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Donnie Brasco (1997)

Donnie Brasco
A wise guy's always right. Even when he's wrong, he's right.
—Benjamin 'Lefty' Ruggiero
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Author Andrea Codrington discusses the opening titles for Donnie Brasco, from her 2003 book Kyle Cooper: Monographics.

One of the first main titles to be done under the Imaginary Forces name, Donnie Brasco is a micro-narrative so moody and evocative that it had one New Yorker critic praising it above the film itself. Using a combination of predominantly black-and-white and colour stills shot in surveillance style — complete with Kodak markings and grease-pencil scribblings — Cooper choreographs an unsettling sequence about friendship, betrayal and the implosion of relationships caught in the middle. Accompanied by a delicate piece of music by Beethoven, the gritty still images become animated thanks to a carefully choreographed edit that favours slow fades punctuated by rapid-cut action sequences and the occasional piece of live footage. The titles begin and end with a view of Johnny Depp's dark-ringed eyes looking from outside — an impostor cop in the midst of New York wise guys.

Andrea Codrington is a Brooklyn-based editor and writer specializing in design and visual culture. She is the co-author of Pause: 59 Minutes of Motion Graphics and sole author of Kyle Cooper: Monographics and has written extensively for such publications as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, Metropolitan Home, Metropolis and Cabinet.

  • Credits

Designer/Director: Kyle Cooper
Designer/Editor: Kurt Mattila
Production Studio: Imaginary Forces

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By Andrea Codrington

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Title sequence

  • Production Studio

    Imaginary Forces
  • Title Designer

    Kyle Cooper
  • Editor

    Kurt Mattila
  • Designer

    Kurt Mattila
  • Category

    Film
  • Styles

    1990s, editorial, main title, montage, still photography
Donnie Brasco
  • Film Director

    Mike Newell
  • Release Date

    February 28, 1997
  • Aspect Ratio

    2.35:1
  • Studio

    TriStar Pictures
  • Country

    USA
  • Language

    English
  • Reviews

    Reviews on Letterboxd
  • IMDb has full details

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