Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/03/15

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Subject: [Leica] Capa & Elcan
From: "Sal DiMarco,Jr." <sdmp007@pressroom.com>
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2000 15:45:54 -0500

Luggers,
        At this point in time, there is no "Robert Capa Movie." A friend of
mine who hero worships Capa seriously more than I, has been trying to get
funding to do one. He has the blessing of Cornell Capa and Richard Whelan,
Capa's biographer.     Last week he told me, he discovered a small piece of
color film from WWII showing Capa. We surmise it might be a piece of the
George Stevens' Kodachome home movies. I'm impatiently waiting for a VHS
copy.
        As someone pointed out, "Slightly Out of Focus" is slightly
unreliable as a biographical source on Bob Capa. "Slightly Out of Focus" was
recently reprinted and includes many new photographs, along with commentary
by Cornell and Richard. It is still an interesting and funny read.
        However, Richard Whelan's biography is accurate, excellently written
and very well researched. It only missing a coupleof things. One is the name
of the "Falling Spanish Loyalist Solider." He was positively identified as
Federico Garcia Borrell.
    The other item was Bob Capa was the inspiration for Hitchcock's "Rear
Window." (I think that's the right movie.) For those of you who didn't know
Capa had an affair with Ingrid Bergman in the early 50s. Richard is hoping
to do a second edition on his book and include these and "other interesting
facts that appear."
    Lastly, Yes, Elcan did make a 90mm f/1 for the U.S. Navy. See Jim
Lager's Volume II Lenses for a picture.

Cheers,
Sal DiMarco, Jr.