Dog Day Afternoon - Amoreena (Elton John)

[evfich]

it is a reference to the 'Dog" star, Sirius, in the constellation Canis major, which is most porminent in the sky late July, and through out August. Sirius is the brightest star in the heavens,

[jackoconnor8]

Classic NYC......Oh how I miss it so.....

[Chauchat7777]

And I remember that Kent sign.

[Chauchat7777]

@MrGNR1990 I can't.... I didn't know Brooklyn... I *think* the sign was on the FDR drive and was rusted and nasty by then. I was born in '72, ... ten days before this happened. I'm not quite old enough,

[bluegreen988]

@Chauchat7777 the doverman in the film is older than u ..

[Chauchat7777]

@bluegreen988 what is a doverman? And.. your point?

[bluegreen988]

@Chauchat7777 the title dog day aft..so there was a dog '

[Chauchat7777]

@bluegreen988 ok. Well, I'm sure the dog was dead. Whatever. And I'm sure you know what the phrase Dog day afternoon means- it has nothing to do with dogs.

[bluegreen988]

@Chauchat7777 btw ,why is the film called dog day aft..

[Chauchat7777]

@bluegreen988 a 'dog day afternoon" means nothing more than a disgustingly hot, summer day. Nothing to do with canines.

[bluegreen988]

@Chauchat7777 well it should be titled "hot day summer afternoon,it doesnt make sense the title dog day aft..

[Chauchat7777]

@bluegreen988 Well, perhaps you should Google the phrase. You've never heard of the "dog days of summer"? What should they have called it "bank robbery movie"? There is a thing called 'creativity'. ok. whatever, I'm done commenting on this thread.

[bluegreen988]

@Chauchat7777 thanks man for the info ..dog days means are the hottest days of summer ..July -august..

[hsdscsds]

So great!

[32spitzer]

GREAT MOVIE/GREAT SONG! THANKS AL/MARTY/ELTON ETC!!!!!

[Chanelson2010]

THANK YOU MR MARTIN BREGMAN - A TRUE AMERICAN LEGEND WHO BROUGHT US SOME OF THE GREATEST FILMS IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN CINEMA!!!!! PACINO - BREGMAN IS LIKE THE LENNON-MCCARTNEY OF AMERICAN CINEMA!!!

[t5775jh]

Best song on the Best Elton John album of all time- Tumbleweed Connection have it on 24k gold CD- will never stop playing it.....

[Rocketman2396]

Awesome Elton song from Tumbleweed Connection. Elton has too many unknown songs, really great piano melodies.

[5by5charliedelta9er]

Is that a Plymouth Fury II the bad guys are using for a car?

[loyaldude10]

great song. and even better film.

[87cadillachearse]

@loyaldude10 Great film and better song. Eltons best in my opiion and Pachino was so fuckin' awesome.

[tiantonio]

Grantland.

[booblady708]

when i watched this for the first time on thursday, it was very refreshing to see this kind of opening montage. I hadn't seen anything like it before. One of my favorite opening scenes, right next to the opening scene of "The usual Suspects"

[rockdudeguy18]

1 douchebag...

[TheQwik1]

what happened to the kid at the begining

[iDONTloveyou69]

@TheQwik1 he leaves

[wndrboy]

@TheQwik1 The kid gets cold feet and tells Sonny he can't go through with it.



[TheQwik1]

@wndrboy did he get arrested too D;

[KalashnikovBoy94]

Simply amazing. God. I remember the hot summer in my living room, drinking Ice Tea watching this film for the first time. Perfect Summer Movie.

[ObserveAccurately]

How was the song even chosen in the first place? Was Sidney Lumet familiar with Elton John's music at the time? What's the story behind this great piece of filmmaking?

[Downbytheriver01]

Im a big Elton fan and thought it was interesting to see this song chosen to open the movie, its one of his best in my opinion but not his biggest, unusually surprised.

[BipolarPics]

Sonny's wife at 1:34

[magnostic]

Dear Mr Lumet. I religiously watched this opening sequence for the past year. I was only discovering the meaning of Sidney Lumet. Your passion for realism has really come through here, and hopefully it will be a wake-up call for all those pretentious art-house dogs out there.

