was intrigued by the emotional turmoil her character is forced to confront during the course of the film. “Michelle and Vincent have been having a pretty casual relationship for about a year — popping up and down to each other’s homes, never delving too deep. Then she’s suddenly thrust into the middle of his drama and she has to decide whether or not to stick around.”
Caton-Jones was drawn to the questions raised by Vincent’s fear of failing Joey in the same way that Vincent’s father had failed him. “Are we destined to do the same things that the generation before us did because of genetic disposition or the circumstances in which we are raised? It’s important to examine the consequences of parental abandonment.”
“Vincent is forced to face up to how he’s tried to blot out his past because of his father’s crime,” says McDormand. “You can’t avoid taking responsibility for yourself, for your past and for your future, particularly if you have kids. The most important element of the character of Michelle is to show that there is a possibility of a future for Vincent — that he can, in fact, change his life.”
“Parents have a great responsibility,” agrees James Franco, “because they are the single most powerful influence in their child’s life. If they aren’t there for them, there are serious consequences and sometimes lives are shattered.”
“The main theme that drew me to the story,” says producer Matthew Baer, “was its fresh take on parental responsibility. Three generations of LaMarca men have each suffered from a lack of solid relationships with their fathers; how can Vincent, and ultimately Joey, change that path for the next generation of their family?”
The real-life Vincent LaMarca, whose professional and personal experiences inspired the film, appreciates the message that is conveyed through the story. “In our lives, Joey and I have had to accept the fact that what’s done is done and we’re never going to be able to change it. I’m not going to be able to be a different father to him — those years are gone. Joey has taken responsibility for his crime as much as I’ve taken on the responsibility for not being there for him. The idea of taking responsibility is really the moral of this movie.”
ORIGINS
City by the Sea was inspired by Pulitzer Prize-Winning journalist Mike McAlary’s 1997 Esquire article Mark of a Murderer. Executive producer Dan Klores, who had a long-standing relationship with McAlary, was given an early look at the piece. Intrigued, he passed it on to producer Brad Grey. Feeling that the story had enormous potential, Brad Grey Pictures brought the idea of a feature film to Warner Bros. Pictures.
“The process of developing the screenplay from the article was challenging,” says Baer. “While the article contained very rich material and character back story, [screenwriter] Ken Hixon and I had discussed making a fundamental change from the true story: that Vincent would not be in retirement when Joey commits his crime, but instead be the active investigator. It seemed obvious that the story required that type of momentum to become a satisfying film.”
When acclaimed director Caton-Jones came onboard the project, he also worked closely with Hixon to incorporate his vision of how these compelling characters in their unique situation could be developed for a film adaptation. With Caton-Jones’ strong sense of story telling and characterization, a shooting script evolved into material that Caton-Jones felt confident could fully bring the LaMarcas’ story to the silver screen.
Despite the differences between his real life experience and the film adaptation, City by the Sea still resonates with Vincent LaMarca. “There’s a scene in which my character talks about how he felt about his father, how he dealt with his son and how his son felt about him,” says LaMarca. “That more than rang a bell when I was watching the movie — they did that very well. I’m not quite sure how they did it so well, but they did, they caught an awful lot.”
CASTING
“We are very fortunate to have such an extraordinary cast,” says producer Brad Grey. “Having two Academy Award winners, Robert De Niro and Frances McDormand, coupled with a terrific young actor in James Franco is more than one could hope for. Their work in this film is fantastic.”
Caton-Jones’ first task was to find an actor strong and versatile enough to convey Vincent’s emotional journey. He turned to his friend Robert De Niro, whom he had directed in This Boy’s Life, to anchor the cast. “Bob has incredible sympathy as a human being,” says Caton-Jones. “As an actor, I think he’s the greatest of our generation, bar none. He has an immense ability to portray an emotion honestly.”
De Niro was drawn to the role by the honesty and significance of the storytelling. “I found the story very interesting,” he says. “It’s a realistic attempt to portray a guy’s life, including his dysfunctional, broken-up family, which is something that a lot of people can understand. Vincent has doubts about being a father because of what he went through as a result of his father’s crime. But as hard as he’s tried to atone for that by becoming a cop, he sees another generation coming along and continuing this negative cycle.”
Once De Niro was onboard, the director turned his attention to casting the demanding role of Vincent’s tormented son, Joey. “I needed to find someone who had both a youthfulness and a maturity and who wouldn’t be intimidated working with De Niro.” Caton-Jones found all of that in actor James Franco, winner of a 2002 Golden Globe for the telefilm James Dean.
Like his director, Franco was touched by the film’s subject matter. “This story is relevant to what so many people deal with in their lives; the portrayal of a father and son attempting to cope with the aftermath of an abandonment is very compelling.”
