Leica Spotting & at the Movies

A

• Adicted to Love (1997) Meg Ryan bounces around with a chrome M6 + 35 'cron
• Aimée and Jaguar (1999) German film set during WWII, shows a photojournalist in the opening scenes with a Leica III and CTOOM/CHICO flash bracket [29]
• Affaire Sacha Guitry, L' (2007) (TV Series) A Leica III-something makes a brief appearance [63]
• Al di là delle nuvole (1995) (aka "Beyond the Clouds") (DVD) In the making-of documentary you can see Wim Wenders with a black Leica M6/7 taking pictures of Antonioni during film production [58]
• The Anniversary Party (2001) (DVD) During the charades scene, Jennifer Beals takes photos using a black M4-2 and what looks like a 35mm Summilux-M ASPH. On the DVD "directors commentary" track, it notes the B&W print given to Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh was also taken by Ms Beals, presumably using the same camera
• Auntie Mame (1958) While on honeymoon in the Swiss Alps, Forrest Tucker uses a 1920's Leica to take a photo of his socialite bride (Rosalind Russell), just before plunging to his death [53]

B

• Battaglia di Algeri, La (1965) (aka "The Battle of Algiers") In at least one of the press conference scenes with Col. Mathieu (played by Jean Martin), there are a couple of photographers with M2s or M3s [50]
• A Beautiful Mind (2001) After John Nash (Russel Crowe) cracks a code, a soldier uses a IIIf + Imarect viewfinder to photograph a map [22]
• Behind the Red Door (2002) Kyra Sedgwick is seen shooting with a M6 [14]
• Big Fish (2003) There is a night scene where the son's photographer wife, played by Marion Cotillard, tries to take photos of her father-in-law in the dark, using a Leica M with wide-angle lens [43]
• The Boat That Rocked (2009) There is a Leica M3 in the opening medley; also "Young Carl" (Tom Sturridge) loads and fiddles with an M(3?) when most of the crew are focused on their women visitors [18]
• Blood Diamond (2006) Jennifer Connelly uses a black-tape M6 with 35mm 'cron while working as a P-J investigating conflict diamonds in 1990's Seirra Leone
• Born Free (1966) Virginia McKenna, who plays Joy Adamson, photographs "Elsa" the lion with a Leica IIIc [49]

C

• Cambridge Spies (2003) (TV Series) In episode 3 there's a scene where secret documents are photographed on a copy stand using a Leica IIIC
• The Candidate (1972) In one scene, during a bush-fire at Malibu, you can see a "brassed to death" M3 used by one of the photojournalists during a press conference with Robert Redford, who plays a California senatorial candidate. Later on in the film a black-enamel M3 also can be seen during a post TV debate interview in a dressing room. In both cases the cameras have wide-angle bright-line finders. Apparently the famous White House photographer Stanley Tretick worked on the film and promotional stills, hence the authentic touches :?)
• Cannibal ferox (1981) Eurosleaze film about canibals and drug dealers in Columbia, there is a scene where two members of a NYC tour group use surprisingly loud chrome Leica Ms [47]
• Carla Cametti PD (2009) (TV Series) The show's star, Diana Glenn, can be seen using a black R8/9 from a car seat during the opening credits
• The Caveman's Valentine (2001) While giving a piano recital at a dinner party, Samuel L. Jackson has a series of hallucinations. In one of them he imagines the host of the party, art-photographer Colm Feore, taking his photo with a chrome M6
• Chasing Liberty (2003) Matthew Goode, who plays a Secret Service Agent in love with the President's daughter, uses a Leica SLR throughout the film [45]
• Chinatown (1974) Jack Nicholson does his stalking on the pond and motel roof using a III/A and VIDOM finder [36]. In the DVD Extras section, director Roman Polanski mentions the roof-top Leica scene and the dilemma they had over reflecting the young couple in the Telyt lens right-way-up or upside-down
• Closer (2004) Julia Roberts uses a motorised chrome M6TTL to photograph Natalie Portman (sigh…)

