Real steal
Oh what a media circus…
DOG DAY AFTERNOON 40TH ANNIVERSARY 15
1975 Out now BD
Arguably the standout film in a 55-year directorial career that contains several masterpieces ( 12 Angry Men et al), Sidney Lumet’s bank-heist movie generates urgency and suspense but emerges, ultimately, as a naturalistic and humanistic work.
Based on a job that went down in August 1972, it sees Al Pacino, a major star after the first two Godfathers, play Sonny Wortzik, who robs a New York bank with the help of a mate ( John Cazale) in order to fund the sex-change operation of his lover Leon (Chris Sarandon). The event becomes a media circus, with a large crowd gathering on the sweltering streets and news teams turning Sonny into a celebrity as they chronicle the unfolding hostage drama. So real is the portrayal of tumultuous events, Dog Day Afternoon became a tool in police training.
The bonus material here is all imported from previous discs, but the four-part documentary, vintage on-set featurette, collection of interviews and Lumet commentary tell the whole story: the source article in Life magazine that said, “It looks like a part for Al Pacino to play”; turning an automotive repair shop into a bank to allow for a location shoot; Pacino, who risked his career by playing a gay man when such a thing just wasn’t done, shooting the first day with the ‘disguise’ of a moustache, only to shave if off and ask Lumet to start again; actors avoiding breath-mist by sucking ice before the outdoor scenes due to an autumn shoot…
Miraculously it all came together, with the triumvirate that two years earlier brought us Serpico (Lumet, Pacino and producer Marty Bregman) turning in a film that was nominated for Best Picture alongside Nashville, Jaws, Barry Lyndon and eventual winner One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. And to think, the original working title was Boys In The Bank… Extras › Documentary › Featurettes › Interviews › Commentary