Serpico

For other uses, see Serpico (disambiguation).
Serpico

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Sidney Lumet
Produced by Martin Bregman
Screenplay by
Based on Serpico
by Peter Maas
Starring Al Pacino
Music by Mikis Theodorakis
Cinematography Arthur J. Ornitz
Edited by Dede Allen
Production
companies
  • Artists Entertainments Complex, Inc.
  • Produzion De Laurentiis International Manufacturing Company S.P.A.
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release dates
  • December 5, 1973 (1973-12-05)
Running time
 130 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $2.5–3 million[1]
Box office $29.8 million (North America)[2]

Serpico is a 1973 American neo-noir[3] crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino. Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler wrote the screenplay, adapting Peter Maas's biography of NYPD officer Frank Serpico,[4] who went undercover to expose corruption in the police force. Both Maas's book and the film cover 12 years, 1960 to 1972.[5]

The film and principals were nominated for numerous awards, earning recognition for its score, direction, screenplay, and Pacino's performance. The film was also a commercial success.

Plot

Working as a uniformed patrolman, Frank Serpico excels at every assignment. He moves on to plainclothes assignments, where he slowly discovers a hidden world of corruption and graft among his own colleagues. After witnessing cops commit violence, take payoffs, and other forms of police corruption, Serpico decides to expose what he has seen, but is harassed and threatened by his peers. His struggle leads to infighting within the police force, problems in his personal relationships, and his life being threatened. Finally, after being shot in the face during a drug bust on February 3, 1971, he testifies before the Knapp Commission, a government inquiry into NYPD police corruption between 1970 and 1972. After receiving a New York City Police Department Medal of Honor and a disability pension, Serpico resigns from the force and moves to Switzerland.

Cast

Production

Prior to any work on the film, producer Martin Bregman had lunch with Peter Maas to discuss a film adaptation of his biography of Frank Serpico.[6] Waldo Salt, a screenwriter, began to write the script which director Sidney Lumet deemed to be too long.[6] Another screenwriter, Norman Wexler, did the structural work followed by play lines.[6]

Director John G. Avildsen was originally slated to direct the movie, but was removed from production due to differences with producer Bregman.[7][8] Lumet took the helm as director just before filming.[7] The real-life Frank Serpico wished to be present during the filming of the movie and was initially allowed to stay, but was eventually dismissed from the set, as Lumet was worried that his presence would make the actors (particularly Pacino) self-conscious.[8]

The story was filmed in New York City. A total of 104 different locations in four of the five boroughs of the city (all except Staten Island) were used.[1][8] An apartment at 5-7 Minetta Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village was used as Serpico's residence,[8] though he lived on Perry Street during the events depicted in the film.[9] Lewisohn Stadium, which was closed at the time of filming, was used for one scene.[10]

As the storyline needed to show the progression of Serpico's beard and hair length, individual scenes were filmed in reverse order, with Pacino's hair being trimmed for each scene set earlier in the film's timeline.[8]

The party scene was shot at the apartment of the playwright Sidney Kingsley, who loaned it to Lumet for this purpose.[8] Kingsley and Lumet had met in 1935, when the former hired the director (at the time 11-year-old) to appear on the play Dead End.[8] Coincidentally, Kingsley had written an award-winning stage play about the NYPD, Detective Story, which was adapted into an award-winning film about the NYPD.

Box office

Serpico was a major commercial success, given the times and its modest budget, which ranged from $2.5 million to $3 million.[1][7] It grossed $29.8 million at the domestic box office,[2] making it the 12th highest-grossing film of 1973.

Critical response

Serpico was widely acclaimed by critics,[7] currently holding at Rotten Tomatoes a score of 90% based on reviews from 39 critics, and a rating average of 8 out of 10.[11] At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received an average score of 87% based on 7 reviews.[12]

Accolades

Pacino's role as Frank Serpico is ranked at #40 on the American Film Institute's AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains list.[13] The film is also ranked at #84 on the AFI's AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers, a list of America's most inspiring movies.[14]

The original score was composed by Mikis Theodorakis, nominated for both the Grammy Award for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media and the BAFTA award for the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music.[15] Sidney Lumet's direction was nominated for both the BAFTA Award for Best Direction and the Directors Guild of America.[15] The film was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Drama.[15]

The film also received Academy Awards nominations for Best Actor (Al Pacino) and Best Adapted Screenplay.[15] The script won the Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.[15]

Pacino won his first Golden Globe award for Best Actor in 1974 for his performance in the film.[15] He also received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role.[15]

Home media

Serpico was released on VHS and is available on Region 1 DVD since 2002 and Region 1 Blu-ray since 2013.[16] The Masters of Cinema label have released the film in a Region B Blu-ray on 24 February 2014 in the United Kingdom.[16] This version contains three video documentaries about the film, as well as a photo gallery with an audio commentary by director Sidney Lumet and a 44 page booklet.[17]

Television series

Further information: Serpico (TV series)

A weekly television series based on Maas' book and the motion picture was broadcast on NBC between September 1976 and February 1977, with David Birney playing the role of Frank Serpico. Only 14 episodes were broadcast, with one being unaired. The series was preceded by a pilot film, Serpico: The Deadly Game, which was broadcast in April 1976.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nixon, Rob. "Behind the Camera on SERPICO". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Serpico (1973)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
  3. ↑ Rybin, Steven (2013). Michael Mann: Crime Auteur. Scarecrow Press. p. 139. ISBN 0810890844.
  4. ↑ "Serpico (1973): Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  5. ↑ "Serpico". TheMobMuseum.org. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 Nixon, Rob. "Serpico (1974)". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Serpico". American Film Institute. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Serpico (1973): Trivia". IMDb. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  9. ↑ Kilgannon, Corey (22 January 2010). "Serpico on Serpico". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  10. ↑ Lewisohn Stadium on YouTube
  11. ↑ "Serpico (1973)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  12. ↑ "Serpico (re-release)". Metacritic. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Heroes & Villains". American Film Institute. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  14. ↑ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers". American Film Institute. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Serpico (1973): Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
  16. 1 2 "Serpico (1973): Company Credits". IMDb. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
  17. ↑ "Serpico". Eureka Video. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
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