"The Candidate" (1972), starring Robert Redford, was on television last evening. Of course, there are lots of photographers with various cameras in this movie. Leica M's (undoubtably M4s) were the most prominent, appearing onscreen on at least two different occasions. Interestingly, an accessory viewfinder was mounted on the camera both times.

Has anyone else spotted Leicas in the movies or on TV?

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), May 28, 2000

Answers

In Chinatown Jack Nicholson uses a Leica screwmount with a long lens and accessory viewfinder.

-- Matt Orth (morth@erols.com), June 06, 2000.

In the sequel to Chinatown, "The Two Jakes" the whole opening credits plays over Nickelson shooting and winding a screw series Leica with a 50mm sumarit lens... Good close up. In the movie "salvador" a good close up of a M series with a 28mm lens getting a "from the hip" grap shot of an execution, ala Eddie Addams.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), June 08, 2000.

In Wolfgang Petersen's 'Das Boot', one of the lead characters used a Leica with a collapsible lens to document life on board the sub.

-- Alpha Omega (no@email.com), June 15, 2000.

In the 1952 Stanley Kubrick B/W film 'Lolita', Peter Sellers, as an art director(?), straped a Leica SM on his neck for two scenes, back stage and hotel lobby. I know his taste for beautiful things but one ,Lolita, is definately more fatal than the another, the Lieca.

-- Kenny Chiu (amchiu@worldnet.att.net), June 15, 2000.

Kenny, I put "Lolita" on at your suggestion. Peter Sellers is wonderful.

In the hotel lobby scene, Sellers has a Nikon S hanging from his neck. In the backstage scene, he's shooting what appears to be a black SLR. It almost certainly has a prism dome. Its not an Exakta. At the end of the scene, he's operating a rewind crank in the usual modern place, left top plate. What could this have been in 1952? Its not a Leica screw mount, thats for sure! Can anyone identify this camera?

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), June 24, 2000.

I should correct the date of the movie, Lolita is 1962(not 1952). Next time I should do 'pause' when the 'moment' comes. I bought the Kubrick's DVD collections. Have good one.

-- Kenny Chiu (amchiu@worldnet.att.net), June 24, 2000.

Kenny, I have the Kubrick DVD collection also. I should have checked the date myself. That solves the mystery. The backstage camera is undoubtedly a Nikon F. The hotel lobby camera is more likely a Nikon S4.

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), June 24, 2000.

High Art (1998), a rather depressing movie about a 20-30-something art/fashion photographer's last work. Heroin(e) addicts, etc.

PS- I thought the camera in Salvador was a Nikon SLR. I do remember the shooting from the hip scene.

-- Tse-Sung Wu (tsesung@yahoo.com), August 13, 2000.

In "Ronin", Robert DeNiro, posing as a tourist, uses a Leica R6.2 while photographing his quarry in a hotel lobby.

-- Christopher Henry (henryjc@concentric.net), September 03, 2000.

Hi Joe, Was watching 'Addicted to Love' on HBO and saw Meg Ryan using am M6 throughout the show. The longer lens looked like a 135.

-- Steven Fong (steven@ima.org.sg), October 15, 2000.

In "Under Fire" (1983) photojournalist Russel Price (Nick Nolte) has a Leica M around his neck throughout the movie, along with some SLRs. While covering the Sandanista revolution in Nicaragua, he shoots every single photo with a Nikon SLR.

-- Joe Buechler (jbuechler@toad.net), July 28, 2001.

In one of the publicity stills for the "Eyes of Laura Mars" Faye Dunaway was looking through a Leica R4 with 50mm Summicron and square lens shade. In the movie itself she used Nikons.

-- Bruce Esbin (Knuedel@adelphia.net), January 04, 2002.

Yes. Wolgang Petersen got it right in "Das Boot". During WWII, high officers in the submarine fleet were given Leica cameras as well as binoculars (presumably to use when they surfaced).

Leitz WWII cameras delivered to the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) are the rarest of all military cameras: the Air Force (Luftwaffen) and Army (Heer or W.H., for Wermacht Heer) cameras are much for common. These kriegsmarine cameras are engraved with an M, and sometimes with a Reichsadler (eagle surmounting a swastica), as well as additional numbers. Many of these cameras offered as German Navy are forgeries.

Occasionally, Kriegsmarine binoculars are offered for sale. The ones I have seen are engraved Beh (which stood for Leica, the Leitz name was not used), M (for Marine), and often had a Reichsadler. Some of the binoculars belonging to a submarine captain were engraved (appropriately enough), with a fish. The Kriegsmarine binoculars seem to be more common than the cameras. Interestingly, any camera or binocular from that era with a swastica cannot be sold in Germany.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), January 04, 2002.