SHORT TAKES : Bronx Wins Warners Disclaimer on Fiction in ‘Vanities Bonfire’

After much public pressure from Bronx officials, Warner Bros. confirmed today that an agreement has been reached to run a standard two-sentence disclaimer at the end of “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” assuring moviegoers the story is fictional.

“It’s the kind of thing you see in most movies and a lot of books,” said a Warner spokeswoman of the disclaimer. “It’s not anything special.”

The movie, which filmed several scenes in the Bronx and Manhattan last month, infuriated Bronx Borough President Fernando Ferrer for what he called its negative depiction of the area.

In the book, a Wall Street executive watches his life fall apart after a hit-and-run accident in the South Bronx. Much of the book is set in the Bronx County Courthouse.

Ferrer accused the movie studio of “Bronx-bashing” and asked for a disclaimer detailing the borough’s cultural institutions and defending its reputation.

The full disclaimer, however, simply reads:

“This motion picture is a work of fiction, and is not intended to reflect actual events or conditions in the localities portrayed. Warner Bros. wishes to thank the Mayor’s Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting and the people of the City of New York for their cooperation during the filming.”