Serpico (film)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Serpico |
| Original title | Serpico |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1973 |
| length | 130 minutes |
| Age rating |
FSK 12 (until 2006: FSK 18) |
| Rod | |
| Director | Sidney Lumet |
| script |
Waldo Salt Norman Wexler |
| production | Martin Bregman |
| music | Mikis Theodorakis |
| camera | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| cut |
Dede Allen Richard Marks |
| occupation | |
| |
Serpico is an American crime film about the life and career of New York police officer Frank Serpico , played by Al Pacino . The film, which was one of the first films to denounce corruption in the US police force in the early 1970s, was made in 1973 and directed by Sidney Lumet .
The script is an adaptation of the bestselling biography of the same name by Peter Maas .
action
Francesco Vincent "Frank" Serpico joins the New York City Police Department in 1959 ; he has dreamed of becoming a police officer since he was a child. When his dream comes true, however, he has to quickly find out how things are really going with the police: Colleagues mistreat suspects and collect bribes . Those who refuse to take part quickly become outsiders and are put under pressure by their own colleagues.
Serpico tries to report the grievances, but his superiors hinder him and have him transferred several times. For ten years he wanders from station to station and suffers from the constant distrust of the other officials. In his private life, too, he finds it difficult to get along with other people and changing girlfriends; his fellow human beings repeatedly suffer from his exuberant temperament.
Finally, he and a few confidants turn to the mayor's office. But even there they fall on deaf ears - until they tell their story to a reporter for the New York Times and the newspaper prints a cover story. A special committee will now be formed and an extensive investigation will begin. Serpico is transferred again and shot a little later during an operation.
He barely survives the injury, hearing damage and paralysis remain, but he finally receives the long-awaited promotion to detective - which he bitterly refuses. He testifies before the committee and expresses his hope to create a climate in which police officers will in future dare to report corruption within their own ranks.
In 1973 he left the police force.
background
The film was shot in reverse order. Al Pacino had a full beard, which was then trimmed a little shorter for each scene that took place earlier in the chronology of the film.
The movie was followed by a 15-part television series of the same name in 1976 (German first broadcast in 1983) , in which David Birney Serpico played.
- The real Serpico
Frank Serpico , born April 14, 1936, experienced most of the events as portrayed in the film. After leaving the police force, he went to Europe for a decade. After hostility from police officers and the surprising death of his fourth and last wife Marianne from cancer, he fell into depression .
In 1980 he returned to New York. To this day, he is publicly committed to civil rights and against police violence and corruption. In 2012 he said in an interview that Al Pacino played the character of Serpico “better than myself”.
Reviews
| source | rating |
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| Rotten tomatoes | |
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| Metacritic | |
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| IMDb |
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“Sidney Lumet's ruthless factual thriller is one of the big throws in New Hollywood . And Al Pacino's portrait of the fluffy-bearded hippiesque idealist on the grandiose achievements of his career. "
“The action sequences on original locations that are popular in the genre are spectacular. Lumet filmed a similar story with Prince of the City in 1981. "
“The dark, sobering cop thriller is based on an authentic case. Director Lumet never let go of the subject: he dealt with his deep distrust of the police apparatus and others. a. in Prince of the City (1981), Deadly Questions (1990), and Night on Manhattan (1997). Lumet's latest flick, Gloria , recently aired in the US and is a remake of the John Cassavetes film . Conclusion: Relentlessly sober, superbly played "
Awards
- Oscar nomination for Al Pacino (Best Actor)
- Oscar nomination for best screenplay
- Writers Guild of America , Award for Best Screenplay (Drama)
- Grammy nomination for Mikis Theodorakis (Best Soundtrack)
- BAFTA nomination for Mikis Theodorakis (Best Soundtrack)
- BAFTA nomination for Al Pacino (Best Actor)
- BAFTA, Prize for Sidney Lumet (Best Director)
- Directors Guild of America , Sidney Lumet (Best Director)
- Golden Globe nomination for best film
- Golden Globe for Al Pacino for Best Actor (Drama)
- The American Film Institute chose Frank Serpico as the 40th greatest hero in American film history
- The American Film Institute voted Serpico 84th among the most inspiring films in American film history
Web links
- Serpico in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Larry Macshane: Despite distance and Decades, whistleblower Frank Serpico is never too far from his NYPD past. New York Daily News, December 22, 2012
- ↑ a b [1] at Rotten Tomatoes , accessed on November 10, 2014
- ↑ a b [2] at Metacritic , accessed on November 10, 2014
- ↑ Serpico in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- ↑ Cinema.de: film review
- ^ Serpico, Award Wins and Nominations . IMDb . Retrieved January 30, 2012.