By Mark Hallum
A new film by Paul Schrader filmed in Bayside throughout the week.
“First Reformed” stars Ethan Hawke and Amanda Seyfried about an ex-military chaplain suffering from guilt over the death of his son, whom he pressured into joining the armed services. He then forms a relationship with a worshiper at the church, played by Seyfried, and her husband who engage in a nefarious activity shared by many of the parishioners at the church.
Schrader told the Hollywood Reporter the screenplay had been in works long before his career writing for film had begun, and that the stars are aligning for the characters, literally.
“‘First Reformed’ is a script I’ve been moving toward for almost 50 years. Ethan Hawke’s image appeared to me while I was writing and he responded days after reading the script,” said Schrader. “Now we are delighted to be able to add Amanda Seyfried. These are unique performers with a special charisma.”
The location of the shooting was set for 216th Street between 38th and 39th Avenue and then 39th Avenue from 215th Street to 218th Street this week Signs were posted asking residents to move vehicles during shoot times.
The location for the signs is near All Saints Episcopal Church.
Schrader is best known for his work on “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver” for which he was a writer and has a career in film ranging over five decades. “Taxi Driver “was a major success and created high demand for the screenplay writer.
“First Reformed” is an independent film produced by Arclight Films and Killer Films.
Bayside has seen a litany of films and TV shows over the past few months, with Showtime’s “Homeland” filming in the Oakland Gardens section of the neighborhood in December. The life of CIA operative Carrie Mathison is chronicled in the show and played by Claire Danes, who may be the best in her field, but struggles with bipolar disorder that makes her volatile and unpredictable.
“Homeland” has won five Golden Globes and is going into its sixth season, which will find Mathison a few months after the last episode in season five living in Brooklyn and working for a foundation providing aid to Muslim immigrants.
That same month, “The Americans,” FX’s Emmy-nominated television series starring Keri Russel and Matthew Rhys as Russian KGB spies in 1980s American suburbia, was shot near Bayside High School.
The network was filming the fifth season, which would be the second time the Cold War drama would return to shoot in the neighborhood.
The two play Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, a married couple who have been planted in the United States to start a family and gather intelligence on the West.
The characters struggle between raising kids and growing loyalty conflicts with the Soviet Union.
Reach reporter Mark Hallum by e-mail at mhall