D

• The Dark Knight (2008) Christian Bale uses a M8 while checking out a shady investment banker in Hong Kong [73]
• Darling (1965) Julie Christie is photographed in a London studio and on Capri by Roland Curram using a chrome M3 and various Tele-Elmarits [16]
• Das Boot (1981) The military reporter on the sub uses a chrome Leica III during the outward journey
• The Day of the Jackal (1973) At the beginning of the film, press photographers can be seen using Leica Ms as they photograph ministers leaving the Palais de l' Elysées in Paris
• De IJssalon (1985) Set in 1941, the film shows a Leica IIIc being used [5]
• Die Reise nach Kafiristan (2001) (aka "The Journey to Kafiristan") The character "Ella Maillard", played by Nina Petri, frequently uses two Leica LTM's [68]
• Deux jours à Paris (2007) (aka "2 Days in Paris") Director/ Writer/ Star/ Goddess Julie Delpy has a black R-model on her shelf and uses a chrome MP while photographing dancers near the end of the film [66]
• Dog Day Afternoon (1975) While Al Pacino's "wife", played by Chris Sarandon, talks on the phone from the barber shop, a PJ can be seen in the background photographing him through the window with a chrome M3 or M4
• Downhill Racer (1969) While ascending in a cable-car at the winter Olympics, Robert Redford is photographed from behind by a woman spectator using a chrome M3

E

• Enemy at the Gates (2001) A woman reporter uses a Leica III (or more appropriately a FED Leica fake?) at Stalingrad Soviet HQ
• Europa Europa (1990) (aka "Hitlerjunge Salomon") Marco Hofschneider has his photo taken with a Leica IIIC prior to being sent back to Germany from the WW2 Polish front
• Eurotrip (2004) Has Leicas galore - one of the characters uses a M7 while his father uses a silver chrome R4. There are also a few (product placement?) remarks about Leica image quality and build [29]
• Eye of the Needle (1981) The 80's remake has Donald Sutherland photographing allied decoy planes with a Leica III [7]

F

• Femme Fatale (2002) There is a very short, slightly out of focus sighting of a photographer using what appears to be a black Leica M (posibly an M6 or M6 TTL) [40]
• Five Fingers (1952) James Mason uses a black-paint III to copy secret documents (you can see him doing this on the film's poster as well) [36]
• Frankie's House (1992) A TV film about Vietnam-photographer Tim Page featuring lots of 1960s era Ms and also a Leicaflex SL [5]

G

• The Gallant Hours (1960) James T. Goto, who plays Admiral Yamamoto, is shown photographing chrysanthemums using a tripod mounted Leica and weird transverse-barrel shaped viewfinder [36]
• George of the Jungle (1997) Following the opening credits, Leslie Mann wears a chrome M6 in an ever-ready leather case. Later on a native guide makes a dismissive remark when offered a Polaroid, saying he prefers the sharpness of his "Leica 35mm slides" instead [28]. (These in-yer-face product placements may not be a coincidence as actor Brendan Fraser is a serious Leica fan. During a break in filming while in Sydney in mid-2001, he bought thousands of dollars of Leica M and R equipment from one Sydney dealer [21])
• Gloomy Sunday (1999) German film set in Budapest in the 1930s, there's a scene where the virtues of an early Leica are extolled [44]
• Godfather Part III (1990) There's a Leica M on the night table just before the Bridget Fonda / Andy Garcia love scene [19]. Sofia Coppola uses a chrome M3 sporting a goggled 35mm when she greets Al Pacino and Diane Keaton at a railway station [11]
• The Grass is Greener (1960) Robert Mitchum uses a M3 double-stroke plus meter with an ever-ready case [22]
• The Green Berets (1968) Near the start of the film, a decidedly out of place M3 is displayed amongst other Viet Cong weaponry during a press conference [41]
• Growing up Grizzly (2001) (TV Documentary) Brad Pitt can be seen using a black R8 + telephoto lens to photograph (tame) infant grizzly bears
• Guilty by Suspicion (1991) As a birthday present after his return from Europe, Robert De Niro gives his young son (Luke Edwards) a Leica IIIC + collapsible Elmar. The same camera reappears a number of times, most notably on the boy's bed in the scene where De Niro goes to say goodnight

