Drafthouse Films and the Film Society of Lincoln Center have announced the gallery opening of The Dog: Images of a Real Bad Boy - Photographs By Marcia Resnick, in conjunction with the theatrical release of Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren's documentary The Dog. The exhibit will open August 6 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's The Furman Gallery at the Walter Reade Theater that include photos Resnick took of The Dog himself, John Wojtowicz, the inspiration for Al Pacino's character in Dog Day Afternoon, at his most candid in the 1970s. The exhibit will stay up until August 15.
The film will be released in New York on August 8 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center, IFC Center and available On Demand and on iTunes on August 15.
Coming of age in the 1960s, John Wojtowicz took pride in being a pervert. His libido was excessive even by the libertine standards of the era, with multiple wives and lovers, both women and men. In August 1972, he attempted to rob a Brooklyn bank to finance his lover’s sex-reassignment surgery. The attempted heist resulted in a fourteen-hour hostage situation that was broadcast on TV. Three years later, Pacino portrayed his character instigating the unforgettable crime on the big screen. The award-winning film had a profound influence on Wojtowicz.
When he emerged from prison six years later, he became known as The Dog. Filmed over the course of a 10-year period by directors Allison Berg and Frank Keraudren, and interweaving extraordinary archival footage of the robbery, 70s era interviews and the early gay liberation movement in which The Dog played an active role, the documentary captures the many sides of John Wojtowicz: he is, by turns, lovable, maniacal, heroic, and self-destructive. To call him larger than life feels like an understatement.
Berg said, "While making The Dog, we came across the photographs that Marcia Resnick took of John Wojtowicz after he got out of prison and were blown away – we just had to have them in the film. We are thrilled that audiences can now see more of Marcia's work up close and personal at Lincoln Center during the film's release. This is a real trip back to 1970s and 80s New York City."
Keraudren said, "As a photographer, Marcia Resnick captured John's bad boy persona like no one else. These images are really special and would have made the Dog howl with pride."
Resnick said, "I am both elated and honored to be having an exhibition of my photographs at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Furman Gallery."
Film Society of Lincoln Center www.filmlinc.com