| Serpico | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Sidney Lumet |
| Produced by | Dino De Laurentiis Roger M. Rothstein Martin Bregman |
| Written by | Peter Maas (book) Waldo Salt Norman Wexler Sidney Kingsley |
| Starring | Al Pacino John Randolph Tony Roberts Bernard Barrow M. Emmet Walsh |
| Music by | Mikis Theodorakis Giacomo Puccini |
| Cinematography | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Editing by | Dede Allen Richard Marks Ronald Roose Angelo Corrao |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures De Laurentiis Company |
| Release date(s) | December 5, 1973 |
| Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| Box office | $29.8 million |
Serpico is a 1973 American crime film directed by Sidney Lumet. It is based on the true story of New York City policeman Frank Serpico, who went undercover to expose the corruption of his fellow officers, after being pushed to the brink at first by their distrust and later by the threats and intimidation they leveled against him. It stars Al Pacino, John Randolph and Tony Roberts.
Contents |
Based on the non-fiction book by Peter Maas, the film covers twelve years (from 1960 to 1972) in the life of Frank Serpico, a NYPD officer who wants to do the best he can as a policeman. Working as a uniform patrolman, Serpico gets every assignment in. Then he moves to plainclothes assignments, where he slowly uncovers cops doing drugs, taking paybacks and other forms of corruption. Serpico decides to expose this, but is harassed and threatened. The struggle leads to infighting within the police force, problems in his personal relationships, and life-threatening situations. Finally, he testifies to the Knapp Commission, which met to investigate police corruption between 1970 and 1972.
Prior to any work on the movie, producer Martin Bregman had lunch with biographical book author Peter Maas to discuss a film adaptation. Waldo Salt, a screenwriter, began to write the script which director Sidney Lumet deemed to be too long. Another screenwriter, Norman Wexler, did the structural work followed by play lines. Screenwriter Sidney Kingsley also wrote and did structural work on the script.
Director John G. Avildsen was originally slated to direct the movie, but was removed from production due to differences with producer Bregman. Lumet took the helm as director just before filming. The real-life Frank Serpico wished to be present during the filming of the movie based on his life. Initially he was permitted to stay, but was eventually dismissed from the filming, as director Lumet was worried that his presence would make the actors (particularly lead actor Al Pacino) self-conscious.
The story was filmed in the streets of New York City. A total of 105 different locations in four of the five boroughs of the city were used. No filming took place in Staten Island. An apartment at 5-7 Minetta Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village was used as Serpico's residence, though according to the Peter Maas book he actually lived on Perry Street during the events depicted in the film. Lewisohn Stadium, which was closed at the time of filming, was used for one scene.
As the storyline needed to show the progression of Frank Serpico's beard and hair length, individual scenes were filmed in reverse order, with actor Al Pacino's hair being trimmed for each scene set earlier in the film's timeline.
Woodie King Jr., originally cast as a hoodlum, was replaced after suffering a broken leg while filming a chase scene for this movie. He returned to the set two months later to play Leslie's friend Larry in the party scene.
The original music theme was composed by Mikis Theodorakis, nominated for both a Grammy and a BAFTA award. Its Greek name is Dromoi Palioi.
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Al Pacino) and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. Pacino won his first Golden Globe award for Best Actor in 1974 for his performance in the film.[1]
Serpico was a major commercial success, grossing $29.8 million at the domestic box office, given its tight budget of only $1 million.[2]
Serpico is hailed as a classic. Pacino's performance has come to be considered as one of his best. His role as Frank Serpico is ranked at #40 on the American Film Institute's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains list.[3] The film is also ranked at #84 on the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers, a list of America's Most Inspiring Movies.[4]
There was a 1976 television series of Serpico, starring David Birney, who also played the role in a TV movie made in the same year, called Serpico: The Deadly Game.
A number of comedy B-movies were filmed in Italy in the 1970s, starring Tomás Milián in the role of an undercover policeman from Rome, who played a Serpico-like character.
Serpico was released on VHS and is available on Region 1 DVD since 2002. It was released on Blu-ray for the first time in France.