Serpico (1973)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Peter Maas (book)
Waldo Salt (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 March 1974 (Netherlands)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Many of his fellow officers considered him the most dangerous man alive - An honest cop.

Plot:

The true story about an honest New York cop who blew the whistle on rampant corruption in the force only to have his comrades turn against him.

Plot Keywords:

Undercover | Corruption | Hippie | Complot | Female Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 4 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Al Pacino	...	Officer Frank Serpico
John Randolph	...	Chief Sidney Green
Jack Kehoe	...	Tom Keough
Biff McGuire	...	Capt. Insp. McClain
Barbara Eda-Young	...	Laurie
Cornelia Sharpe	...	Leslie Lane
Tony Roberts	...	Bob Blair
John Medici	...	Pasquale
Allan Rich	...	Dist. Atty. Herman Tauber
Norman Ornellas	...	Don Rubello
Edward Grover	...	Insp. Lombardo (as Ed Grover)
Albert Henderson	...	Peluce (as Al Henderson)
Hank Garrett	...	Malone
Damien Leake	...	Joey
Joseph Bova	...	Potts (as Joe Bova)
Gene Gross	...	Capt. Tolkin
John Stewart	...	Waterman
Woodie King Jr.	...	Larry (as Woodie King)
James Tolkan	...	Lt. Steiger (as James Tolkin)
Ed Crowley	...	Barto
Bernard Barrow	...	Insp. Roy Palmer
Sal Carollo	...	Mr. Serpico
Mildred Clinton	...	Mrs. Serpico
Nathan George	...	Lt. Nate Smith
Gus Fleming	...	Dr. Metz
Richard Foronjy	...	Rudy Corsaro
Alan North	...	Brown
Lewis J. Stadlen	...	Jerry Berman
John McQuade	...	Insp. Kellogg
Ted Beniades	...	Al Sarno
John Lehne	...	Insp. Gilbert
M. Emmet Walsh	...	Chief Gallagher
George Ede	...	Deputy Chief Insp. Daley
Charles White	...	Commissioner Delaney
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
F. Murray Abraham	...	Detective partner (uncredited)
Don Billett	...	Detective threatening Serpico (uncredited)
Raleigh Bond	...	(uncredited)
John Brandon	...	Police lieutenant (uncredited)
James Bulleit	...	Det. Styles (uncredited)
Roy Cheverie	...	Cop (uncredited)
Sam Coppola	...	Cop (uncredited)
Marjorie Eliot	...	Rape Victim (uncredited)
René Enríquez	...	Cervantes teacher (uncredited)
Frank Gio	...	Police lieutenant (uncredited)
Trent Gough	...	Cop (uncredited)
Paul E. Guskin	...	Police Academy classmate (uncredited)
Judd Hirsch	...	Cop (uncredited)
Richard Kuss	...	Detective (uncredited)
Tony Lo Bianco	...	Cop (uncredited)
George Loros	...	Det. Glover (uncredited)
Kenneth McMillan	...	Charlie (uncredited)
Stephen Pearlman	...	Desk sergeant (uncredited)
Tim Pelt	...	Black hood (uncredited)
William Pelt	...	Black hood (uncredited)
Jay Rasumny	...	Television cameraman (uncredited)
Jaime Sánchez	...	Cop (uncredited)
Franklin Scott	...	Black prisoner (uncredited)
Tom Signorelli	...	Bookmaker (uncredited)
Tracey Walter	...	Street Urchin (uncredited)
Mary Louise Weller	...	Lisa - girl at party (uncredited)

Directed by
Sidney Lumet

Writing credits
Peter Maas		(book)
Waldo Salt		(screenplay) and
Norman Wexler		(screenplay)

Produced by
Martin Bregman	....	producer
Dino De Laurentiis	....	executive producer
Roger M. Rothstein	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Mikis Theodorakis

Cinematography by
Arthur J. Ornitz

Film Editing by
Dede Allen
Richard Marks		(co-editor)

