Barking dogs seldom bite

Rating: 8/10 (28 September 2012)

When you love somebody, you do everything you can to make them happy; you may end relationships with others who feel strongly about or go to the extreme of robbing a bank, just to see them smile. It is unfortunate that sometimes, these things that we assume might make a loved one happy are not really what they are looking for. Sonny clearly thought that Leon would see his efforts and perhaps take their relationship to another level. Poor Sonny-his master plan ends up in a series of tragic mistakes. The producers did a great job with the over view of New York in the beginning which orients the viewer with the Brooklyn community as it was in 1972.We also see a dog eating out of garbage bags during what seems to be an afternoon. The dog represents what Sonny's life has now come to. Sonny is unemployed and resorts to bank robbery. The movie also has a lot of firsts; for example, Sonny is a first time robber at First Brooklyn Savings Bank. This movie was also one of the first to deal with trans-gender issues. Whereas I knew that issues involving trans-gender and homosexuality are controversial, I didn't know that these same problems existed even in the 70's. The 1970s was a time when women's rights were starting to be redefined and when they started to experience the kind of freedom they had never enjoyed before. This movie shows the freedoms through the use of female bank tellers. The women also take on their typical roles as care takers by trying to stick together and take care of each other. Likewise the men assume their typical roles as heads/ leaders. This is shown not only by through the bank manager and the office guard, but also through the phone call that was received by one of the bank tellers from her husband, wondering when she would be back home. There are several signs in the bank saying things like, "All-purpose loans" and "Change your vacation dreams". These signs symbolize the dreams that Sonny and Sal have for a better life. But the irony is that these dreams and hopes are being advertised in a neighborhood that is not at its best. The crowd is able to connect with Sonny because they all experience the same challenges in their lives. Even if Sonny is the one holding the gun right now, it could have been any of them in this situation. Sonny excites the crowd when he starts to yell, "Attica! Attica! " Attica was a prison in New York where a riot was staged by prisoners who were furious about the poor conditions under which they were living. During this riot the police retaliated with extreme violence. Sonny therefore refers to Attica to draw the crowd to his side. Like many films in the 1970s, Dog Day Afternoon depicts the challenges that ordinary citizens had with those in authority. The journalists covering the story of the bank robbery seem to avoid the real issues of the problems people in Brooklyn are facing and the truth is often "sugar coated" for the public. This is seen when Sonny is being interviewed on television and when he starts to challenge the reporter, he is cut from the show. The crowd outside is also seen to mimic the officers as if to show that they are mere puppets to the authorities. There is good use of special camera effects when Sonny shoots the back window of the bank- the cameras shift from one scene to another, showing the ongoing chaos and panic and creating a mood filled with tension and suspense, which makes the event seem more vivid, especially for those that actually know what happened on that fateful day.