City by the Sea is a film primarily centered on the characters’ emotional struggles, and Caton-Jones’ next task was to cast the supporting roles that give the story its shape. For the role of Michelle, Vincent’s girlfriend, he needed an actress who could equal De Niro’s presence on screen. “It was important to me to find someone who could make their relationship believable,” says Caton-Jones, who sought out Academy Award-winner Frances McDormand. “I was really insistent on getting Frances, and she rewarded me with a terrific performance.”
Caton-Jones’ job didn’t end there. He also needed strong actresses to play the women in Joey’s life. He called upon Eliza Dushku to play Joey’s ex-girlfriend Gina, the mother of Vincent’s grandson. Caton-Jones had directed Dushku at the young age of eleven alongside De Niro in This Boy’s Life and the actress was thrilled to work with the director again. “I was very excited when I got the call,” she says. “The film is so well written, and so touching.” The actress found her second experience working with Caton-Jones to be quite valuable. “Michael taught me something every day — we’ve got a great relationship.”
Caton-Jones has equally positive things to say about the young actress. “I think she is one of the actresses of her generation that is going to last — she is very trusting, very willing to take chances.”
When it came to casting the part of Joey’s mother, Vincent’s embittered ex-wife Margaret, “It was important to find someone who contrasted Frances,” explains Caton-Jones, who cast Tony and Olivier Award-winning actress Patti LuPone in the role.
George Dzundza plays Reggie, Vincent’s partner and one of the few personal relationships in his life. “Reggie and Vincent are quite close,” says Dzundza. “They’ve been partners for many years, and it’s a relationship that Vincent feels very comfortable with. Partners have a very tight bond that often goes unspoken between them.”
For Dzundza, the decision to play the part of Reggie was an easy one, especially since it gave him the chance to reunite with De Niro, whom he worked with in 1978’s Deer Hunter. “From my point of view, this film tells a very important story — I’m a parent and it addresses a lot of issues that are significant to me in that regard.”
Rounding out the principle cast is William Forsythe, who plays Joey’s nemesis, vengeful drug dealer Spyder. “I wanted someone who could play that part with a sense of menace,” says Caton-Jones, “without turning him into a caricature. He’s a dealer who thinks of himself as a business man.”
Forsythe, who had worked previously with De Niro in Once Upon a Time in America, was eager to join the production. “I sought out this project because Michael was high on my list of directors that I wanted to work with,” he says, “and to have the chance to work with Robert De Niro again.”
WORKING WITH ROBERT De NIRO
For the cast and crew of City by the Sea, one of the most exciting aspects of the film was the prospect of working with the legendary Robert De Niro. Ever since completing This Boy’s Life, Caton-Jones had looked for another opportunity to direct the actor. “I had been interested for a long time in finding something that we could do together,” says Caton-Jones. Their previous working experience made production on City by the Sea a rewarding experience for both actor and director.
“One of the beauties of having worked with Bob,” Caton-Jones continues, “is that I was able to recognize the core honesty of the character as he developed him, and I could leap in and rework a scene accordingly. I think he enjoyed working that way also because we have a shorthand — we understand each other’s rhythm and play off each other very well.”
Caton-Jones is thrilled with the results of working with De Niro a second time. “I think this is one of Bob’s great performances. It is incredibly subtle — there isn’t a lot of flashiness about it, and its nuance is beyond the ability of a lot of other actors.”
The cast was equally enthusiastic about their experiences working with De Niro. “I had never worked improvisationally as much as I did with Bob, which was really fun,” says McDormand.
Dushku also singles out De Niro’s improvisation as one of the best qualities of working with him. “He uses a lot of improvisation to really get at what the purpose of the scene is. It makes you a better actor just to work with Bob because you see how it should be done.”
For James Franco, the opportunity to work with De Niro was priceless. “He’s very focused, yet he makes it look so effortless,” Franco says. “He’s been doing this so well for so long that it’s comparable to watching Olympic skaters — it looks so graceful and so easy that one would think, ‘I could do that if I just put in a little effort.’ The simple way he plays a scene, the gestures, the emotion that he doesn’t have to strive for — it’s already there.”
Co-star William Forsythe credits De Niro as being one of the important influences that led him to become an actor. “Robert is special for me because when I was seventeen, I went on a date to the movies,” he recalls. “The movie playing was called Mean Streets, and I had no idea who Robert De Niro was at the time. I saw that film and I went up to the manager of the place and asked if he needed an usher. I got a job and worked the entire time the film ran. Ten years after that, I was working with Robert on Once Upon a Time in America.”
ABOUT THE LOCATION
Asbury Park was chosen as the stand-in location for Long Beach, the “City by the Sea,” because, like Long Beach, Asbury Park is a once-bustling seaside resort town that has since become shabby with neglect. Producer Matthew Baer explains, “Asbury Park was the perfect location — everything we needed was right there. The boardwalk was worn down, as was the town itself.”
