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.
“The more that we researched, the more we realized what an unusual character he was,” said Allison, who explained that because of Wojtowicz’s unusual name, they were able to look up his mother and quickly make contact to their subject.
The film showcases Wojtowicz’s larger-than-life personality, which is only surpassed by his ever-raging libido.
“The first thing we did was a very long interview, which was basically the first half of the movie, that was day one,” Frank said. “And then it took another decade to get the rest of it. Because he could be extremely open, but he had to feel like he was somewhat in control, so he made everything very difficult.”
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.”
Watch the full episode to also hear the filmmakers discuss Wojtowicz’s complex contradictions relating to his views on sex and romanticism, as well as his public wedding in New York to a man in 1971.
Comments