Dirty Harry (1971)

Director:

Don Siegel

Writers:

Harry Julian Fink (screenplay) &
Rita M. Fink (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 December 1971 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

You don't assign him to murder cases, You just turn him loose.

Plot:

A San Francisco cop with little regard for rules (but who always gets results) tries to track down a serial killer who snipes at random victims.

Plot Keywords:

Dirty Harry | Ransom | Sniper | Police | City

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Clint Eastwood	...	Police Inspector Harry Callahan
Harry Guardino	...	Police Lt. Al Bressler
Reni Santoni	...	Police Inspector Chico Gonzalez
John Vernon	...	The Mayor
Andrew Robinson	...	Scorpio Killer (as Andy Robinson)
John Larch	...	The Chief
John Mitchum	...	Police Inspector Frank DiGiorgio
Mae Mercer	...	Mrs. Russell
Lyn Edgington	...	Norma
Ruth Kobart	...	Bus Driver
Woodrow Parfrey	...	Mr. Jaffe
Josef Sommer	...	Dist. Atty. William T. Rothko
William Paterson	...	Judge Bannerman
James Nolan	...	Liquor Store Owner
Maurice Argent	...	Sid Kleinman (as Maurice S. Argent)
Jo De Winter	...	Miss Willis
Craig Kelly	...	Police Sgt. Reineke (as Craig G. Kelly)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ann Bowen	...	Yelling Wife (uncredited)
George Burrafato	...	Taxi Driver (uncredited)
Joy Carlin	...	Communications Secretary (uncredited)
Bill Couch	...	Suicide Jumper (uncredited)
Jana D'Amico	...	Third Nude (uncredited)
Tony Dario	...	Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Diane Darnell	...	Mayor's Secretary (uncredited)
Diana Davidson	...	Swimmer (uncredited)
Vince Deadrick Sr.	...	Pedestrian (uncredited)
Chuck Dorsett	...	TV Watcher (uncredited)
Al Dunlap	...	Man in Jaffe's Cafe (uncredited)
Larry Duran	...	(uncredited)
Denise Dyer	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
Diane Dyer	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
George Fargo	...	Homicide Detective (uncredited)
Joe Finnegan	...	Man in Truck (uncredited)
Leslie Fong	...	Man with Sam (uncredited)
Lois Foraker	...	Hot Mary (uncredited)
Max Gail	...	Tunnel Hoodlum (uncredited)
John Garber	...	Tunnel Hoodlum (uncredited)
Eddie Garrett	...	Policeman (uncredited)
James W. Gavin	...	Helicopter Pilot (uncredited)
David Gillum	...	Homosexual (uncredited)
Don Haggerty	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Scott Hale	...	Newsman (uncredited)
Jack Hanson	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
Kate Harper	...	Underwear Chick (uncredited)
Bob Harris	...	Man in Truck (uncredited)
Diana Henrichsen	...	Hippie Chick (uncredited)
Marc Hertsens	...	Steve - Doctor (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	...	Flower Vendor (uncredited)
Raymond Johnson	...	Big Black Man (uncredited)
Derek Jue	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
Stu Klitsner	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Richard Lawson	...	Homosexual (uncredited)
Sean Maley	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
Laurie Mock	...	Third Nude (uncredited)
Charles Murphy	...	Man on Pay Phone (uncredited)
Mary Ann Neis	...	Miss Van Sachs (uncredited)
Ann Noland	...	Hippie Girl (uncredited)
Kathleen O'Malley	...	Lady in Jaffe's Cafe (uncredited)
Angela Paton	...	Homicide Detective (uncredited)
Victor Paul	...	Car Driver (uncredited)
John W. Peebles	...	Walkie-Talkie Cop (uncredited)
Albert Popwell	...	Bank Robber (uncredited)
Christopher Pray	...	Tunnel Hoodlum (uncredited)
Lolita Rios	...	Nude (uncredited)
Ernest Robinson	...	Robber (uncredited)
Frederic Ross	...	Hippie Guy (uncredited)
Richard Samuelson	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
Debralee Scott	...	Ann Mary Deacon (uncredited)
Allen Seaman	...	Orderly (uncredited)
Don Siegel	...	Pedestrian Passing Harry's Car (uncredited)
Kristoffer Tabori	...	Hippie Guy (uncredited)
Pamela Tanimura	...	Bus Kid (uncredited)
John Tracy	...	Black Queen's Friend (uncredited)
Charles Washburn	...	Intern (uncredited)
Dean Webber	...	Newsman (uncredited)
Janet Wisely	...	First Nude (uncredited)
Stephen Zacks	...	Lake Kid (uncredited)

