The filmmakers behind the Dog Day Afternoon documentary The Dog reveal details about what could have been the first public gay wedding in New York City in 1971.
One of the most memorable films of the ‘70s is the Al Pacino crime thriller Dog Day Afternoon, based on the real-life bank robbery by New York resident John Wojtowicz, who committed the crime to raise money for his lover’s sex change operation. But the robbery attempt turned into a dramatic hostage situation, after which Wojtowicz was captured and sent to prison.
It was during a viewing of Dog Day Afternoon that filmmakers Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren saw the potential for a captivating documentary – which became The Dog – based on the bizarre circumstances of the case.
Allison reveals that while the initial hook was to create a portrait of the “real-life bank robber,” they discovered so much more captivating material to his story. “Over time, what happened was, we didn’t realize his involvement in the gay rights movement, there were just all these different stages of his life that we realized we had such a richer story to tell.”
In The Dog, Wojtowicz also recounts his marriage to a transgendered woman, Elizabeth Eden, during a ceremony performed by a gay priest in New York City in 1971.
Watch the full episode to also hear the filmmakers discuss their subject’s complex contradictions relating to his views on sex and romanticism.
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