Customer Reviews

Public Eye [VHS]

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This review refers to the VHS edition of "The Public Eye".....

Noir lovers and Pesci fans alike will be thrilled by this dark look at the underworld of New York City in the 1940's. It stars Joe Pesci as Leon "The Great Bernzini" Bernstein, photographer to the mob.
"Bernzy" as he is also called by those who know him well,will stop at nothing to get that great shot of the "dead guy" even before the cops arrive.The gorier the better. Bernzy has an in with not only the cops, but also the two ruling mafia gangs that are in control of the city. But Bernzy never takes sides, just the pictures. That is until the beautiful but unattainable Kay Levitz(Barbara Hershey) asks for a favor. He immediatly becomes enamored by her and will do anything for her.The "favor" has Bernzy becoming involved with dangerous black market schemes and a lethal war going on between the two mafia gang rivals. Bernzy has a chance to get the picture of a lifetime from information that he has obtained, and fulfill a promise to the woman he adores,although it may cost him his life.

Joe Pesci's performance of this character is captivating. He's a shutterbug who not only is always there to exploit the horrible murders he sees, but also artfully captures the life going on around him. Barbara Hershey is exquiste and keeps the mystery going, and Stanley Tucci also turns in a fine performance as an underworld figure. It was directed by Howard Franklin(Larger Than Life/Quick Change)who absolutely takes you into this seemy underworld and keeps you there.

The VHS is a good picture and the sound in Dolby Stereo(HI FI) is pleasing. I did not see it available in DVD,but it really should be!

Get the popcorn ready BEFORE you get involved with this one! It will have you so caught up with these characters and the story you may not be able to find a place to pause it, once you start it.......Laurie

also recommended:
Jimmy Hollywood
JFK - Director's Cut (Two-Disc Special Edition)

This is an amazing film. All of the photos shown in this movie, taken by joe pesci as the "Great Bernzini" or Bernzie, are actual famous photo's taken by Arthur Fellig or WeeGee. Called WeeGee after, at that time, the newly released Ouija Board, because utilizing his police radio in his car he arrived at crime scenes even before the police. This is as I said an amazing movie. The plot is enticing and was filmed as well as directed amazingly. For more information on Arthur Fellig or his Artwork, which is currently being displayed at museums around the country(...).

If you need car crashes, buildings blowing up, or somebody being cut open with a cooking knife to have fun, this isn't your kind of film. But...

This gritty Pesci film was a sleeper in the theatres. For movie buffs who like drama, intriguing story lines, and great acting...this movie is a classic for your collection.

Pesci plays a reporter who gets his pictures from the darker side of New York in the 1940's. He develops an attachment to his deceased friends wife, who runs a club and eventually runs into trouble with the local mob.

Its a wonderful, thoughtful, mature retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast story. Wonderfully scripted characters, and totally believeable dialogue will transport you into a different era, and an expertly crafted tale.

THE PUBLIC EYE (1992) is set in September of 1942. It stars Joe Pesci as nickel cigar-chewing Leon Bernstein-- a "shutterbug" or free-lance photo-journalist nicknamed 'The Great Bernzini.'

Bernzy' is not above rearranging crime scenes for a better picture. He'll reposition a corpse, make sure it has a hat on, and so forth. He's also a master at obtaining "impossible" shots. Example: a male domestic violence victim being removed from his apartment is covered with a white sheet so that no one can photograph the axe buried in his forehead. Disguised as a priest, Bernzy finagles his way into the ambulance and fakes administering the Last Rites. He then takes a couple of quick snaps with a mini-35 mm camera and is immediately bounced out the vehicle's back door.

Classic noir elements include shadowy night scenes, a pervasively dark mood and especially Bernzy's involvement with glamorous nightclub owner Kay Levitz (Barbara Hershey), who seemingly befriends this lonely man but ultimately uses him for her own ends. The story (and their brief affair) ends sadly, in classic noir fashion.

This somber film is punctuated with a high-power gangland execution of an entire mob that occurs at a small family-style Italian restaurant. Bernzy bravely positions himself in a backroom to photograph these killings as they happen, and when one mobster sees and points a pistol at him, Bernzy responds by taking his picture!

Re-creation of the '40s is outstanding throughout and Pesci's atypically understated, soulful acting marks what I believe is his very best screen performance. Due to its bloody moments, this one never could have been made in the '40s. Even so, all fans of film noir will find THE PUBLIC EYE highly satisfying. I heartily recommend it.


As of 9/09, "The Public Eye" was not available on DVD.