[WKRPinCINN]

this 5 minute intro to Dog Day is the best representation of the city of Brooklyn ever filled. Woody Allen, Scorsese, Coppola... Lumet 

[ReinaAntilles]

Been watching Sidney Lumet films all weekend. What a genius! Rest in peace and thank you!

[JDCorley]

Goodbye Sidney. God has some work for you elsewhere.

[NotSoOldHippy]

Rob more banks. Kill more fat cat Republican traitors.

[plantedtrees]

RIP Sidney Lumet.

[EricDeskin]

the toll was 50 cents!

[Silverwire100]

This opening title sequence instantly sets a time and place. Carefully composed shots, precise editing, and a killer song all combine to create an authentic movie experience.

[SVinNJ]

About 40 years ahead of its time, wasnt it???

[saphieable]

My favourite opening sequence, apart from 400 Blows. Love a good scenic shot!

[jeffsdolphin]

sidney lumet ,picked this song for the opening juxapostion of scenes of N.Y.C.-----

genius move- fantastic film

[GardinerC]

great opening... i remember nyc looking like that 

[MrGNR1990]

@GardinerC Lucky!

[ObserveAccurately]

At 1:32 Sal's wife (with their kids) appear in the montage.

Interesting choice by the director to have her shown -- the only movie character, and out of all the movie's characters -- in the opening montage.

[SachaEgan]

Fantastic Movie, Fantastic Song... My sister was named after this song! My Dad chose it before he even MET my Mum. He was determined to have a daughter and call her Amoreena.

[SachaEgan]

Fantastic Movie, Fantastic Song... My sister was named after this song!

[Silverwire100]

This title sequence really sets the mood for the entire film by capturing the time and place.

[Beck19781]

The brilliant thing to me is that it ends up being source music: its the music that Pacino and company have on the radio in the car as they wait for the bank to close. Lumet's purpose in doing this is to establish the ordinariness of the scene. We see people sitting on the corner, men working, a dog rummaging in the trash: all very pedestrian scenes. This is the ultimate in realism, and its the reason you won't see a movie like this today. No one wants to be reminded of their back yard.

[DanielTheWalrus]

PUT THE GUNS DOWN!! PUT IT DOWN!

[dantanasgirl]

Trivia. I just noticed the Marquee for A STAR IS BORN. The writer of Dog Day, Frank Pierson was also writing that movie at the same time of filming this. A Star Is Born wouldn't have come out until the following year. That was cool of Sydney Lument to put a shot of it in the opening of DDA.

[IndecentAndDancing]

best song in the world! maybe I'll watch the movie now, haha.

[akemimeka]

1 person is a douchebag.

[jakespick]

1975 must've been the greatest year in film history -- Dog Day Afternoon, Nashville, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Barry Lyndon, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, & although Jaws isn't one of my favorites I know it is a lot of others'. Anyway, great film.

[loyaldude10]

@jakespick -right. And did Taxi Driver come out that yr or was it 1976?

[artemis2854]

I love the opening to this film. Coolestmovies is absolutely correct. I grew up in Brooklyn and remember when this happened. I'd just graduated HS. It did turn into a fiasco.

[45spindle]

Best opening to a film ever, and it only gets better. It was so dead on hearing this playing from the radio on a hot New York day either from WNEW, WPLJ, or WBAB.

Hey, is that a Chevy Biscayne they're sitting in? It looks exactly like the first car i had when i was a teenager. I remember the body metal was hard as a rock and it burned about a quart of oil a day. What a beautiful wreck it was. And kiddies....gas was only around .45-.50 cents a gallon!

[artemis2854]

@45spindle It looks like a Dodge or a Plymouth. And I remember those gas prices too!!!  And the toll on the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel sure isn't 50 cents anymore. However, the BQE still has the same traffic jam LOL

[MamboJamboBrazil]

old new york = dirty but still stunning

[Gaaraape]

@MamboJamboBrazil

Present New York is just as dirty

[SalsaShark542]

@Gaaraape New York is nowhere near being as dirty as it was back in the '70s/'80s.

[jeffsdolphin]

lumet was nuts on real location shooting.................very smart director , actually developed him a niche. 121 on prince of the city......christ.