For Caton-Jones, the location of the set was integral to the production because the devastation of Vincent’s hometown symbolically represents the unfolding of events in the story. “The film takes place in a run-down seaside town that was once a well-heeled holiday resort close to New York City,” says the director. “That kind of dilapidated architecture really sets the tone of the movie.”
The director saw that same quality in Asbury Park. “Asbury Park has provided a whole bunch of different looks to reflect that mood. Its faded grandeur is really expressive for our story. Yes, it’s run down, but it’s an incredibly beautiful place… I think that this it must have been fabulous at one time.”
Asbury Park was beautiful in its time. Founded in the late 1800’s, it was the place to be on the Jersey Shore by the 1930’s, complete with big hotels, clean beaches and bustling crowds. Sadly, the city began to decline beginning in the 1960’s.
According to Caton-Jones, Long Beach holds a special place in Vincent’s heart because the town in its heyday represents an important, happier time in his life. The slow disintegration of this once crowded and beautiful place to the slum-like condition Vincent finds it in when he begins his investigation is visually figurative of the gradual deterioration of Vincent’s own life. “He’s in the autumn of his years, and looking back, he can see what once was.”
ABOUT THE CAST
ROBERT DE NIRO (Vincent LaMarca) launched his prolific motion picture career in Brian De Palma’s The Wedding Party in 1969. By 1973 De Niro twice won the New York Film Critics’ Award for Best Supporting Actor in recognition of his critically acclaimed performances in Bang the Drum Slowly and Martin Scorsese’s Mean Streets.
In 1974 De Niro received the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the young Vito Corleone in The Godfather, Part II. In 1980 he won his second Oscar, as Best Actor, for his extraordinary portrayal of Jake La Motta in Scorsese’s Raging Bull. De Niro has earned Academy Award nominations for his work in four additional films: for his role as Travis Bickle in Scorsese’s acclaimed Taxi Driver, as a Vietnam vet in Michael Cimino’s The Deer Hunter, as a catatonic patient brought to life in Penny Marshall’s Awakenings, and in 1992 for his role as Max Cady, an ex-con looking for revenge, in Scorsese’s remake of the 1962 classic Cape Fear.
De Niro’s distinguished body of work also includes performances in Elia Kazan’s The Last Tycoon, Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900, Ulu Grosbard’s True Confessions and Falling in Love, Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America, Scorsese’s King of Comedy, New York, New York, Goodfellas, and Casino, Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, Roland Joffe’s The Mission, Brian De Palma’s The Untouchables, Alan Parker’s Angel Heart, Martin Brest’s Midnight Run, David Jones’ Jacknife, Martin Ritt’s Stanley and Iris, Neil Jordan’s We’re No Angels, Penny Marshall’s Awakenings, Ron Howard’s Backdraft, Michael Caton-Jones’s This Boy’s Life, John NcNaughton’s Mad Dog and Glory, A Bronx Tale, Kenneth Branagh’s Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, Michael Mann’s Heat, Barry Levinson’s Sleepers and Wag the Dog, Jerry Zaks’ Marvin’s Room, Tony Scott’s The Fan, James Mangold’s Copland, Alfonso Cuaron’s Great Expectations, Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, John Frankenheimer’s Ronin, Harold Ramis’ Analyze This, Joel Schumacher’s Flawless, Des McNuff’s Rocky and Bullwinkle, Jay Roach’s Meet The Parents, George Tillman’s Men of Honor, John Herzfeld’s Fifteen Minutes, Frank Oz’s The Score and Showtime with Eddie Murphy.
De Niro takes pride in the development of his production company, Tribeca Productions, and the Tribeca Film Center, which he founded with Jane Rosenthal in 1988. Through Tribeca, he develops projects on which he serves in a combination of capacities, including producer, director and actor.
Tribeca’s A Bronx Tale marked De Niro’s directorial debut. Other Tribeca features include Thunderheart, Cape Fear, Mistress, Night and the City, The Night We Never Met, Faithful, Panther, Marvin’s Room, Wag the Dog, Analyze This, Flawless, Rocky and Bullwinkle, Meet The Parents and the upcoming Analyze That.
In 1992, Tribeca TV was launched with the critically acclaimed series Tribeca. De Niro served as one of the series’ executive producers. In 1998, Tribeca produced a miniseries for NBC, based on the life of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano.
Tribeca Productions is headquartered at De Niro’s Tribeca Film Center, in the Tribeca district of New York. The Film Center is a state-of-the-art office building designed for the film and television industry. The eight-story facility features office space, a screening room, banquet hall and restaurant, in addition to a full range of services for entertainment industry professionals.
