Dog Day Afternoon (1975)

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

P.F. Kluge (article) and
Thomas Moore (article) ...
(more)

Release Date:

21 September 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

The robbery should have taken 10 minutes. 4 hours later, the bank was like a circus sideshow. 8 hours later, it was the hottest thing on live T.V. 12 hours later, it was all history. And it's all true

Plot:

A man robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus.

Plot Keywords:

Bank | Police | Gay | Robber | Airport

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 13 wins & 17 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. June 1

12:00 AM

TCM

Cast

John Cazale	...	Sal
Sully Boyar	...	Mulvaney
Penelope Allen	...	Sylvia
James Broderick	...	Sheldon
Carol Kane	...	Jenny
Beulah Garrick	...	Margaret
Sandra Kazan	...	Deborah
Marcia Jean Kurtz	...	Miriam
Al Pacino	...	Sonny
Amy Levitt	...	Maria
John Marriott	...	Howard
Charles Durning	...	Moretti
Estelle Omens	...	Edna
Gary Springer	...	Stevie
Lance Henriksen	...	Murphy
Dominic Chianese	...	Father
Marcia Haufrecht	...	Neighbor
Floyd Levine	...	Phone Cop
Judith Malina	...	Mother
Carmine Foresta	...	Carmine
Susan Peretz	...	Angie
Chris Sarandon	...	Leon
William Bogert	...	TV Anchorman
Ron Cummins	...	TV Reporter
Jay Gerber	...	Sam
Philip Charles MacKenzie	...	Doctor
Chu Chu Malave	...	Maria's Boyfriend
Lionel Pina	...	Pizza Boy
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Limo Driver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ed Metzger	...	Sgt. Murray
James Bulleit	...	Sgt. Gillis (uncredited)
Robert Costanzo	...	New York Policeman (uncredited)
Michael DeBiase	...	Street Crowd Member (uncredited)
Todd Everett	...	Cop (uncredited)
Ron Gilbert	...	Detective (uncredited)
Paul E. Guskin	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Thomas Murphy	...	Policeman with Angie (uncredited)
Raymond Serra	...	New York Plainclothes Cop (uncredited)
Lynette Sheldon	...	Sadie (uncredited)
Tom Towles	...	Gunman (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Lumet

Writing credits
P.F. Kluge		(article) and
Thomas Moore		(article)
Frank Pierson		(screenplay)
Leslie Waller		book (uncredited)

Produced by
Martin Bregman	....	producer
Martin Elfand	....	producer
Robert Greenhut	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
Victor J. Kemper

Film Editing by
Dede Allen

Casting by
Michael Chinich
Don Phillips

Production Design by
Charles Bailey

Art Direction by
Douglas Higgins		(as Doug Higgins)

Set Decoration by
Robert Drumheller

Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone

Makeup Department
Max Henriquez	....	assistant makeup artist
Philip Leto	....	hair stylist
Reginald Tackley	....	makeup artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Burtt Harris	....	assistant director
Alan Hopkins	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Stanley Cappiello	....	scenic artist
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master (as Joe Caracciolo)
Carlos Quiles	....	chief carpenter
Joe Williams Sr.	....	construction grip (as Joseph Williams)

Sound Department
Richard P. Cirincione	....	sound editor (as Richard Cirincione)
Jack Fitzstephens	....	sound editor
Sanford Rackow	....	sound editor
Stephen A. Rotter	....	sound editor
James Sabat	....	sound mixer
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording supervisor (as Richard Vorisek)
Hal Levinsohn	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Robert Rogow	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Mel Zelniker	....	adr recordist (uncredited)

Stunts
A.J. Bakunas	....	stunts (uncredited)
Tom O'Connor	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
James Finnerty	....	key grip (as James Finnerty)
Muky	....	still photographer
Richard Quinlan	....	gaffer
Fred Schuler	....	camera operator
Jack Brown	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Ron Zarilla	....	assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Clifford Capone	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Cliff Capone)
Peggy Farrell	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Angelo Corrao	....	assistant editor

Other crew
B.J. Bjorkman	....	script supervisor
Martin Danzig	....	location manager
Giancarlo Giannini	....	voice dubbing: Al Pacino
Douglas Dean III	....	production assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Artists Entertainment Complex

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1975) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1976) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (1976) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1976) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (1996) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2009) (Argentina) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1979) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Varus Video (19??) (Russia) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (UK) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Netherlands) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (2006) (USA) (DVD) (special edition)
• Warner Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD) (HD-DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Panavision  photographic equipment provided by

Also Known As:

Runtime:

125 min | Finland:131 min (1975)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:16 (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | New Zealand:M (re-rating) (2006) | New Zealand:R18 (orginal rating) | Netherlands:MG6 | Portugal:M/18 | Netherlands:12 (original rating) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | Peru:18 | Italy:VM14 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1976) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | USA:R | UK:X (original rating)

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

Artists Entertainment Complex

Trivia:

Al Pacino and Chris Sarandon's phone conversation was improvised.