Pacinino almost had a complete breakdown due to the mentally harsh demands

[predlycon]

I wonder how this film would have begun instead with "The Ballad of a Well-Known Gun". It could be interesting.

[gervoi]

That was great! I am almost embarassed how young I was during that great era.

[peter8099]

Elton Jhon is gay.

[stableshadow]

@peter8099 Really?...shit!

[girlierichie]

im looking 4 weeks this song im lovin it dog day afternoon ROCKS

[loyaldude10]

Great song----never got much air play, IIRC

[mizofan]

Tumbleweed Connection is a classic Elton album, not a weak song on it, and before his superstardom. Excellent film too, says a lot about attitudes at the time and media still relevant today

[BeatleEDs]

What a movie, what a song.

[TodaysThought]

Best movie opening of all time.

[Anonymous1226]

@TodaysThought i think scarface had the best

[TodaysThought]

@Anonymous1226 -nah,,

[cbarr2458]

A Dog Day Afternoon - Amoreena (Elton John)

Great movie and song!!!!!

[Chauchat7777]

Thanks for posting this, I miss NY when it was grubby. Now it's so clean, full of champagne socialists...

[Chauchat7777]

@MrGNR1990 yes----- like that Deniro line in Casino about Vegas...

[blegdon]

its slightly different then the album version, listen to them back to back, maybe a bit faster??

[Shack83]

@blegdon yeah it does. i like this version better.

[loyaldude10]

great movie and song

[sharks27]

thank you SO MUCH to the person who posted this video...This still remains my favorite opening sequence of ALL TIME!

[deke7492]

Pacinos best movies came in the 70's

[CurtisHalfHalf]

Early 70's Brooklyn, it was still the place.....Fuck Long island and Jersey

[Shack83]

@CurtisHalfHalf Why do some folks in NYC not like Long Island or New Jersey? I see that alot when I'm in the city.

[CurtisHalfHalf]

@Shack83 Reason is,for years, people felt the further away you were from the city, the better,& that to have the perfect life, the "American Dream", you left NYC to do that-people still in NYC were insulted by this....Parts of Brooklyn, long time ago, were very much like L.I. or NJ,it was pristine,later on, as things changed for the worse in many ways, you wanted to go to either Jersey or the Island but there was just no substitute for NYC, even though the quality of life may have been better.

[Shack83]

@CurtisHalfHalf So basically Jersey and LI is where NYC residents go when they can't hack it in the city.

[MrStones64]

@Shack83 nyc is a sewer dude..

[DanielTheWalrus]

Classic Pacino. Classic Lumet. Classic cinema. Classic New York. Classic Elton John.

Best Pacino performace along with Scarface (Followed by G1 and G2)

[BOYZEEE1]

Al Pacino rocks.

[anthroscott]

maybe best opening ever.

[cubanscarface]

For some reason this version sounded a lot different from all the other Elton John versions, including the LP.

I wonder when it was recorded for this specific movie.

[MattDLD333]

Probably one of the best movies every made...no CGI...no background music (minus this song)....only two scenes (either outside of the bank or inside the bank)...and outstanding acting by everyone.

[irishroverhorse]

good song to bad its elten john

[thefriendsociety]

whys that?

[cs00024]

classic lument....classic pacino..probably his greatest performance along with GF 2

[eslertime]

Sydney Lumet is untouchable in opening sequences

this made me more excited to watch the rest of a movie then any opening i can think of

[rabe56]

Brilliant moviemaking! Brilliant song. They have nothing to do with each other yet they feed off of each other and forever liked. I can't think of one without the other.

[stradlin62]

1:40 !? Look at the girl touching hemmm..

[MoviesAmongThings]

diserves well more than 10,000 views really fantastic stuff

[RLC28]

1:38 looooooooooool hot chick

[Coolestmovies]

Show me a mainstream filmmaker today who has the stones to make a long opening credit sequence like this that runs nearly the ENTIRE LENGTH of the song it's cut to, and establishes the feel and location of the film to follow. Just brilliant! Today's "target demographics" would be checking their fucking phones instead of savouring what they're seeing.

