IMDb > Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
Dog Day Afternoon
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Dog Day Afternoon (1975) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 2)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) -- A man robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) -- MyMovieScripts.com - Trailer (Flash)
IMDb Holiday Movie Guide

Overview

User Rating:
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 9% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Sidney Lumet
Writers:
P.F. Kluge (article) and
Thomas Moore (article) ...
(more)
Contact:
View company contact information for Dog Day Afternoon on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
21 September 1975 (USA) more
Genre:
Crime | Drama | Thriller more
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 more
Plot:
A man robs a bank to pay for his lover's operation; it turns into a hostage situation and a media circus. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 10 wins & 17 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(24 articles)
AFI's 100 Years ...100 Movie Quotes
 (From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)
A Conversation with Katt Shea
 (From Fangoria. 20 October 2009, 2:07 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
D Day for Pacino more (169 total)

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

Al Pacino ... Sonny Wortzik

John Cazale ... Sal
Charles Durning ... Det. Sgt. Eugene Moretti

Chris Sarandon ... Leon Shermer
Sully Boyar ... Mulvaney
Penelope Allen ... Sylvia
James Broderick ... Sheldon

Carol Kane ... Jenny
Beulah Garrick ... Margaret
Sandra Kazan ... Deborah

Marcia Jean Kurtz ... Miriam
Amy Levitt ... Maria
John Marriott ... Howard
Estelle Omens ... Edna
Gary Springer ... Stevie

Lance Henriksen ... Murphy

Judith Malina ... Vi - Mother

Dominic Chianese ... Vi's Husband - Father
Marcia Haufrecht ... Vi's Neighbor
Susan Peretz ... Angela 'Angie' Wortzik

Floyd Levine ... Phone Cop
Carmine Foresta ... Carmine
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
Frank Piazza ... Actor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
James Bulleit ... Sgt. Gillis (uncredited)
Robert Costanzo ... New York Policeman (uncredited)
Todd Everett ... Cop (uncredited)
Paul E. Guskin ... Police Sergeant (uncredited)

Ed Metzger ... Sgt. Murray - NYPD (uncredited)
Thomas Murphy ... Policeman with Angie (uncredited)
Raymond Serra ... New York Plainclothes Cop (uncredited)
Lynette Sheldon ... Sadie (uncredited)
Tom Towles ... Gunman (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

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)
 
Crew believed to be complete


Production CompaniesDistributorsOther Companies
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
125 min | Finland:131 min (1975)
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
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 theatrical version) | South Korea:15 | Brazil:14 | 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:
10th Street, Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA more
Company:
Artists Entertainment Complex more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Judith Malina, who plays Sonny's mother, portrayed Grandma in The Addams Family (1991). Carol Kane, who plays Jenny, replaced Malina for the sequel, Addams Family Values (1993). more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Sonny is having the tellers empty the money from the cash drawers, one of the teller's name signs says "Maria Sandora." When the telephone rings and the scene cuts to the manager and back to the tellers, the sign has disappeared. After the camera cuts to a different view of Sonny and the tellers walking to the next window, the sign is no longer where it was but is now located at this next teller window. After this, as the camera angles cut back and forth, the scene was obviously filmed at different times because the items on top of the counter are in different order and do not always appear in all shots. more
Quotes:
Sal: What'd he say?
Sonny: He was talkin' about arrangements . we were talkin' about the TV.
Sal: Why couldn't he talk about that here?
Sonny: He was showin' me how the airport bus is comin' in, like that, Sal.
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in First Sunday (2008) more
Soundtrack:
Amoreena more

FAQ

Is "Dog Day Afternoon" based on a true story?
Is this movie based on a novel?
How much sex, violence, and profanity are in this movie?
more

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
95 out of 114 people found the following comment useful.
D Day for Pacino, 25 February 2004
10/10
Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK

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.

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The best movie... dodgefastquick
best performance by an actor not to win the Oscar nccomet
A detective at the scene that day... honeybeeproductions
Pacinos Emotional acting films-550-261689
Who called the police on them? jan1919@hotmail.com
They don't make 'em like they used to ashtontylo
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