Author Michael Lee Nirenberg ( a scenic artist in New York since 2006) examines the exciting, odd, terrifying, and hilarious world of New York City’s film industry in his new book titled Cinematic Immunity.
Comprised of over 150 interviews and hundreds of behind-the-scenes images from studio archives and from the technicians who worked on the feature films, Cinematic Immunity focuses on the golden age (1950-1990) of New York filmmaking from On the Waterfront through The Sopranos.
Nirenberg covers it all here, from union politics, labor strikes, movie families, dangerous locations, difficult shots, volatile directors, anecdotes about actors, pranks, friendships, rivalries, generational shifts, substance use and abuse, and technical feats.
We got to speak to Nirenberg about Cinematic Immunity in this exclusive interview, and like the the NYC film crews that this book is dedicated to, we didn’t shy away from asking the tough questions such as why Taxi Driver and C.H.U.D. are not included in the book.
How did your work as a scenic artist in New York inspire you to write Cinematic Immunity?
Michael Lee Nirenberg: Working on movies, TV shows, music videos, and commercials as a scenic artist formed the entire basis for this book. I had the germ of the idea back in 2015, but at that time I thought it would be a documentary because that’s what I was doing creatively and professionally at that time. I’ve spent countless hours on the clock listening to stories from the movie veterans. It’s always interested me, but during the pandemic summer it became clear to me that we were gonna lose all these stories if I didn’t begin immediately.
You start the book with a chapter on how to read the book. Why did you include this message at the start?
Nirenberg: I think nonfiction books have a responsibility to level with the reader. I envisioned this book being used two ways–as a snapshot of this unique industry at a time when it was arguably at its peak, and as a reference book for the film student/movie fan.
You cover a ton of classics in the book, but you also said that some just didn’t have enough information or conflicting information to include, most prominently with Taxi Driver. What were the issues with Taxi Driver?
Nirenberg: I just didn’t have enough heat there. A book like this requires that you make hard choices and put your best stuff in the edit. [Editor] Christina Ward and I cared more about how good the stories were and not how good the movie they are talking about is. That’s why there is a chapter on TV movie Izzy and Moe yet nothing on Godfather II. The Hollywood Reporter did an informative, starfucky oral history on Taxi Driver that was better than anything I had. We may still publish mine somewhere though.
Which chapter/film was your favorite to chronicle here and why?
Nirenberg: That’s a tough question, but I’m gonna go with The Exorcist. I loved stories about William Friedkin’s craziness and the making of that movie fascinates me. Although I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to work for Friedkin, I like boring jobs where I can be home by dinner. My runner-up may be Oz. I’ve never actually seen that show but I love the wild the crew stories from it.
Of all of the decades covered in your book, which one was the most difficult for filmmakers to work in and why?
Nirenberg: Not trying to evade this one, but there’s no simple answer. The earlier eras covered in this book would seem challenged by the cameras they had–you couldn’t work in extremely low light or hard to reach places which required mobility, but there was also more gatekeeping about who got to work. There were very few women and people of color.
The later eras I covered were becoming more hemmed in by corporate oversight. HR departments and boardroom decisions are killing creativity today. No question about that. I think that’s why so many film lovers are romantic about the 60s and 70s. That seemed to be a sweet spot.
If you were to explore more films in the future, are there one or two that you’d enjoy diving into (my vote is for C.H.U.D)?
Nirenberg: I love C.H.U.D. In fact some of the guys I interviewed worked that one, but I didn’t have enough to make it work. The way I did this book was just to get these people to start talking with IMDB open and I got whatever they remembered or were willing to tell me. So it was less about chasing my favorite movies and more about luck. Maybe I’ll do Cinematic Immunity II some time in the future, I don’t know.
Upcoming work/projects?
Nirenberg: I’m in post on a feature length documentary that I shot slowly over the last few years called The Carpenter. It’s a spinoff of Cinematic Immunity. A friend of mine is a carpenter who got into the movie business by dealing coke to the crew on the Woody Allen movies. He was an escaped convict, heroin addict who lived undercover in the Hasidic community and started a weed growing operation for them. He lived an extraordinary life and is the best storyteller I’ve ever met. He’s hilarious and it’s gonna be great. I promise.
I should also mention I’m open to any business opportunities to do a Cinematic Immunity cartoon series. So hit me up.
Cinematic Immunity (published by Feral House) is currently available at finer bookstores everywhere.
