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Homosexuality in 'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975): televisual surfaces and a 'natural' man
'Dog Day Afternoon' (1975) has indisputable significance as the first Hollywood film to feature a gay protagonist played by a major star, Al Pacino. In seeking to recreate the bank robbery upon which the film was based, director Sidney Lumet strove for a sense of liveness and immediacy resulting in a surface-obsessed aesthetic that owes a great deal to the forms of television and documentary. Lumet referred to this as his film’s ‘naturalistic’ style – but what does this actually mean, in the context of 1970s American film acting? The essay will assess Pacino’s star performance in relation to literary Naturalism’s preoccupation with thermodynamics and entropy, arguing that it is in this context that Dog Day Afternoon’s representation of homosexuality is best understood – and most significant.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Film CriticismISSN
0163-5069Publisher
Michigan PublishingIssue
1Volume
37Page range
35-54Department affiliated with
- Media and Film Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2018-09-07First Open Access (FOA) Date
2018-09-07First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2018-09-06Usage metrics
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