FRANCES McDORMAND (Michelle) was awarded an Academy Award for her performance in the acclaimed Coen Brothers film Fargo. She also earned a supporting actress nomination in 1988 for her role in Mississippi Burning and a third Oscar nomination for her performance as Elaine in Cameron Crowe’s Almost Famous. McDormand will next be seen in the upcoming Laurel Canyon, written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, opening this fall.
In addition to Almost Famous, filmgoers have recently seen McDormand in the Coen Brothers’ film The Man Who Wasn’t There, with Billy Bob Thornton and Curtis Hanson’s Wonder Boys, which also stars Michael Douglas and Tobey Maguire. Other projects include such diverse films as Madeline, Primal Fear, Lone Star, Palookaville, Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Short Cuts and Paradise Road. Her television credits include the Showtime film Hidden in America, for which she earned an Emmy nomination, and Turner’s The Good Old Boys and Crazy in Love.
McDormand’s Broadway stage successes include her Tony-nominated performance in A Street Car Named Desire. She also starred in The Sisters Rosenzweig, The Swan, and Oedipus.
JAMES FRANCO (Joey LaMarca) earned a Best Actor Golden Globe award, a Broadcast Film Critics award, an Emmy nomination (award ceremony September 22) and a SAG nomination for his performance in the title role of TNT’s movie James Dean, directed by Mark Rydell. He recently starred opposite Tobey Maguire, Willem DaFoe and Kirsten Dunst in Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, and will next be seen starring in Sonny, directed by Nicolas Cage, and in John Dahl’s The Great Raid, opposite Benjamin Bratt.
Franco starred in NBC’s critically acclaimed Freaks and Geeks. His other film credits include the Martin Scorsese-produced Deuces Wild, Whatever It Takes and Never Been Kissed, starring Drew Barrymore.
ELIZA DUSHKU (Gina) will next be seen in the feature film Wrong Turn with Desmond Harrington, and the independent film The Kiss. Audiences most recently saw her in The New Guy, Kevin Smith’s Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Soul Survivor, opposite Luke Wilson. She also starred in the hit comedy Bring It On, with Kirsten Dunst.
Dushku’s other credits include True Lies, opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Caton-Jones’ This Boy’s Life, opposite Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio, and That Night, opposite Juliette Lewis. She also starred in the hit series Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
WILLIAM FORSYTHE’s (Spyder) impressive list of motion pictures encompasses a wide dramatic range. He has starred in numerous independent productions, which include Victor Nunez’s Coastlines, Outlaw with Michael Madsen, Luck of the Draw with Dennis Hopper, G-Men From Hell, with Tate Donovon, The Last Marshall with Scott Glenn, Four Days, with Lolita Davidovich and 18 Shades of Dust, with Danny Aiello. Forsythe was also seen in such mainstream films as Big City Blues with Burt Reynolds, Blue Streak with Martin Lawrence and Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo with Rob Schneider.
Other credits include The Rock, Things to Do in Denver When You’re Dead, Virtuosity, Row Your Boat, Firestorm, American Me, Dick Tracy, Raising Arizona, Once Upon a Time in America, Palookaville, Gotti for HBO, Dollar for the Dead on TNT and a starring role on the television series UC: Undercover
His 1993 performance in The Waterdance opposite Wesley Snipes garnered him an IFP/Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
GEORGE DZUNDZA (Reginald Duffy) is a veteran character actor whose film credits include Instinct opposite Anthony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding, Jr.; Crimson Tide opposite Denzel Washington; Dangerous Minds opposite Michelle Pfeiffer; Basic Instinct opposite Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone; No Way Out opposite Kevin Costner and Gene Hackman and The Deer Hunter opposite Robert De Niro. He was most recently seen in the drama Above Suspicion, with Scott Bakula and Annabella Sciorra.
Dzundza is best known as Detective Sergeant Max Greevey on the first few seasons of the TV series Law and Order. He was also a regular on the hit sitcom Jesse opposite Christina Applegate.
Dzundza will star opposite David Morse in the drama series Hack this fall.
PATTI LuPONE’s (Maggie) career spans film, stage and television. Recent film credits include David Mamet’s Heist opposite Gene Hackman, Ernest Dickerson’s Monday Night Mayhem opposite John Turturro for TNT, David Mamet’s critically acclaimed comedy State and Main, Spike Lee’s Summer of Sam, Nancy Savoca’s The Twenty Four Hour Woman and Jason Alexander’s Just Looking.
Her recent stage appearances include this past season’s hit Broadway revival of Michael Frayn’s Noises Off, Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, in which she made her debut with the New York Philharmonic, David Mamet’s The Old Neighborhood and Terrence McNally’s Tony Award winning Master Class in which she starred as Maria Callas. Miss LuPone’s musical stage credits include Pal Joey for City Center Encores!, Anything Goes, The Cradle Will Rock, Oliver!, The Robber Bridegroom and Evita, for which she won both the Tony and Drama Desk Awards for her performance as Eva Peron. On London’s West End she created the roles of Fantine in Les Miserables and Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard.
