[Thanks to Tony Paley for contributing.]
In the very beginning of the film, before the opening credits, Sidney Lumet provided several shots from different parts of New York. This one lasted 1-2 seconds more than it should be, in order to focus on on the title that is visible on the marquee. The Star is Born sign could be lot of things, a tagline of the film which is semi-visible (probably the adult film Big Thing starring Tina Russell) or another adult film or a classic film screening at a revival theatre. Additionally, Frank Pierson, who wrote the screenplay of Dog Day Afternoon, directed right after this film, the new version of A Star is Born (with Streisand and Kristofferson) and maybe Lumet wanted to point it out. Pick the story that you would believe more, we picked the last one (Pierson reference) and as for which version of A Star is Born is shown at the theatre, we hope that the Cukor’s one was selected – a brilliant film and our contributor’s inspiration to start Capital Celluloid, a daily blog that highlights the best films on London’s repertory cinema circuit.
George Cukor’s A Star is Born (1954) in Sidney Lumet’s Dog Day Afternoon (1975).