H

• Harlequin (1980) During the opening credits of this B-grade Australian film, a photographer with a chrome M4 snaps David Hemmings while he walks through the press scrum at an airport
• Harry and the Hendersons (1987) At the end of the film Don Ameche takes a group photo with a M3 [26]
• Head in the Clouds (2004) A german soldier asks Stuart Townsend to take a picture of him with a Leica LTM [14]
• Heart of Dixie (1989) Treat Williams plays a college professor in 1950s Alabama, and spends a lot of time taking photographs with a M3
• High Art (1998) Ally Sheedy plays a lesbian fine-art photographer who uses a chrome M2 in a number of scenes [6], [9]
• Himmel über Berlin, Der (1987) (aka "Wings of Desire") A chrome M4 appears in Wim Wenders film when a PJ takes a few photos of the director before he guides her away [52]
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005) Ford Prefect (played by Mos Def) uses a black M (6? 7?) several times. So if you're headed out to the Galaxy, don't forget your Leica. And a towel [55]

I

• Impostor (2002) In this sci-fi film set in 2070, Gary Sinise uses an obviously well-preserved black M6 to take an arms-length self-portrait of himself embracing his wife [35]. This 80+ year-old camera has some amazing features: (1) the accessory bright-line finder gives off an intense flash at the time of exposure and (2) Sinise manages to take the shot by pressing the camera's LHS film rewind crank…
• In Too Deep (1999) After being suspended from an undercover drugs investigation, Omar Epps uses a M3 while posing as a photography student
• Iris (2001) Penelope Wilton uses a dual-stroke M3 and collapsible 50mm Summicron during a flash-back sequence on a windswept English beach [33]

J

• Japanese Story (2003) Unwatchable Australian movie staring Toni Collette. The Japanese man she has an affair with uses a chrome M7 in a number of early scenes [44]

K

• K-19: The Widowmaker (2002) After breaking though the polar ice, the crew plays soccer and poses for a Leica II group photo [37]
• Krippendorf's Tribe (1998) During the opening credits, Barbara Williams can be seen using a chrome M6TTL to photograph Papua New Guinea highlanders

L

• La Dolce vita (1960) One of the reporters following Anita Ekberg up an interior staircase uses a Leica IIIc or IIIf [75]
• Leatherheads (2008) A reporter can be seen using a Leica after a press conference with the Football Commissioner (played by Peter Gerety) [72]
• Le Mans (1971) Steve McQueen is snapped by a photographer with a M2 or M3 as he walks through a tunnel from the racetrack [25]
• The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) An eagle-eyed [14] notes that "Cody" is played by "Leica the three legged dog" (!)
• Ljuset håller mig sällskap (2000) (aka "Light Keeps Me Company") Documentary on cinematographer Sven Nykvist which shows him using a Leica CL for stills [29]
• The Longest Day (1962) During the D-Day landings on 'Sword' beach, a war correspondent wears a couple of black-paint Leicas around his neck while talking to the Beach Traffic MP (played by John Mills)
• Lord of War (2005) Nicholas Cage woos his wife-to-be Bridget Moynahan by shooting her with a Leica CL [57]
• Lost in La Mancha (2002) A French photojournalist uses a black motorised M + 35mm 'lux to take a group photograph of director Terry Gilliam in front of twenty or so film investors

M

• Mad Dog & Glory (1993) Robert de Niro and Uma Thurman take photos of each other in bed using a chrome R(6?) [23]
• The Magnificent Seven (1960) (DVD) Five minutes into the "making of" documentary on the Special Edition DVD, there is a B&W photo of Yul Brynner (in cowboy gear) using a black paint M3
• Makioka no Shimai Japanese movie based on a Tanizaki novel set in 30's Osaka [3]
• Man with a Camera (1958) (TV Series) 1958 TV series staring Charles Bronson as a crime-solving freelance photographer. In some episodes he can be seen using a chrome M3 with Elmar 50mm [41]
• The Mask of Dimitrios (1944) Victor Francen uses a Leica to photograph a map of minefields [34]
• Meglio gioventù, La (2003) (aka "The Best of Youth") Italian 6-hour mini-series has a lady photojournalist "Mirella Utano" (played by Maya Sansa) who uses a black M4-P [59]
• Michael Collins (1996) (DVD) Half an hour into the "making of" documentary on the Special Edition DVD, a film-stills photographer using a black M6 + 35mm Summilux, walks into the frame and photographs Neil Jordan and Liam Neeson between set-ups
• The Midnight Meat Train (2008) (Trailer) Street Photographer Bradley Cooper can be seen using a M4-P [66]
• Mighty Joe Young (1998) There's an M6 used to photograph gorillas in the opening scenes
• Mitt liv som hund (1985) (aka "My Life as a Dog") The boy's ailing mother, a photographer, takes his photo using some sort of chrome LTM [64]
• Mogambo (1953) Donald Sinden carries a Leica IIIf with Imarect finder [22]
• A Month by the Lake (1995) Vanessa Redgrave uses a Leica II with a turret viewfinder [22]