Perhaps best known as Libby Thatcher on the long running ABC series Life Goes On, her recent television appearances include guest-starring roles on Frasier (1998 Emmy Nomination), a recurring role on the CBS series Falcone and an appearance with John Williams, Yo Yo Ma and the Boston Pops on the PBS Series An Evening with the Pops.
Miss LuPone is currently touring in two concerts: Matters of the Heart, which is based on her CD of the same title, named one of the best CDs of 1999 by The Times of London and Time Out/New York; and Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, which she performs with symphony orchestras around the country and which is based on her triumphant 1999 Carnegie Hall solo concert debut.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
With City by the Sea, Scottish director MICHAEL CATON-JONES (Producer, Director, Writer) reunites with Robert De Niro, whom he directed in the critically acclaimed drama This Boy’s Life.
Caton-Jones has shown his versatility as a director with such films as the big-screen thriller The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Diane Verona and Sidney Poitier, which he also produced, and the romantic epic Rob Roy, an homage to his homeland, starring Liam Neeson, Jessica Lange and Tim Roth, on which he served as executive producer.
Caton-Jones made his directorial debut with Scandal, the story of the notorious Profumo sex scandal, starring John Hurt, Bridget Fonda, Joanne Whalley-Kilmer and Sir Ian McKellen. The film was the third-highest grossing independent film of 1989, and earned several awards and nominations, including the Camera D’Or at Cannes, the Golden Globes and the European Oscars. Other credits include Memphis Belle, starring Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Sean Astin and Harry Connick Jr. and Doc Hollywood, starring Michael J. Fox, Bridget Fonda, Julie Warner and Woody Harrelson.
KEN HIXON (Screenwriter) made his screenwriting debut with Grandview, U.S.A. starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Patrick Swayze. He followed up with Morgan Stewart’s Coming Home starring Jon Cryer and Lynn Redgrave. He is best known for Inventing the Abbotts, a bittersweet story of two brothers courting three sisters, starring Liv Tyler, Billy Crudup, Joaquin Phoenix, Jennifer Connelly and directed by Pat O’Connor.
Other screenwriting credits for television include: Incident at Deception Ridge starring Michael O’Keefe and directed by John McPherson; Secret Sins of the Father directed by Beau Bridges and starring Beau and Lloyd Bridges and Caught in the Act. Hixon’s teleplays for Secret Sins of the Father and Caught in the Act received nominations for the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America.
Hixon studied acting at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. His feature film credits as an actor include Miracles, Hollywood Knights and George Romero’s Knightriders; television credits include Police Story: The Freeway Killings, Bitter Harvest and guest appearances on T.J. Hooker and Wizards and Warriors.
MIKE McALARY (Author, Mark of a Murderer) first began a career in journalism as a sports writer at the Boston Herald over twenty years ago. In addition, he was the author of five books, including Buddy Boys, Good Cop, Bad Cop, and a novel, Sore Loser.
Prior to journalism, McAlary held a reporter’s position at ABC Sports, and general assignment jobs at various New York City newspapers, including The Daily News.
As a reporter, McAlary was responsible for breaking several major news stories, most notably the police corruption scandals at the 77th precinct and the Dirty 30 Cops, as well as the Tanglewood boys, a deadly crew of Generation-X mobsters. Mike McAlary died on December 25, 1998. He was 41.
BRAD GREY (Producer) is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Brillstein-Grey Entertainment (BGE). BGE’s affiliated companies include Brillstein-Grey Management, Brad Grey Television, and Brad Grey Pictures.
Brillstein-Grey Management’s exclusive list of clients includes: Jennifer Aniston, Nicolas Cage, Dana Carvey, Bob Costas, Courtney Cox, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Greg Kinnear, Rob Lowe, Bill Maher, John Malkovich, Lorne Michaels, Dennis Miller, Brad Pitt, Guy Ritchie, Adam Sandler, Tom Selleck, Martin Short, Gary Sinise, Jimmy Smits, David Spade, Sylvester Stallone, and Noah Wyle.
The company’s television studio, Brad Grey Television, has a number of shows on the air for the 2001-2002 network season, serving as Executive Producer of According to Jim, Just Shoot Me, The Steve Harvey Show, The Wayne Brady Show, and the highly anticipated fourth season of The Sopranos. The company also produced The Larry Sanders Show and Newsradio, which is now in syndication after five years on NBC.
Brad Grey Pictures will soon be releasing Miramax’s View from the Top, directed by Bruno Barreto and starring Gwyneth Paltrow, to be released in January 2003. The cast also includes Mike Myers, Christina Applegate, Rob Lowe, Kelly Preston, Mark Ruffalo, Christian Slater, and Candice Bergen.