Casting by
Michael Chinich
Shirley Rich

Production Design by
Charles Bailey

Art Direction by
Douglas Higgins

Set Decoration by
Thomas H. Wright

Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone

Makeup Department
Philip Leto	....	hair stylist (as Phillip Leto)
Reginald Tackley	....	makeup artist (as Redge Tackley)
Michael R. Thomas	....	special makeup effects artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Martin Danzig	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Burtt Harris	....	assistant director
Alan Hopkins	....	assistant director

Art Department
Leslie Bloom	....	set dresser (as Les Bloom)
Joseph M. Caracciolo	....	property master (as Joe Caracciolo)
Jack Hughes	....	scenic artist

Sound Department
Edward Beyer	....	sound editor
Richard P. Cirincione	....	sound editor
Jack Fitzstephens	....	sound editor (as John J. Fitzstephens)
Robert M. Reitano	....	sound editor (as Robert Reitano)
Robert Rogow	....	boom operator
James Sabat	....	sound mixer (as James J. Sabat)
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recordist (as Richard Vorisek)
Maurice Schell	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Maurice Schell	....	foley editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Frank Orsatti	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Lou Barlia	....	camera operator (as Louis Barlia)
Charles Kolb	....	key grip
Willie Meyerhoff	....	gaffer (as Willy Meyerhoff)
Joseph Di Pasquale	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Clifford Capone	....	wardrobe (as Clifford C. Capone)

Editorial Department
Ronald Roose	....	assistant editor
Angelo Corrao	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Bob James	....	conductor
Bob James	....	music arranger

Transportation Department
Raymond Hartwick	....	transportation gaffer

Other crew
B.J. Bjorkman	....	script supervisor (as B.J. Bachman)

Production Companies

• Artists Entertainment Complex
• Produzioni De Laurentiis International Manufacturing Company

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1975) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• CIC (1974) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Cinema International Corp. (1974) (UK) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Home Video
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• LK-TEL Vídeo (19??) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Pictures (1973) (USA) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia-Hoyts Home Video

Other Companies

• Cinemobile System  location services
• Solters, Sabinson, Roskin  production publicity
• Talent Services Associates Inc.  extras casting

Also Known As:

Serpico (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Sérpico (Spain) [es]
Serpico (Denmark) [da]
Serpico - gatans tiger (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Serpico - kadun tiikeri (Finland) (alternative spelling) [fi]
Serpiko (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]

Runtime:

129 min | Spain:113 min

Country:

Italy | USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Italian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 (re-rating) (2006) | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:12 | South Korea:15 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-15 (DVD rating) | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Artists Entertainment Complex

Trivia:

Playwright Sidney Kingsley loaned his apartment to Sidney Lumet for use to film the party scene. In 1935, Kingsley hired an 11-year-old Lumet to appear on Broadway in his play, "Dead End", and they had remained friends since then.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: As Frank Serpico is driving across the bridge in his Studebaker Lark to report for his first posting as a patrolman in 1960, many of the cars in the background are models from the mid-1960's to early 1970's. (This is true in many of the early street scenes as well.)

Quotes:

Frank Serpico: I'm a marked man in this department. For what?
District Attorney Tauber: I've already arranged a transfer for ya'.
Frank Serpico: To where? China?

Movie Connections:

Featured in AFI's 100 Years... 100 Cheers: America's Most Inspiring Movies (2006) (TV)

Serpico

A perfect, true to life film based on the true exploits of a young police officer named Frank Serpico. Serpico was an officer in a time when political corruption was rampant and many of his brethren were found "on the take." The true story is brought to the screen under the superb leadership and direction of Sidney Lumet and the brilliant performance of Al Pacino as Serpico. Serpico was said to be known for his eccentricity and Pacino plays it up every step of the way, from the hairy beard to the earrings; he immerses himself into the character. This is the first of two great pairings with Lumet and Pacino. They know character. You see it here and you see it in 'Dog Day Afternoon." They know the streets. Lumet is a avid filmmaker of "New York-style films." Pacino walks the beat in his hobo outfits and long hair as if he's a hippie, not a cop. Although an eccentric, Serpico cannot be bought and certainly cannot be had, by anyone... cop or crook Pacino was Oscar nominated, but lost to Jack Lemmon for his performance in "Save the Tiger." The film was also nominated for it's taut screenplay, based on the Peter Maas book of the same title.