Serpico

 On this date in 1973, "Serpico" was released.

After he decided to make the film, Al Pacino invited Frank Serpico to stay with him at a house that Pacino had rented in Montauk, NY. When Pacino asked Serpico, "Why did you do it?" Serpico replied, "Well, Al, I don't know. I guess I would have to say it would be because if I didn't, who would I be when I listened to a piece of music?"

After spending a lot of time with Pacino as he prepared for the role, the real Serpico wanted to remain on the set during filming. Producer Martin Bregman said he had to hurt Serpico's feelings and ordered him to leave because he believed that his presence would prove a distraction.

The film was shot in reverse order. Pacino began with long hair and a beard, then for each scene, his hair and beard were trimmed bit by bit until he became clean-cut.

Pacino would sometimes go in character to different neighborhoods, some of them dangerous. One story has it that Pacino was so in character that he pulled over a truck driver and threatened to arrest him for exhaust pollution.

Director Sidney Lumet was pleased with the cooperation of the NYPD, especially in light of the subject matter and the proximity in time to the actual events depicted in the movie. Two officers were directly assigned to the movie, and Lumet wondered what their reaction would be. "As soon as they saw the truth we were going for, how it was not a Hollywood version, they not only weren't a problem, they more actively helped," he noted.

The film ends with an epilogue that says, "Frank Serpico resigned from the Police Department on June 15,1972. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for conspicuous bravery in action. Serpico is now living somewhere in Switzerland." Serpico discovered he didn't like Switzerland, and returned to the US. Serpico still speaks out about police brutality, civil liberties, and police corruption, such as the attempted cover-ups following Abner Louima's torture in 1997 and Amadou Diallo's shooting in 1999. He provides support to "individuals who seek truth and justice even in the face of great personal risk", calling them "lamp lighters"; he prefers that term in place of the more conventional "whistleblower", which refers to alerting the public to danger, in the spirit of Paul Revere's midnight ride during the American Revolutionary War. On August 19, 2017, Serpico gave a speech which was broadcast live on Facebook as he stood with NYPD police officers in New York City on the bank of the East River at the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge in support of Colin Kaepernick, for his protests alleging a culture of police brutality. Serpico was quoted, "I am here to support anyone who has the courage to stand up against injustice and oppression anywhere in this country and the world."