N

• November (2004) Courtney Cox uses a black motorized M7 (or M6TTL) with a 35mm Summicron while taking fine-art photos at a convenience store

O

• The Odessa File (1974) John Voigt uses a flash-equipped M3 at the SS veteran's dinner [36]
• The Omen (1976) David Warner uses a chrome M3 at Damien's birthday party and also on the steps of the US Embassy
• The Omen (2006) Remake the movie, reprise the Leica cameo. David Thewlis can be seen wearing a chrome M7 in a couple of scenes with Robert Thorn [60]
• One Hour Photo (2002) A (Ti) Leica Minilux Zoom is used to take family photos in a number of scenes, Robin Williams even remarks at the lab about what a "beautiful camera" it is. [30]
• One Night Stand (1997) Wesley Snipes uses a black M6 + 35mm Summilux [5]
• Ososhiki (1985) (aka "The Funeral") Japanese movie by director Juzo Itami (Tampopo, A Taxing Woman etc.) [3]

P

• Paparazzo (1995) A British TV movie which features a LTM [5]
• Patton (1970) Near the end of the film at a riding-school press conference, an army photojournalist uses chrome M3/4 (in 1945?…) to photograph General Patton, played by George C. Scott. (See also below for Leica photography by the real Gen. Patton!)
• Passion Fish (1992) Mary McDonnell pesters the residents of a southern Louisiana town with a chrome M3 [12]
• The Pawnbroker (1964) Nazi concentration camp survivor, Rod Steiger, offers a child a paltry sum when he tries to pawn a Leica [51]
• Payback (1999) Mel Gibson's girlfriend can be seen holding a M3 in the incriminating self-portait shown Mel after he is left for dead by his wife and criminal partner [5]
• Performance (1970) The main character "Turner", played by Mick Jagger, says "I own a Leica M3 myself" [71]
• Persona (1966) Liv Ullmann uses a chrome M3 in Ingmar Bergman's 1966 film [18]
• Le Petit Soldat (1963) A Leica M2/3 with a telephoto lens is seen being used in this Jean-Luc Goddard film [47]
• Picture Snatcher (1933) James Cagney uses Leica II's throughout this 1933 film, even a custom leatherette model during the execution scene [42]
• Poirot (1989) (TV Series) Poirot's side-kick, Captain Hastings, uses a Leica II to accidentally photograph a murder [15]
• Poodle Springs (1998) TV movie has a chrome M3 + 135mm lens next to the body of a murdered private-eye on the front seat of a red T-bird [4]
• Pote tin Kyriaki (1960) (aka "Never on Sunday") Jules Dassin uses a Leica III with collapsible 50-Elmar to take a couple of snaps of Melina Mercouri as she goes for a swim at the Piraeus docks
• Prêt-à-Porter (1994) Has a woman photographer using a chrome R7 amidst the fashionistas [5]
• Prince Charming (2001) TV movie has Christina Applegate sporting a black M6 while working as a (extraordinarily well-paid?) NYC tourist horse carriage driver [8]
• Prison Song (2001) Hoping to escape from the ghetto, the main character uses a black M(6?) to create a portfolio of photographs [16]
• The Punch and Judy Man (1963) Nevil Shanks (played by Mario Fabrizi) uses a Leica during the reception at the end of the movie [67]