[closeharlan]

Paul Thomas Anderson did it with "One is the Loneliest Number" in Magnolia.

[MoviesAmongThings]

@Coolestmovies yeah your so right, such an underrated film

[Shack83]

@Coolestmovies Zack Snyder did it in Watchmen. He used "Times They Are a Changin" by Bob Dylan.

[Coolestmovies]

@Shack83 Indeed he did, but I still maintain that this sort of thing was much more common in the 70's, when the successful films were often the ones made for adults! :D

[rollingstone100]

@Coolestmovies AMEN BROTHER!!! perfectly Said.

[rmcnyc]

I couldn't agree more coolestmovies. One of my favorite movie openings ever! Die Hard With a Vengeance had a pretty similar, "A day in the life of NYC" openings, with the Lovin Spoonful's Summer in the City.

[vin20vin]

@Coolestmovies: It is an interesting thought. Nevertheless, I also like today's opening credit sequences and I wouldn't like to go back to the 70-80's. In this movie, it has a special charm and I am glad to discover it, that's all.

[sovilous]

@Coolestmovies Well, the very mainstream films 'Zombieland' and 'Watchmen' do this, to be fair.

[Coolestmovies]

@sovilous -- Two movies? As I've responded to others, THIS KIND of montage -- as opposed to the tired derivative that crops up today in too many movies like Zombieland and Watchmen -- was a bit more common in the 70's, and utilized much more adroitly. Much of the opening of Dog Day has nothing to to with the plot or characters - it's establishes time and place only. You even have to look quick to spot the insert of Pacino's character's wife and kids leaving their apartment.

[ObserveAccurately]

@Coolestmovies

But why did Lumet choose the wife and kids -- among all the movie characters -- as the *only* movie characters in the montage?

[Coolestmovies]

@ObserveAccurately -- My guess is that it was simply to plant characters from the narrative into the montage to tie them together and, in certain viewers, plant a subliminal sense of familiarity for later in the picture. Any lesser characters would have sufficed, but better some that are relevant to the lead. I'm certain Lumet's not the only one to use the technique, but he does it efficiently here. It also cleverly marries the film, shot in late autumn, to the montage, shot in the summer.

[loyaldude10]

@Coolestmovies -right. I didnt see the wife and kids the first time. Too busy enjoying the song and the other scenery. One of the all time greatest movies and opening sequences. song never got much if any air time but was fantastic. As they say---they dont make em like this any more

[freakl]

@Coolestmovies woody allen just did in 'midnight in paris'

[Coolestmovies]

@freakl --- Sidney Lumet did it in 1975. What took Allen so long? Maybe he realized how effective it was four decades ago and decided to revive it. :-) Still, it was more common in the 70's, as I've said, but it's nice to see the occasional filmmaker attempt it today. Hardly surprising it's another veteran of that era that did it in this era.

[kekeboy97]

did anybody notice the 'a star is born' sign? haha the director must have put that in there on purpose

[kekeboy97]

ATICA ATICA!!!!

[dve8692]

what part of town is 1:45? looks like uptown or the Bronx to me.

[dve8692]

anyone calling NYC a shithole in the middle 1970's doesn't know what they're talking about, it's a shithole now.

[DanielTheWalrus]

Best and most memorable Opening Scene ever made.

[ScrewAttackEurope]

Love this movie, saw it on TV years ago and had to go out and get it on DVD.

But the into part is awesome, I swear the Cowboy Bebop movie ripped it off tho.

[badlyhumor]

great song - great movie

[filmfanatic99]

I don't know how he did it, nut Sidney Lumet made a film with 3 setpieces damn exciting.

[onelasssttime]

I;m failry sure that old Circle Line pier is gone now too, all of them, the nice, old rusted and burnt out ones are now land that wasn't land and ten times the price. sad.. NY.

[MauryDann73]

One of my alltime fave film openings. The song Amoreena is a decent EJ song when heard on its own, but combined with the images here, it sounds fantastic.

[DanielBowden1975]

MauryDann73

Agreed 100%

[onelasssttime]

Yup, I can't stand EJ, but these images remind me so much od home and growing up with this as one of my fave films before I even knew what was going on..Love the old cop cars and store fronts, A time I miss.