Directed by
Don Siegel

Writing credits
Harry Julian Fink		(story) uncredited &
Rita M. Fink		(story) uncredited
Harry Julian Fink		(screenplay) &
Rita M. Fink		(screenplay) (as R.M. Fink) and
Dean Riesner		(screenplay)
John Milius		(screenplay) uncredited

Produced by
Robert Daley	....	executive producer
Carl Pingitore	....	associate producer
Don Siegel	....	producer

Original Music by
Lalo Schifrin

Cinematography by
Bruce Surtees		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Carl Pingitore

Art Direction by
Dale Hennesy		(as Dale Hennessey)

Set Decoration by
Robert De Vestel		(as Robert DeVestel)

Makeup Department
Gordon Bau	....	makeup supervisor
Jean Burt Reilly	....	supervising hair stylist

Production Management
Jim Henderling	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Robert Rubin	....	assistant director
Barry Stern	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
William Randall	....	sound
Sergio Reyes	....	additional sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	sound re-recording mixer (uncredited)

Stunts
Alex Brown	....	stunts (uncredited)
Steven Burnett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bill Couch	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Everett Creach	....	stunts (uncredited)
Dick Crockett	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Harris	....	stunts (uncredited)
Chuck Hicks	....	stunts (uncredited)
John Hudkins	....	stunts (uncredited)
Julie Ann Johnson	....	stunts (uncredited)
William T. Lane	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Lerner	....	stunts (uncredited)
Troy Melton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Bob Miles	....	stunts (uncredited)
Boyd 'Red' Morgan	....	stunts (uncredited)
Regina Parton	....	stunts (uncredited)
Ernest Robinson	....	stunts (uncredited)
George Sawaya	....	stunts (uncredited)
Walter Scott	....	stunts (uncredited)
Alex Sharp	....	stunts (uncredited)
Eddie Smith	....	stunts (uncredited)
Fred Stromsoe	....	stunts (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt coordinator (uncredited)
Buddy Van Horn	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Richard Washington	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Bernie Abramson	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Kyle T. MacDowell	....	electrician (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Glenn Wright	....	wardrobe

Music Department
Mike Deasy	....	musician (uncredited)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer (uncredited)

Other crew
George Fargo	....	assistant to producer
Scott Hale	....	dialogue supervisor
Clint Eastwood	....	director: suicide jumper sequence (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Malpaso Company, The
• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1971) (USA) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Filmverleih (1972) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1972) (Finland) (theatrical)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1976) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
• Warner Bros. Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Warner-Columbia Film (1972) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Argentina Video Home (19??) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Argentina Video Home (2002) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2002) (Argentina) (VHS) (re-release)
• Sandrews (2002) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2008) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Warner Bros. (2002) (Argentina) (all media) (re-release)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Germany) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2001) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Warner Home Video (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (deluxe edition)
• Warner Home Video (2008) (Sweden) (DVD) (Blu-Ray Disc)
• Warner Home Video (1994) (USA) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1997) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Warner Home Vídeo (1999) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Malpaso Company, The  copyright
• Panavision  filmed in
• Technicolor  the company
• Warner Bros. Pictures  copyright (as Warner Bros. Inc.)