Q

• The Quiet American (2002) "Larry" the press photographer can be seen using a screw-mount Leica with collapsible lens during a military parade and in the aftermath of a car-bombing [36]

R

• Richard III (1995) In the 1995 Sir Ian McKellan version just after the opening titles, Nigel Hawthorne takes group photographs during the victory celebrations using a chrome IIIC and handle flashbulb
• The River King (2005) Jennifer Ehle's character is shown taking photos at a private school party using a modern chrome Leica MP with either a 35 or 50 mm Leica lens [69]
• Ronin (1998) Robert de Niro shoots from the hip using a black R6.2
• Running with Scissors (2006) A coming-of-age bio-pic of American writer Augusten Burroughs, features a M3 in a number of scenes [61]

S

• Salvador (1986) John Savage, who plays James Woods PJ friend, can be seen wearing, using or cleaning his (brassy) black paint M3 + 35mm Summilux in a number of scenes
• Shutter (2008) Teen horror film only notable for the appearance of a Digilux 3 [66]
• Silent Witness: Cease Upon the Midnight (1996) (TV Series) This episode of the British TV series has a murder victim who used a black M6 prior to his demise [5]
• Silver Bells (2005) (TV Movie) Michael Mitchell uses a M4 + collaspsible Elmar on a tripod when "pursuing his passion for photography" in NYC. (On a tripod?…)
• S1m0ne (2002) Jason Schwartzman, who plays "Milton" the leather-clad tabloid reporter, often appears wearing or using a black M6 with 28mm Elmarit(?)
• Snow Falling on Cedars (1999) Sam Shepard and Ethan Hawke use a chrome III in many scenes to document local WW2 news for a small northwest newspaper
• Soldaat van Oranje (1977) (aka "Soldier of Orange") A Dutch film featuring Rutger Hauer with a IIIC [27]
• Somebody Has to Shoot the Picture (1990) TV movie with Roy Scheider and a chrome M4(?) which emits Nikon'esque shutter and motordrive sounds [5]
• Spy Game (2001) Brad Pitt goes undercover in 1985 Beruit with a couple of (Nikon-sounding) motorised M6s
• Stalag 17 (1953) When the POWs break into William Holden's foot locker, you can see a couple of Leica III's (with collapsible Elmars) mounted on the inside of the box's lid
• Star Wars: Episode I (1999) (DVD) Celebrity photographer Annie Lebowitz poses with her camera in the Special Features / Still Photos part of the disc [2]
• Stealth (2005) When three hot-shot pilots take R&R in Thailand, one of them carries what looks like a M6 + 75mm Summilux [57]
• Sunshine (1999) Istvan Szabo's film features Rosemary Harris using a black paint Leica I in the 1930s [13], [14]
• Surviving Picasso (1996) A young woman uses a suspiciously anachronistic III G to photograph Anthony Hopkins while he paints Guernica

T

• Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) To date the only Leica appearance in a Bond film: a black M6 with 35mm 'lux, visible on a table while our hero has intercourse with a "Danish Linguist" in her Oxford rooms [62]
• Traffic (2000) A lot of fuss made over Amy Irving's stolen "Leica" - even if we never see the camera itself
• The Two Jakes (1990) The opening title sequence is a surreptitious shoot with Leica IIIc + 50 Elmar collapsible [4]

U

• Under Fire (1983) Nick Nolte, playing a PJ working in Nicaragua, wears his black Leica M4-P like male-jewelry, only using it twice throughout the film. Despite this, Leica USA are given a prominent credit in the film's closing titles
• Uprising (2001) Cary Elwes, as a Nazi propaganda film-maker, wears a Leica III with Hektor lens while filming German attacks on the Warsaw Ghetto

V

• Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) Fan stills taken on location in Barcelona during the first days of filming, show Scarlett Johansson using a chrome M6 classic with a vintage 50mm 'lux
• Vietnam (1986) (TV Series) 1980s Australian TV mini-series where one of the main characters uses an M [5]
• Violent Saturday (1955) Richard Egan's rich-guy character plays with an M3 during a scene with Victor Mature [74]
• Violets Are Blue (1986) Has Sissy Spacek as a globetrotting PJ with a black M [5]

