A VIP crowd, including the FBI agent who brought him down, is nostalgic as a documentary on former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. makes its debut.

08:55 AM EDT on Friday, August 12, 2005

BY ELIZABETH GUDRAIS
Journal Staff Writer

PROVIDENCE -- At last night's premiere of the documentary Buddy, you could have said the only one missing was the film's subject.

Former Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr. wasn't really absent, though. He may be in federal prison in New Jersey, but his presence was tangible in the lines of people snaking down the block in both directions from the Columbus Theatre's entrance, and in the reception afterward at a river's-edge park he helped create. His face was on T-shirts hawked as filmgoers waited. Most of all, Cianci was in the buzz that filled the air of his beloved city.

"I find him to be just an amazing and lovable character," Barrington resident Frank Paterno, a chef at the Providence Marriott, said as he waited on line for rush tickets before the show. "He's outrageous. I think many of us wish we had the chutzpah to be as bold."

Also in line was Chris Nocera, a former staff administrator in Cianci's office. Nocera wore a navy-blue polo shirt with a yellow executive office seal; his 15-year-old daughter wore a T-shirt inscribed with the words, "Mayor's Own." Nocera, a Providence resident, worked for Cianci from 1992 "until the end," as he put it, with a nostalgic tone.

Down the street, other Cianci staffers who had advance tickets gathered at the Phoenix Dragon Chinese restaurant, then walked over as a group a little before the movie's scheduled start time of 7 p.m.

Cars clogged every available parking spot for blocks around the theater -- which, ironically, Cianci tried to close down in the late 1990s. At the time, the theater showed X-rated films; Cianci proposed taking it through eminent domain and making it into a high school for the performing arts.

For the premiere, part of the Rhode Island International Film Festival, people reserved about 600 out of the 1,000 seats in the main theater in advance, the festival's executive director, George T. Marshall, said.

With a sizable VIP section, that meant most of the rush-ticket hopefuls were out of luck. When box office manager Todd Feinstein trumpeted, "Ladies and gentlemen, the movie is sold out," the line still stretched all the way to the Phoenix Dragon parking lot. Feinstein invited those waiting to buy tickets for Buddy showings tomorrow at 10 p.m. or Sunday at 10 a.m.

The film finally began at 7:45. Many moments drew delighted laughter -- for instance, Cianci discussing layoffs of city workers during his second term.

"You could put two men in a spaceship and send them to the moon," he said. "You don't need four men in a garbage truck."

Another crowd pleaser: When Channel 6 talk-show host Truman Taylor tried to ask Cianci about the corruption investigation, saying the people would want to know. Cianci replied, "How does a station with a 3-percent rating know what the people want?" Then, he told the stunned Taylor: "You wanna take a break now, go ahead, because I think you're speechless."

Journal photo / Glenn Osmundson

Former Providence Mayor Vincent A. Cianci Jr.'s familiar face fills the screen at the Columbus Theatre during a premiere showing last night of Buddy, a film by Cherry Arnold.

With the downfall of the film's hero, in the form of a racketeering conspiracy conviction and sentencing, the mood in the theater turned somber.

As FBI agent W. Dennis Aiken's comments punctuated the story -- "Did the city look nice? Yes. But do you have faith in your government? No." -- people began to get up and leave. There were a few minutes left -- footage of Cianci hosting a radio talk show after his sentencing, and of him boarding a red van bound for Fort Dix -- but everyone knew how the story ended.

Aiken was in the audience. Outside afterward, he said the film's ending made him feel sad, too, despite his pride in the investigation.

"The whole Buddy saga is a sad saga," Aiken said. "He's an interesting character with a lot of talent but a lot of problems."

Other VIPs filtered out of the theater, showering the film's director, Cherry Arnold, with accolades before heading for the Bella Vista restaurant on Waterplace Park.

Filmgoer Elizabeth D'Uva, of Cranston, clutched a "Free Buddy" T-shirt. "I just think Buddy's hilarious," the 20-year-old Rhode Island College student said. "His one-liners are hilarious."

D'Uva said she admired Cianci for all he'd done for the city.

Does she think he's a criminal?

"I feel like it's what so many people in the movie said -- it's how things are done in Rhode Island," she said. "It happens everywhere. He's just been found guilty for it."

Digital Extra: How does Buddy take to the big screen? Give it your review, add your comments on the documentary, at:

http://projo.com/buddymovie