It took nearly 20 years for Edward Norton to direct a second feature film after the 2000 comedy Keeping The Faith. Coincidentally, it took the same amount of time for Norton to eventually make Motherless Brooklyn, a labor of love film noir set in 1957 New York. Norton bought the rights to the Jonathan Lethem novel in 1999 and finally released the movie in 2019.
Unfortunately, more people missed the movie than saw it when it hit theaters this past November. But anyone who saw the movie knows it shows what a skillful filmmaker Norton is, even after 20 years away from the director’s chair. Here are 10 reasons Motherless Brooklyn proves Norton is a great director!
Soundtrack
One of the most direct ways a great director can get to the heart of a viewer is through music. In Motherless Brooklyn, Norton chooses the perfect soundtrack to evoke what life was like in 1957 NYC.
With a jazzy tracklist that includes compositions from the great Wynton Marsalis, Charlie Parker, Babs Gonzalez and more, perhaps the most evocative piece Norton chose to use is the song “Daily Battles” by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The musical cues in the film set the mood and establish the tone of things to come.
Locations
The streets of New York City do not shut down for just anybody. The fact that Norton was able to arrange the city to shut down a few blocks to allow him to film on location tells you everything you need to know about Norton’s directorial clout.
For absolute authenticity, Norton recreated what the city looked like in 1957 by filming in Harlem, Manhattan, and Brooklyn. He could have just as easily recreated the city for cheaper in a studio, but Norton’s unwavering vision as a director wouldn’t allow him to cut corners.
Production Design
Whether the film was critically praised or drubbed, no one can deny the richly textured production design and art direction that brought 1957 New York back to life. Part of being a great director is properly delegating authority, and for his part, Norton did just that!
Norton hired Beth Michael (Drive, Only God Forgives) to design the production and her partner Michael Ahren to do the Art Decorations. The result shows, putting the viewer in a vividly rendered time and place.
Cross References
Okay, so this may not prove greatness, but it does demonstrate one great director tipping his cap to another!
Norton has starred in the last three movies directed by Wes Anderson. In a sly nod to his frequent collaborator, a news headline in Motherless Brooklyn mentions The Lindbergh Palace Hotel. Well, this is a fictional hotel that was created by Wes Anderson for his film, The Royal Tenenbaums. It’s a cool shoutout to a friend and frequent coworker!
Cinematography
Another aspect of the film that solidifies Norton as a great director is his decision to hire Dick Pope as the cinematographer. Without the resplendent lighting and photography in the film, the entire thing would fall short of greatness.
Norton worked with Pope on The Illusionist, for which the DP was nominated for an Oscar. Many of the movie’s plaudits revolve around the look, feel, and texture of 1957 New York, which would not be achieved without the contributions of Pope.
Story Adaptation
If you never read the novel, you may never know that the film was not set in 1950s NYC. One of the aspects of the film that proves Norton is such a deft director is how he changed the setting of the story, yet still communicated the underlying theme of the piece.
The novel is set in 1999 New York, the same year the book was published. The entire backstory of New York as seen through the powerful lens of Robert Moses was not in the novel and was added by Norton so he could tell the story he really wanted to tell.
Budget
At first blush, Motherless Brooklyn has the gaudy appearance of a pricey $100 million production. However, the price tag for the film was almost a quarter as much. Now that’s great filmmaking!
With an estimated budget of $23 million, Norton was able to achieve the look of a movie made for more than four times as much. He was able to do so by hiring great craftspeople (see above), defer his own salary, and make the movie as fast as humanly possible. Any other period-movie made on this budget would be nearly impossible.
Filming Schedule
In Hollywood, time is money. The more money you have, the more time you have to complete production. Therefore, with just $23 million at his disposal, Norton somehow shot Motherless Brooklyn in a mere 45 days!
For reference, The Avengers: End Game took seven months to film with a budget of nearly $700 million. That’s insane! That Norton was able to craft such a fine film with such limited time and resources proves he’s a truly gifted director.
Cast
It’s not what you know but who you know, right? Fortunately for Norton, his longstanding New York theater actor friends did him a major solid in Motherless Brooklyn!
According to Norton, he never would have been able to make the movie without the ensemble cast he assembled. Every major actor agreed to do the film for scale, meaning they did the movie as a favor for Norton rather than for a payday. If getting A-list actors to give excellent performances for a discount isn’t great, I don’t know what is!
Performances
Directing a film is no easy feat. Acting in a film is never easy. Directing your own performance in a movie you direct is another ball of wax altogether. And excelling at all three? Greatness!
Such is the case for Norton here, who not only gives a tremendous central turn in the film but when behind the camera, also elicits awesome work from his supporting cast. Despite the rushed production and limited budget, Norton was able to draw out top-tier work from not just those in front of the camera, but those behind it as well.