An important recent project was the special entitled In Memoriam: September 11, 2001, New York City produced by HBO in association with Brad Grey TV, which aired Memorial Day weekend on HBO. The documentary, which was nominated for an Emmy this year, was told through the voice of Rudolph W. Giuliani and utilized unprecedented access to City Hall and the Mayor’s staff. It also included archival documents, combined with eyewitness accounts and news footage. The film and all of the materials used in making the film, from transcripts to outtakes, was donated to The Museum of the City of New York where it will live as an archival record of that historic day. Giuliani, Brad Grey Television and HBO/AOL Time Warner donated their production fees to the Twin Towers Fund, which was established by Mayor Giuliani.
In June, 2002, Grey joined forces with Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston, signing a three-year, first look, first-dollar gross deal at Warner Bros. Their first project will be the screen adaptation of the Mark Haddon novel, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime.
Grey, a Golden Globe Award-winner as Executive Producer of The Sopranos and a four-time winner of the George Foster Peabody Award, is a sixteen-time Emmy and Academy Award nominee.
Grey serves on the Board of Directors of the UCLA School of Medicine, Project A.L.S., KCET, the Environmental Media Association, Comic Relief, the Dean’s Council at the New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and the Board of Councilors at the University of Southern California’s School of the Cinema — Television.
Grey resides in Los Angeles and is married with three children.
ELIE SAMAHA (Producer) is Chairman/CEO of Franchise Pictures, which has fast become one of the most prolific production and co-financing companies in the entertainment industry. Under his leadership, Franchise Pictures will finance and distribute over a dozen films this year alone. Samaha, who has produced/executive produced over 50 films, has built Franchise into a powerful mini-studio with mainstream films populated by the industry’s biggest box-office stars.
Franchise Pictures has instituted a domestic distribution arrangement with Warner Bros. Pictures, which began with the popular comedy The Whole Nine Yards, starring Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry, released on February 18, 2000. Other films released through Warner Bros. Pictures include The Art of War, starring Wesley Snipes, Get Carter, with Sylvester Stallone, The Pledge, starring Jack Nicholson and directed by Sean Penn, and David Mamet’s Heist, starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito.
Other Franchise titles distributed domestically through Warner Bros. Pictures include Luis Mandoki’s Angel Eyes, with Jennifer Lopez and Jim Caviezel, 3,000 Miles to Graceland, starring Kurt Russell and Kevin Costner, Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone and the upcoming release Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, directed by Kaos and starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu. Currently in production and slated for 2003 release are The In-Laws, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks; A Sound of Thunder, starring Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack and Sir Ben Kingsley; and Alex and Emma, directed by Rob Reiner, starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson.
Additionally, Samaha has shepherded an extensive list of films towards release through Franchise Pictures. He served as producer for the recent drama Zigzag, starring John Leguizamo and Wesley Snipes, as well as the upcoming Steven Seagal action thriller Half Past Dead and Princess of Paradise Park, starring Jim Caviezel.
Franchise operates a classics division which has produced and distributed films including Caveman’s Valentine, starring Samuel L. Jackson; The Green Dragon, starring Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker, which was in competition at Sundance 2001; Rodrigo Garcia’s Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her, featuring Glenn Close, Holly Hunter, Amy Brenneman and Cameron Diaz, which won the Un Certain Regard prize at the Cannes Film Festival; and The Big Kahuna, starring Danny DeVito and Kevin Spacey.
Franchise retains foreign rights to all its films and operates as a full-service international sales company encompassing distribution, marketing and delivery, with output deals covering territories worldwide.
City By The Sea was brought to Warner Bros. by MATTHEW BAER (Producer), head of the motion picture department at Brad Grey Pictures. He is currently supervising 10 projects at various studios, including View From The Top, starring Gywenth Paltrow for Miramax, which will be released in early 2003. In 1998, Baer was executive producer on The Replacement Killers, starring Chow-Yun Fat and Mira Sorvino as well as Jack Frost, starring Michael Keaton. Prior to joining Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, Baer worked at Giant Pictures where he was involved with such projects as The Hurricane and The Fountainhead.
LAURA VIEDERMAN (Co-Producer) has a longstanding working association with director Michael Caton-Jones. She previously worked with Caton-Jones on The Jackal, in which she also had a small cameo appearance, and Scandal, on which she served as the executive in charge of production at Miramax Films.
Viederman also served as an Associate Producer on Sliver, starring Sharon Stone and William Baldwin, directed by Phillip Noyce. She was the executive in charge of production on Strike It Rich starring Robert Lindsay and Molly Ringwald and directed by James Scott.
