Chase Manhattan Bank, 450 Avenue P & East 3rd St. Brooklyn,

Dog Day Afternoon is one of the quintessential New York City films of the ‘70s, and documentary The Dog, which tells the true story of the life of bank robber  and libertine John Wojtowicz,  is every bit as funny and oddly touching as Sidney Lumet’s celebrated depiction of the robbery that made Wojtowicz infamous.

Wojtowicz was born in New York City in 1945. He served in Vietnam and was married to Carmen Bifulco in 1967, but his rampant libido and bisexuality meant that they didn’t stay married for long, separating in 1969 after having two children together. He met Ernest Aron in 1971, and the two were married (although not legally) in April 1971 in Greenwich Village. On 22nd August 1972, Wojtowicz, Salvatore Naturale and Robert Westenberg attempted to rob the Chase Manhattan Bank at the corner of East 3rd Street and Avenue P in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Wojtowicz’s motivation for the robbery, as portrayed in Dog Day Afternoon, was to pay for a sex change for Ernest (aka Elizabeth Eden), something which Wojtowicz was adamantly against but went along with to make Ernest happy.

What was meant to be a three or four minute cash grab and escape degenerated into a 14 hour, nationally televised, decidedly farcical hostage situation, which ended with Wojtowicz’s arrest (Westenberg fled the scene before the robbery even began)  and the death of Naturale. John Wojtowicz was sentenced to 20 years for bank robbery, and served six years before being released. He spent the rest of his life trying to capitalise on his notoriety in any way possible.

the dog

Wojtowicz sets the ribald, profane tone of the film in his first appearance on screen, labelling himself a ‘pervert’ and confessing that an enormous sexual appetite was his only, but all consuming, vice. After he returned from Vietnam, where he claims to have had his first gay relationship, Wojtowicz immersed himself in the burgeoning gay liberation scene in Greenwich Village. Wojtowicz is adamantly un-self-censoring on screen, relating his sexual history and predilections with great relish in thick, charming Brooklyn-ese. His mother, effectively the film’s co-star, is equally endearing, a tough little woman who is as disarmingly, hilariously outspoken as her son.

Co-directors Alison Berg and Frank Keraudren begin filming Wojtowicz and his friends and family (including ex-wife Carmen) in 2002, and lovingly captured the unflagging energy and high spirits that remained largely intact until his death from cancer in 2006. There is a lot more to the story of this remarkable character than a botched Brooklyn bank robbery in 1972, and The Dog has great appeal for both fans of the feature Wojtowicz inspired and those interested in NYC gay culture in the ‘60s and ‘70s.

[Rating:4/5]

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I've worked in entertainment product development and sales & marketing in the U.S., UK and my native Canada for over 20 years, and have been a part of many changes during that time (I've overseen home entertainment releases on VHS, LaserDisc, DVD and Blu-ray). I've also written and commentated about film and music for many outlets over the years. The first film I saw in the cinema was Mary Poppins, some time in the mid-60s: I was hooked. My love of the moving image remains as strong as ever.
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