4. Brooklyn Heights
The brownstone-rich Brooklyn Heights, as described by Donohue as “the jewel by the Brooklyn Bridge,” has historically included such famous residents as Marilyn Monroe, Arthur Miller, and Truman Capote, among dozens of other writers and artists. The neighborhood, with notably romantic street names including Love Lane, Cranberry Street, and Orange Street, has attracted dozens of film sets to its cobbled streets and historic brownstones. The brownstone at 32 Remsen Street features in The Age of Innocence, the 1993 Martin Scorcese film based on Edith Wharton’s novel of the same name. In the film, Newland Archer (Daniel Day-Lewis) falls for his cousin Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer), though he instead marries May Weiland (Winona Ryder). Prospect Park is the real setting for the Boston park in the film, and Day-Lewis is seen in one scene on horseback on 8th Avenue in Park Slope.
Brooklyn Heights was used again in place of Boston for The Verdict, the Sidney Lumet film starring Paul Newman as an alcoholic lawyer who hopes to get himself out of the weeds by accepting a complicated medical malpractice case. The “Boston” home of Judge Hoyle was at 20 Willow Street, while the home of Dr. Gruber was down the street at 151 Willow Street, also the former home of Arthur Miller. Dr. Gruber worked nearby at 18 Cranberry Street.
1987’s Moonstruck, starring Cher as the widowed Loretta Castorini who falls in love with her fiancé’s younger brother, has a few scenes in Brooklyn Heights. Movie fans globally visit Cranberry Street where Cher walked home in one of the film’s most famous scenes, and Amy Schumer purchased the 1829 townhouse at 19 Cranberry Street for $12.25 million last year. Cammameri Bakery at 502 Henry Street was also used for the film, which also selected Clinton Hill and Carroll Gardens for some shots.
Perhaps one of the most famous movies to film in Brooklyn Heights was The Godfather, if only for a scene. In the film, Luca Brasi (Lenny Montana) “slept with the fishes” at 100 Henry Street, or the Hotel St. George. The film also includes the famous “Don’t forget the cannoli!” scene that was filmed in Gravesend. Another hit film briefly depicting the neighborhood is Taxi Driver, in which Robert DeNiro’s Travis Bickle buys his guns at 87 Columbia Heights. The film’s last scene was filmed nearby at Cadman Plaza West.