Also Known As:

Dead Right (USA) (original script title)

Runtime:

102 min | Portugal:99 min (cut version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Iceland:16 | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-16 (1972) (cut) (re-rating after appeal) | Netherlands:12 (TV rating) | Netherlands:16 | France:-12 | UK:15 (2008) | Ireland:15 (re-rating) (2008) | Ireland:18 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Peru:18 | Argentina:18 | Norway:15 (DVD rating) | Brazil:14 | Australia:MA | Australia:R (original rating) | Finland:(Banned) (1972) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:16 (cut) | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Bank of America Building - 555 California Street, San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Malpaso Company, The

Trivia:

The opening sniper scenes were shot from atop San Francisco's Bank of America Building located at 555 California Street. The sniper's target is a girl swimming in the pool on the roof of the Holiday Inn in Chinatown, a few blocks north at 750 Kearny Street.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: At the cross on Mount Davidson, Scorpio makes Harry toss his gun a good distance away onto concrete, which would cause noticeable damage to the revolver's blued finish. However, in the final scene (when Harry again delivers his famous speech,) there is no visible damage to the weapon.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Harry Callahan: Jesus.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Red Heat (1988)

"Harry Hates Everybody!"

How radically different cinema history, and our collective consciousness, would have been if Frank Sinatra hadn't injured his hand before shooting started on "Dirty Harry". Sinatra was due to play Harry, but had to withdraw, clearing the way for Clint. Given Sinatra's unique brand of self-loathing, Harry would have been an uglier personality than Clint made him. As it is, Lieutenant Callaghan is an ornery anti-liberal cuss of a guy, but he is straight and likeable. Arguably, it was this characterisation which made Eastwood a megastar.

San Francisco in 1971 was ready for stardom itself. The West Coast love-in scene and the gay 'boom', together with McQueen's "Bullitt", raised awareness of San Francisco as an exciting liberal city with a photogenic skyline. The film's funky score by Lalo Schifrin is perfectly-judged, and spawned numerous imitators.

The central narrative concerns a lone nut who is trying to hold the city to ransom. He starts by murdering citizens to extort money from the mayor, then progresses to kidnapping children. This plays cleverly on the inchoate anxieties of Middle America, where law-abiding people were puzzled and alarmed at the 'crime wave' and the threat it posed to them and their families. Crime in the decades before the Kennedy assassination had been compartmentalised by Hollywood. Gangsters were bad, but they killed other gangsters. Now the danger was unpredictable, irrational - and solitary. The lone madman was as likely to strike against me or you as against an institution. Only a single-minded strong man, operating on the fringes of the rules, could combat this new terror.

Harry is a paradox. In one sense, he is an 'outlaw'. He has little respect for formal authority (in the opening minutes, we see him being rude to the mayor) and he carries a strictly non-regulation monster of a gun. Harry is openly racist and mutinous. And yet he is also deeply moral. He conforms to an unarticulated ethical code that is anglosaxon American. He protects the weak and confronts the wrongdoers, no matter how the odds are stacked against him. Indeed, the cowardly bureaucrats who will never reward him or promote him are able to exploit his profound decency. They send him on all the difficult, dirty jobs because they know that his sense of right and wrong won't allow him to walk away.

Early in the film, the famous bank robbery scene occurs. This has become so familiar that it hardly needs elaborating here, but to summarise, Harry foils an armed robbery using icy courage and grim humour - and his magnum handgun. The special brand of Eastwood humour recurs throughout the story (eg, the suicide jumper and the gay called 'Alice'). White anglosaxon America is encouraged to laugh at the undergroups which supposedly threaten it.

When the bad guy 'Scorpio' is cornered, he immediately starts bleating about his civil rights. This is meant to arouse our fury, because we have seen him callously destroying the lives of others, and here he is exploiting the protection of the state. To make matters worse, the state agrees with him. We see the DA and a judge explaining to Harry why the cogent evidence against Scorpio is inadmissible. Just exactly why the DA would call a meeting with a lowly policeman in order to explain department policy is far from clear, but the scene is thematically necessary. Scorpio is using the System against the decent, godfearing people who own it. The liberal apparatus is skewed if it lets a killer walk away scot-free.

There are some illogicalities about the plot. Such an important event as the cash drop is left to two cops working alone, when in reality there would be a massive covert operation. When Scorpio beats the rap, there is no public outcry or media storm, and he is allowed to get on with his anonymous existence virtually untroubled.

However, this hardly matters since the main thrust of the story is the coming showdown between Harry and the bad guy. As the climax approaches, Harry drops out of the police operation. Scorpio is at his manic worst on the hi-jacked school bus, alienating us nicely and suppressing any liberal twitches we may still be feeling. Then we see Harry, standing as upright and sturdy as the Statue Of Liberty ....