W

• We Were Soldiers (2002) When he arrives at the battle, Barry Pepper has a M3 and accessory-shoe lightmeter to complement his Nikons. (Pity he's never shown actually using the M3 though. Maybe he's a graduate of the Nick Nolte "why use it when it's cool enough to wear it" school of photojournalism?…)
• The Weight of Water (2000) PJ Catherine McCormick spends a lot of time photographing an unfaithful Sean Penn with Elizabeth Hurley [20]
• White Mischief (1987) Greta Scacci carries a Leica (IIIa?) in Kenya during WW II [32]
• Wicker Park (2004) Josh Hartnett can be seen handling a M6 Classic during the opening credits of this lame remake of L' Appartement (1996) [56]
• Who'll Stop The Rain (1978) Michael Moriarty plays a Vietnam War correspondent armed with a Leica IIIf and Summarit [36]
• Woodstock (1970) Has rock photographer Jim Marshall in the background with lots of black M4s
• The Women (2008) Meg Ryan starts a fashion business after a life crisis. Her first move is to grab a chrome M8 and firmly bayonet on a lens [65]
• The World at War (1974) (TV Series) Features an abundance of Leicas throughout the series. Specifically in episode 8 — "The Desert War" — where members of the Afrika-Korps can be seen a number of times using Leica III's while posing for group photos

X

• (no entries yet)

Y

• The Young Lions (1958) Marlon Brando and Maximilian Schell, who play German officers in WW2 occupied Paris, have their photo taken on the steps in front of the Basilique du Sacré Coeur, by another officer using a black paint Leica I (or Leica Standard 'E') with chrome 50mm Elmar

Z

• (no entries yet)

Many thanks to the following contributors to this topic:

[1]    Ken Geter
[2]    Tristan Tom
[3]    Frank Sheeran
[4]    Andy Piper
[5]    Bert Keuken

[6]    Brooks
[7]    Jeff Voorhees
[8]    Mani Sitaraman
[9]    Douglas Kinnear
[10]    Troels Hojer

[11]    chaz
[12]    Phil Marcus
[13]    Mark Langer
[14]    Sonny Carter
[15]    David Killick

[16]    Dave Doyle
[17]    Kyle Cassidy
[18]    Claesson Pipping Henrik
[19]    Henry So
[20]    Howard Cummer

[21]    Paxton's Photographics Sydney, Salesman "H"
[22]    Chad Hahn
[23]    Andrew Bachchaconne
[24]    Joe Buechler
[25]    Todd Phillips

[26]    Pat Dunsworth
[27]    Sal Ortega
[28]    Christopher Williams
[29]    Alfie Wang
[30]    Alan Walsh

[31]    Luke Dunlap
[32]    Alex Lofquist
[33]    Tom Abrahamsson
[34]    John Osterholm
[35]    Kevin Sarsfield

[36]    John Wilton
[37]    Gary Trendler
[38]    Dr Albert Knapp
[39]    Phong
[40]    Alejo Fernandezsasso

[41]    Jerry Pfile
[42]    James Mitchell
[43]    David Eppstien
[44]    Jake Tauber
[45]    Mark Wahlster

[46]    Robert Byrd
[47]    Robert MacDonald
[48]    Craig Roberts
[49]    Neal Frieden
[50]    Christopher Chen

[51]    "David"
[52]    Aizan Sasayama
[53]    Joel Halbert
[54]    John Martins
[55]    Christiaan Phleger

[56]    Joseph Esmilla
[57]    Fazal Majid
[58]    Val Pantoja
[59]    Hans Berkhout
[60]    Elaine Ashton

[61]    Roger Michel
[62]    John Francis — Montreal
[63]    Jacques Prudent — Montreal
[64]    Rei Shinozuka
[65]    Geoff Hopkinson

[66]    Tim Delbeck — Germany
[67]    David Gray
[68]    Sjef Janssen — Norway
[69]    Brian Belliveau — USA
[70]    Randy Leffingwell

[71]    Steve Barrett — USA
[72]    Christopher Marciano — USA
[73]    Joe Lee — Hong Kong
[74]    Alan Magayne-Roshak — USA
[75]    Howard Cornelsen — USA