ANDREW STEVENS (Producer) is partnered with Elie Samaha in Franchise Pictures, one of the most prolific production/distribution companies in the entertainment industry. Stevens serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of the company as well as heading up the Franchise Classics division.
Stevens has served as producer or executive producer on more than 50 motion pictures, including a number of films Franchise has released in recent years as part of its distribution deal with Warner Bros. Pictures. Among these are David Mamet’s Heist, starring Gene Hackman and Danny DeVito and the upcoming release Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever, directed by Kaos and starring Antonio Banderas and Lucy Liu, as well as The Whole Nine Yards, starring Bruce Willis, Battlefield Earth, starring John Travolta, The Art of War, starring Wesley Snipes, Get Carter, starring Sylvester Stallone, The Pledge, directed by Sean Penn and starring Jack Nicholson, 3000 Miles to Graceland, starring Kevin Costner and Kurt Russell, Angel Eyes, starring Jennifer Lopez and Jim Caviezel, and Driven, starring Sylvester Stallone. Upcoming Franchise/Warner Bros. Pictures releases will include The In-Laws, starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks; A Sound of Thunder, starring Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack and Sir Ben Kingsley; and Alex and Emma, directed by Rob Reiner, starring Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson.
Stevens also served as producer on the Franchise Classics pictures Caveman’s Valentine, starring Samuel L. Jackson, and The Green Dragon, starring Patrick Swayze and Forest Whitaker, which was in competition in Sundance 2001.
The Classics division, which operates under Stevens’s tutelage, caters toward the nurturing of up-and-coming filmmakers and prestige and specialty projects. Some of the films that Stevens has produced/executive produced under this label are The Big Kahuna, starring Kevin Spacey and Danny DeVito, Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her, starring Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz and Holly Hunter, The Third Miracle, starring Ed Harris and Anne Heche, Animal Factory, starring Willem Dafoe, Edward Furlong and Steve Buscemi, Auggie Rose, starring Jeff Goldblum and Anne Heche and the recent Zigzag, starring Wesley Snipes and John Leguizamo. He also produced the upcoming Steven Seagal action film Half Past Dead.
Stevens has broad experience in the production, foreign distribution and sales arenas, having previously served as president of four full-service production/distribution companies. He currently serves on the board of the American Film Marketing Association (AFMA) as well as being vice-chairman of the Independent Producers Association and is active in guild negotiations.
Recently proclaimed by Crain’s as the “eclectic PR man” who “built his PR firm into a powerhouse,” DAN KLORES (Executive Producer) was featured in the publication’s June 2002 “100 Most Influential Leaders in Business.” Dan’s unique flair for marketing and orchestrating big events is renowned throughout the industry. A veteran public relations professional and innovator with over 20 years of industry experience, he is recognized as one of the marketing world’s primary creative thinkers and problem-solvers. Clients often remark, “When you are with Dan, you can see his mind working.” He has guided many clients on public relations matters involving complex trials and litigation and has established an extraordinary reputation with the media. Dan has appeared as an expert commentator on numerous national television programs and networks, including: Today, Good Morning America, Entertainment Tonight, CNN, CNBC and MSNBC. Dan has also been the guest lecturer to many marketing and public relations groups nationwide, including: the National Football League, the National Basketball Association, New York University, Yeshiva University, the National Association of Magazine Publishers and the American Women’s Economic Development (AWED) group. In 1984, Dan’s work on behalf of the NYU Medical Center earned him the coveted Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America.
In addition to his comprehensive public relations skills, Dan is the author of Roundball Culture (A & M Press, 1980) and numerous magazine articles published in New York Magazine, Esquire, The Village Voice, Southern Exposure and Southern World. He also served as Executive Editor of AVENUE Magazine. Most recently, he produced Paul Simon’s Broadway musical, The Capeman, which was nominated for three Tony Awards. Currently, he is producing/ directing Under the Boardwalk: The Boys of 2nd Street Park, a documentary about a generation told through the eyes of five men, from their childhoods in the 1960’s to the present. Dan also serves on the board of several charitable organizations, including the Brooklyn Academy of Music and the Children’s Health Fund.
Dan resides in New York City with his wife, Abbe, and his sons, Jake and Sam.
DON CARMODY (Executive Producer) has been producing films for 25 years. He was executive in charge of production for Canada’s Cinepix, where he co-produced David Cronenberg’s early shockers They Came From Within and Rabid, as well as the popular comedy Meatballs. Later, as head of production for Astral Films, he oversaw such projects as Terror Train, Death Ship and the mini-series A Man Called Intrepid.