Goofs:

Continuity: During the bullhorn negotiation, the amount of shadow on the street and on the green sports car changes during close-up on Sgt. Moretti.

Quotes:

Sonny:You'd like to kill me? Bet you would.
Sheldon:I wouldn't like to kill you.I will if I have to.
Sonny:It's your job, right? The guy who kills me... I hope he does it because he hates my guts, not because it's his job.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Leverage: The Bank Shot Job (#1.5)" (2008)

Soundtrack:

Amoreena

D Day for Pacino

By the time Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon" came around he had already learned to let Al Pacino loose. Forget the holdbacks of "Serpico"; here we get a glimpse into the real Al, the actor who would bring Tony Montana to life in the years to come and the same man who provided Michael Corleone with such heartfelt warmth that was lacking in some of his lesser characters.

There's essentially the Al Pacino as an actor and the Al Pacino as a character, and here he's the character, and it works splendidly. Al Pacino the actor comes into play when he is given a recycled script and a talentless director, which has been happening a lot lately, although fortunately his comparison, De Niro, has been lucky enough to generally avoid these blunders of older-age film-making.

This is based on a true story, like "Serpico," only it's better and more involving. It connects with the audience more than "Serpico" because it doesn't jump through the same old hoops; it goes for the long trek and comes off better than it would have had the team behind it been lazy. The clichés are gone and the originality creeps in early on. Watch Pacino indulge himself in character and let the plot sink in. It's more touching than it seems at first.

Pacino is Sonny Wortzik, a Brooklyn man who takes a bank hostage in order to pay for his "wife's" operation. The wife is actually Leon Shermer (Chris Sarandon who was Oscar-nominated for this, his first role in a mainstream film), Sonny's gay lover who doesn't have the money for a sex operation.

The bank robbery was going to be what one of classic cinema's greatest bad guys once described as a quick "in and out," but Sonny gets held up inside the bank and soon he's all over the news and police are standing outside the building with guns drawn. It's like Denzel's movie only better and more original. Oh, and true. This one actually happened and we can tell.

Sonny's partner in crime, Sal (John Cazale), is worried that he'll be treated as a homosexual by the media outside. His fretting is comic relief and one of the connections between the film and the audience. Charles Durning is the frustrated cop handling the situation. His performance is as subtly convincing as Cavale's.

Pacino's performance is exceedingly excellent, manic and energetic. He'd display this same talent in "Scarface" again eight years later; only he would be bashed by the critics for going over-the-top. (Although they really just had problems with the excessive profanity and violence, just like Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" will soon become a well-known classic and people will laugh when they hear that someone once called it the most violent film ever made.)

There's also one of the best scenes of all time in this movie that rivals Montana's Last Stand in "Scarface" or the Baptism Scene in "The Godfather," which involves Sonny speaking on the phone to his "wife," carefully concealing his motive from any listeners nearby. Watch Pacino delve into character here and you're immediately hooked. We like his character because he seems real and Pacino makes him real, and that's why this will go down as one of the best tour de force performances of all time.

Is this Hollywood trying to ease our culture onto homosexuality and sex change operations? Is Hollywood trying to gradually introduce us to gay characters in the hope that the uptight American families will be increasingly invaded by the images of gay men? No. This is Hollywood showing us a true story, regardless of the homosexuality. Pacino could be playing a frustrated postal worker and it would still work because it all settles down to the fact that the suspense and dramatics of the movie affect us, not the background of its characters.

Sarandon's Oscar nomination was more than worthy; here he displays the smarmy talent that would shine through in his characters in the years to come. Prince Humperdink from "The Princess Bride" is equally memorable but less realistic. Here he seems more real, which is good for this film and would have been quite bad for "Bride." We don't like real characters in fantasy tales, do we?

Lumet, who ruined "Serpico" with his bad editing, out-of-place music, clichéd dialogue/events and unnecessary scenes, directs "Dog Day Afternoon" with style and flair and good pacing and a surprisingly heartfelt sense of emotion and care. This isn't exactly a good example of a perfect motion picture but it's pretty close.