Vincent A Life in Color
Vincent
P. Falk
. Vincent is a man who has chosen to make
Chicago’s famous bridges his own personal stage.
Throughout boat season, Vincent can be seen, in his
bright technicolor suits, on the various bridges
around town waving, spinning and twirling his jacket
over his head to the delight and confusion of the tour
boats that cruise the Chicago River. But just who is
this guy? That Guy. Who is that man in the hot pink suit and why is he twirling his coat
over his head. Vincent: A Life in Color seeks to answer just those questions and poses
another: What makes this “That Guy” uniquely Chicagoan?
Vincent: A Life in Color is the inaugural production from Chicago based Zweeble Films.
Jennifer Burns is the Director/Producer and Pat Russo is the Director of Photography.
Vincent: A Life in Color started production in May of 2005 and will wrap in November 2005.
The film is being edited by Ryan McGuire and Christine Gilliland at Cutters in Chicago and
scored by local musician, Steve Pasieka.
Jennifer Burns, Director/Producer
Jennifer is the founder of Zweeble Films, with Vincent: A Life
in Color marking her debut as Director/Producer. Jennifer
has been working as an actor in Chicago for the past 9 years.
Jennifer’s theatre roles include: Laurel in Torch Song
Trilogy, Polly in Freedomland, and Celia in A Hatful of Rain, a
play she co-produced with Infectious! Productions. She has
acted in a number of independent and short films including: Information, Allie’s Gift, Polite
Coffee and the award winning The Materialist which was shown on the Sci-Fi Channel’s
Exposure series. Jennifer is also an original member of the critically acclaimed improv company,
pH Productions.
Patrick Russo, Director of Photography
Patrick recently completed his studies in Cinematography at Columbia College. Pat has
served as Director of Photography on over a dozen short films, including the DV shorts Debt,
Commitment, and Snare, the Super 16mm short Cecil and the 35mm short The Future as
well as music videos for Georgie Porgie and Fashion Bomb, among others. Pat has also
worked on dozens of independent films, including both shorts and features, as a Gaffer, Grip
and Electric, and as a Camera Operator on a network reality show.
On paper, Vincent is just your average guy: smart, hardworking, good job, nice home. But no
one really is who they are on paper, and Vincent is no exception. Where others see a bridge,
Vincent sees a stage. When others see a hot pink suit and wonder why it was made, Vincent
sees an ensemble that will also feature a turquoise shirt and perhaps a purple tie. But still
the question lingers: what propels a seemingly ordinary man to throw on a fuchsia suit and
strut his stuff for literal boatloads of tourists. The answer may lie, with Chicago itself. In a
city whose motto is “I will”, you don’t wait for permission. You get an idea and you run with
it. Or in Vincent’s case, you spin.
This feature-length documentary will explore
Vincent’s journey to his current position as cult
figure of Chicago, unearthing the mystery that is
Vincent P. Falk. Taking our cue from the man
himself, our film will be flashy and funny and it’ll
hit you where it counts when you least expect it.
Vincent has lived through many hardships in his
life. Born with glaucoma and abandoned by his
birth mother, Vincent lived the first 6 years of his
life at St. Joseph’s Home for the Friendless. Sister
Bernadette recalls how desperately Vincent wanted a family and he finally got one when
Clarence and Mary Falk took him in as their own.
Though legally blind, Vincent was determined to be as active and “normal” as possible. He
was even a member of his high school diving team. Coach Mizanin describes how Vincent
would drag one foot along the edge of the board to ensure his proper placement for the dive.
When will and determination could not overcome his eyesight, he abandoned his dream of
becoming an aeronautical engineer and jet pilot and decided to try his hand at computers. Of
course when one shelves one’s dreams of becoming an aeronautical engineer and can’t find
work as a computer programmer, one turns to the only thing one can: Disco! Vincent
worked for several years as a disco deejay.
After all, it was the 70’s. And boy, could
Vincent spin a disc.
But disco couldn’t live forever, and for a
time, Vincent was getting by on social security
and section 8 housing. Of course,
Vincent was used to things not coming easily
to him, so this was just one more thing to
slog through. Determined to find work as a
computer programmer, he kept on the job
hunt until finally he got the call from Cook
County government: there was a job available
in the MIS Department. He took it, and
there he’s been for the last 20 years.
Although Vincent was always a snazzy dresser,
it wasn’t until he was pulling down a steady government
paycheck that he was able to build up
the wardrobe that would become legend. And
once he was in possession of the most daring
collection of suits in all of Chicago, all that was
left to do was to expose them to the world. So in
the summer of 1999, Vincent attempted to
merge himself with a city wide art project.
Vincent took pictures of himself with each and
every one of the cows in the Cows on Parade
exhibit, matching his suit to the colors and
design of each cow and posted the pictures on
his website. In 2000 he did the same for Suite
Home Chicago; in 2001 it was the All-Star Bobbleheads and 2002 brought us the State Street
Mickeys. And then he turned to the tour boats and made himself and his fashion shows the
latest city wide art project
Vincent P. Falk is an extraordinary man. Sure, he’s overcome adversity. Yes, he’s transcended
his disability in his everyday life. And of course it should be noted that he speaks in
almost nonstop puns. And all this is impressive, but what sets him apart and makes him
extraordinary is this: he has figured out what makes him happy and he just does it, regardless
of what anyone else thinks.
This film will explore how most people who see Vincent, get it wrong. People see him on the
bridge twirling around in the funny suits and see his close set eyes and think, “I wonder what
train station he lives in” or “ I wonder who takes care of him” or “I wonder what mental hospital
he wandered out of”. Bu he’s not nuts. He’s not homeless. And most of all, he’s not easy
to pigeonhole. He’s a man with a kooky fashion sense who loves to show it off; a man who
checks the forecast before determining which suit to wear because the shinier ones look better
on sunny days; a man who decides which bridge to perform on based on when the sun hits
it, how low it is to the water, how attractive the backdrop is for picture takers and above all,
that the noise level is low enough for him to hear the hoots and hollers of the passengers.
But mostly, he is a man who leaves a smile on
the face of everyone he encounters.
Whether you know him as Suit Guy, Fashion
Man, Riverace, or just plain Vinnie, Vincent: A
life in Color will fill in the blanks on the man
we’ve all wondered about. And will fill them in
in all their glorious shades. eztaxreturn coupon
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