James Gandolfini brought the Jersey mob to Brooklyn to film a scene for The Sopranos at Christ Church in Cobble Hill. Gandolfini’s Tony Soprano would suffer a panic attack that caused him to collapse while entering the church for a wedding. Before each take, he puffed madly on a cigar to make himself light headed to give reality to his performance.
During my 30 years in Brooklyn, gentrification turned the area into a sound stage, with Hollywood using our neighborhood for its Brownstone architecture, gritty waterfront and big city flare. Christ Church, the scene of a Sopranos wedding, was one of our grand churches, designed by Richard Upjohn - father of the Gothic Revival movement in the United States - at the same time he was working on Trinity Church on Wall Street in Manhattan. The interior of the church features six Tiffany windows.
"Mr. & Mrs. John Sacrimoni Request..." is the 70th episode of the HBO original series The Sopranos, and had nearly the entire cast of the show standing on Clinton Street in Cobble Hill. Sitting on a stoop across the street, I spent the day watching the outside activities, witnessing how a great actor prepped for his scenes.
I bought the frame at an estate sale and loved it for this image. Printed by Mark D Phillips on a Canon Pixma Pro printer on Inkpress Glossy Professional 13" x 19" paper.