Starting his own production company in 1980, Carmody went on to produce Space Hunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone, the smash hits Porky’s and Porky’s II, A Christmas Story, The Big Town and Whispers. Other producing credits include Sidekicks, starring Chuck Norris; The Hitman (which he also co-wrote), also starring Norris; the sequel to the hit comedy Weekend at Bernie’s; and the science fiction adventure Johnny Mnemonic, starring Keanu Reeves. Recently, Carmody produced Sidney Lumet’s Guilty As Sin and the black comedy Critical Care.
For HBO, Carmody produced Payoff and The Late Shift, which was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, three CableACE Awards and the Producers Guild Golden Laurel. The Late Shift also won a Golden Globe Award for Kathy Bates and a Directors Guild Award for Betty Thomas.
As executive producer, Carmody’s credits include The Mighty, Senseless, Studio 54, Good Will Hunting, In Too Deep, The Boondock Saints, The Third Miracle, Get Carter, The Whole Nine Yards, The Pledge and 3,000 Miles to Graceland. His most recent releases are Driven, directed by Renny Harlin and starring Sylvester Stallone, Angel Eyes, starring Jennifer Lopez and David Mamet’s Heist.
Carmody is currently co-producing the film version of the Broadway Musical Chicago starring Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah and Mya.
ROGER PARADISO (Executive Producer) most recently served as co-producer on The Thomas Crown Affair directed by John McTiernan and starring Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo.
He was the line producer on At First Sight, directed by Irwin Winkler, starring Val Kilmer, Mira Sorvino and Nathan Lane. Paradiso was also one of the producers on Bullet for director Julien Temple and Marshall Brickman’s The Manhattan Project starring John Lithgow.
He wrote and directed the award winning short films Looping and The Dream Conspiracy. Paradiso has also been a second unit director on several films as well as a producer/director for commercials, videos and theatre.
KARL WALTER LINDENLAUB’s, ASC, bvk (Director of Photography) work was most recently seen in Garry Marshall’s highly successful film The Princess Diaries. In addition, he served as Director of Photography for One Night at McCool’s for Harald Zwart and The Haunting for Jan DeBont.
Lindenlaub has worked previously with Michael Caton-Jones, in The Jackal and Rob Roy. Other career highlights include four films for Roland Emmerich: Independence Day, Stargate, Universal Soldier, and Moon 44, for which he won a German Film Award for Best Cinematography, as well as Red Corner, Up Close and Personal and Last of the Dogmen.
A native of Germany, Lindenlaub graduated from the Munich Film and Television School. He earned a scholarship to the National Film and Television School in England.
JANE MUSKY’s (Production Designer) recent credits include Gus Van Sant’s Finding Forrester starring Sean Connery, Ang Lee’s short film The Chosen, Objection Of My Affection with Jennifer Aniston, The Devil’s Own with Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt and City Hall with Al Pacino and John Cusack.
Musky began her career as a feature film production designer with filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen on Blood Simple, followed by their next film, Raising Arizona. Other films on which she served as designer include Ghost, Glenngary Glen Ross, When Harry Met Sally and Young Guns.
City by the Sea marks the second time Costume Designer RICHARD OWINGS has worked with Robert De Niro. Owings’ feature film credits include Prison Song starring Q-Tip, Mary J. Blige and Elvis Costello, which was executive produced by De Niro, as well as Juwanna Mann, starring Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak and Tommy Davidson.
His additional credits include King of the Jungle starring John Leguizamo, Maria Tomei, Rosie Perez and Annabella Sciorra, Personals starring Malik Yoba, Joe The King starring Val Kilmer and Ethan Hawke, American Cuisine and Ride. Owings’ has also served as designer on Dick Wolf’s television series New York Undercover, and NBC’s Unis Pilot, also a Dick Wolf project.
Editor JIM CLARK’s extensive career includes several projects on which he’s previously worked with Michael Caton-Jones such as The Jackal, This Boy’s Life and Memphis Belle, for which he won a Guild of British Film Editors Award. Other career highlights include an Academy Award and a BAFTA for The Killing Fields, an Oscar, BAFTA and American Cinemas Editors Award nomination for The Mission, and a BAFTA nomination for The Marathon Man.
One of his most recent projects was Michael Apted’s The World Is Not Enough starring Pierce Brosnan and Sophie Marceau. His credits also include Marvin’s Room, with Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio, Copycat, with Sigourney Weaver and Holly Hunter, and Jodie Foster’s Nell.
Clark began his career in 1951 as a cutting room trainee at Ealing Film Studios, where as assistant editor, he worked on many films including The Ladykillers, The Cruel Sea and Barnacle Bill. He later freelanced as an assistant editor on such films as Indiscreet and The Prince and the Showgirl.
He made his debut as a feature film editor in 1960 on Surprise Package. Clark subsequently edited a wide variety of international features including The Grass is Greener, The Innocents, Charade, The Pumpkin Eater, Darling, The Last Remake of Beau Geste, Agatha, The Day of the Locust, Yanks, and Marathon Man.
