If you fancy a night in watching a DVD, then take a look at the selection available at Island Libraries. At just £1.50 per night, they’re a great bargain. Ed
Considerable talents were essential viewing throughout the seventies in American counter-culture and timeless availability is offered through the esteemed Ventnor Library via the monumental force of ‘Serpico’.
Originally released cinematically in 1973, the story of Frank Serpico’s refusal to be part of the knowingly rife corruption of New York’s Police Department is a rare case of intimacy and rare freeform direction from Sidney Lumet.
Fascinating and dedicated work
In 1957, Sidney Lumet directed the excellent ’12 Angry Men’ and the jump of years to ‘Serpico’ released on DVD, shows that he not only is a consummate director, but also that both films are filmed prior to technological revolutions that now allow more of a technical complete view of the frame before the film is actually finished.
As Al Pacino’s second film, it is rather obvious that America had in its fruition of the seventies, some fascinating and dedicated work and talent forming in cinema.
The film operates on as factual a base as it can and yet Al Pacino managed to immerse himself so much in the role of Frank Serpico that the film generates the thought that his level of acting could only have been captured so well within the 1970’s of New York.
Yet the story portrayed as a film told entirely as a past number of days leading to the event, ‘Serpico’ still manages to hold grittiness and danger within its grasp. Al Pacino works seriously as much in this film as he did in the incredible ‘Dog Day Afternoon’. Anticipation and excitement generated by his current project playing the surrealist artist Salvador Dali is hopefully not just a rumour. Difficult to comprehend that such an astounding piece of American culture requires some serious accolade, perhaps the best thing to do is simply to watch it.