I have enjoyed this movie more times than I can remember. Joe Pesci is perfect as the scrappy tabloid photographer who at heart feels that what he is doing is also an ART. The film is about vindicating himself as an artist and reclaiming his personal life as a man, after sacrificing so much because he is driven to capture the ultimate picture in his work and living for so long seemingly as a bum. Anyone who is an artist or creative type is likely to get a great deal of enjoyment out of this unusual story where the main characters come from two completely different backgrounds and yet are irresistibly drawn together. The relationship between Pesci and Barbara Hershey is compelling and has many unexpected twists and turns: there's always some suspicion going on between them that complicates their relationship way out of the ordinary, even though there's a love here and they want to trust each other.

Please... will some big-shot movie exec please get this classic out on DVD? I agree with another reviewer that this is one of Pesci's best roles: he's gritty and determined without having to play a twisted figure from the underworld - the role was perfect for him. I love character and plot driven films and I've always felt that this gem delivers on both counts. Plus, the feeling of the war years during the 1940s is captured to a T. I bet I've seen it at least 50 times, including because of Mark Isham's understated soundtrack that sets the perfect mood. (I own the soundtrack too... one of my all-time favorites!) The Public Eye is recommended for those who love film noir types of movies with intriguing characters written by writer/directors, such as Howard Franklin, who did a great job here.

Joe Peschi is excellent as a shutterbug in New York City that gets involved with mob ties, a beautiful nightclub owner, and a mafia shootout. Its perfect blend of drama, mystery, suspense, and comedy really beckons the viewer to laugh and be on the edge of your seat at the same time! It is the story of the Great Bernzini, a free-lance tabloid photographer who intentionally tries to get involved with every crime ring or criminal in the city to get the perfect photograph. But one time, it goes a bit too far and he has to put his life on the line to save Kay (a delightful Barbara Hershey in a role that was made for her)! See it, now!

Joe Pesci usually ends up playing tough, often brutal, and sometimes incredibly violent mobsters. This says a lot more about the movie business than it does about him. Actually, his violent roles, despite his hard-boiled persona and his ability to convincingly explode on screen, remain a tiny bit unconvincing. One reason for this is that he is not physically imposing. Also he can't stop being just a wee bit cute, like a squirrel with a machine gun. The role of Wee Gee, the persistent little cameraman who documented New York's dark underbelly, therefore, is tailor-made for Pesci. Employing a vulnerability alongside his trademark streetwise persona, he gives an affecting portrayal in a film that also seems a masterly and gritty recreation of 1940s New York (Having no first-hand experience, I can't really say for sure). The movie's one fault, however, is that a photographer is just a photographer and is not a suitable subject of apotheosis, as is attempted at the finale.

Can we please get this title to DVD A.S.A.P. please?? And not via a hokey, sub-par transfer. I mean, accurate and with superb color saturation. Also, I need the extras; I want to see the MAKING OF featurette. Come on, man. DO IT!!

This is really an excellent film, within its genre. It is loosely, and at times not so loosely, based on the life and work of Weegee, the name used by NYC freelance photographer Arthur Fellig, in the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. The photographer in the movie, who Joe Pesci plays, is called Bernsie, and the book he is trying to get published, The Public Eye, is rather obviously Weegee's Naked City book. Crime syndicates become involved, the war effort (WW 2) is involved, some romance is involved, there is the "tortured artist" element there, as well. I can't go into too much detail without giving away the plot, but if you like film noir, this will probably be one for you. Note that there is some very graphic "Godfather" type violence in this. If you are a Barbara Hershey fan, you will also have reason to like it.

I can't believe there still is no DVD of this movie, at least in Region I, and that's frustrating. There's something intriguing about this story that drives me back to it time and again.

Perhaps that is so because it's about a photographer, something I did, too, while being in the newspaper business for years and an art form I've always enjoyed. The story also takes place in the 1940s and I love the style and atmosphere of that era which is beautifully shown here.

Joe Pesci is Leon Bernzini or "The Great Bernzini," a newspaper photographer, and Barbara Hershey is a mysterious woman who Pesci has the hots for. There is a lot of mystery in here with Hershey's character.

Sad to say, the filmmakers kind of make a hero out of basically a sleazy guy who has few, if any, morals. ("Bernzy" was "paparazzi" before they invented the word!). The movie also has an unsatisfying ending, particularly with Hershey's character.

However, I keep getting drawn back into multiple viewings of this and I'd sure like to see what it looks like with a good DVD transfer.