[theinfamouscamXXII]

1:33 - It's Sonny's wife and kids lol.

[IMyerDOOM]

:49 and 2:09 are epic shots

[moogyboy6]

The true, funky vibe of New York City in the 1970s, for those of us too young and far to have lived there and then. I hear it was a shithole then, but there's often beauty in ugliness, and it comes through loud and clear in this brilliant opening sequence. Great movie overall, too; Sidney Lumet is definitely one of the great directors, a national treasure.

[LickMyCuntMoFo]

I lived there once....got raped alot.

[MauryDann73]

I don't disagree with you, but then again I didn't live in NYC in the '70s. I made a similar argument to yours when talking to a friend's dad who grew up there, and he actually got pissed off at what he called my naivete. "You think trash and filth and muggers and junkies and economic depression are cool?" he asked. I read another story about parents giving their kids extra milk/lunch money every day so they could could give something to potential muggers.

[onelasssttime]

It was never a shithole, moogyboy6, it is now, it's plastic like Vegas, even Times Square is suitable for children, all charachter is gone-- the shithole is now.

[CherchezMoi]

One of my favorite movies of all time, up there in my top 10. My first "R" rated movie at age 14.

Great opening sequence...I could just feel the heat and smell the smells (blech)! And of course, the best song ever!

[LickMyCuntMoFo]

My ass smells like cabbage.

[CherchezMoi]

You know, for some reason that doesn't surprise me in the least.

[ClamChowdah429]

One of the best opening sequences in film. That's the REAL New York.

[theotherkind44]

so many things to like about this video....

[I4gotmyMANTRA]

great song, great movie

[JedTomago]

if Brooklyn's really as horrible as this video then, THANK CHRIST!!!?!!... ahem, I mean, thank goodness I don't live there.....but in Watford along with 'Sir Elton'....('living in Watford with Sir Elton' meaning in the same town as Reg, not in the same bed, as some dirty minds might have inferred, living in the same bed as Sir Elton is David Furnish's job, not that being Sir Eltons partner is a job or anything... for David Furnish that is.......oh just FUCK OFF!!!!

[LickMyCuntMoFo]

You're a homophobic bastard!!

[LickMyCuntMoFo]

Al  Pacino is hot as hell.

[lalalasamburg]

agreed.

[TedisaCatone]

This movie is awesome, but the song is a true Elton John classic.

[theinfamouscamXXII]

One of my favourite movies, although it's before my time. I like a lot of movies before my time (pre-1990).

[ChadRB88]

Twin Towers 2:06

[Conman436]

so?

[Batadawada]

Very strong movie,and the intro with this great song by Elton John- and the scenes of a summer city-is unforgettable!And of course all the actors are great,Al Pacino at his best!!! Thanks for posting!

[lalalasamburg]

I just watched this film for the first time last week, and seeing the opening scene with this beautiful song drew me in. I ended up watching the entire film and loved it, very very great film.

[rc0ll]

Wish I could get this cut of the song, so much more upbeat than the studio cut.

[obentomusubi]

It's from the album 11-17-70 (also 17-11-70). Cheers...

[LickMyCuntMoFo]

It's from Tumbleweed Connetion, dumbass.

[obentomusubi]

I was talking about the live radio version. Dumbass.

[Caulfield789]

I love this song, and I love this movie. I remember the first time I watched it. These opening credits hooked me instantly.

[Templetonko]

Just watched this movie for the countless time this morning. Amazing. RIP John Cazale. You were a brilliant actor and I wish we got more from you. You would have been a huge star.

[zappadead13]

west side story opening DDA both really show NYC

[pranky4]

I love how this is the only music in the film , very well chose.

[CAIntegrity]

and I love brooklyn :D

[CAIntegrity]

great montage

[70Kenny]

One of my favorite movies-- I've always wondered if the guy who actually held up the bank (it was based on a true story) ever got out of jail.

[Harvest8888]

I believe he got out of jail early. Had a 20 year sentance but got out like 7 years later or something. He then recieved like 7,000 for the movie rights and helped get his man friend's sex change...who later died of aids shortly after. Then I think he himself died in like 2006 or something.