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  New York was chosen as the setting for the film because "This city adrift is both the city of the future and, once past 100th Street, a Third World city. New York is the sort of place that becomes immediately obvious. A character like Leon could only move about in a vast metropolis whose structures are so overwhelming that a grain of sand like him could easily exist. Leon is an undetectable submarine, so insignificant he is beyond reach in such a universe." Besson's camera work stands out with unusual angles and perspectives, which along with the lighting effects, truly capture the mood of the film.    Internal filming took place in Paris studios before the production was completed on the 7th October 1993. Another of Besson's long time colaborators Eric Serra, wrote the soundtrack for the film. In the past the two them have worked together, most notibally in The Big Blue, were Serra's score won countless awards and record album sales. The high standards were maintained in Leon where a variety of styles are produced from an array of instruments. Orchestral sounds, percussion instruments and recorded samples are arranged and performed by Serra himself. Presented in Dolby Surround, the sound effects, double bass and kettle drum tones can be felt flowing through your body. Serra's musical score helps to increase the atmosphere and emotions of the film, varying the tempo as the action unfolds. The tracks Venus As A Boy by Bjork and Shape Of My Heart by Sting are also perfomed during the film, but were excluded from the soundtrack's album release.   Before being released, test audiences in the United States gave the film mixed reviews and Besson was forced to edit out scenes, causing the date of the premiere to be put back. Leon finally opened in France on 26th September 1994, and played on an around-the-clock basis to meet audience demand. Retitled The Professional for the American market, Columbia Pictures released the film domestically on the 18th of November 1994, and grossed back twice it's investment within ten days. The phenominal success of the film in France and Japan lead Besson to release the film in it's original un-edited form or Version Integrale. 
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