Daily Dialogue — September 7, 2018

Sylvia: Anybody got a cigarette?
Maria: Yeah, I do — Sylvia, you don’t smoke!
Sal: You don’t smoke?
Sylvia: No.
Sal: Why do you wanna start now?
Sylvia: I’m scared to death, that’s why. What, you don’t smoke?
Sal: No.
Sylvia: How come?
Sal: I don’t want the cancer.
Sylvia: Oh, my God. [to Maria] Give me the cigarette.
Sal: Go ahead, do what you want. I just think you ought to take care of your body, that’s all.
Sylvia: My body? What for?
Sal: The body is the temple of the Lord.
Sylvia: You’re serious. So you rob a bank but you keep your body pure. Is that it?
Sal: You gonna smoke the cigarette or what?
Sylvia: Yes. If I die of cancer, it’ll be half your fault.
Sal: No, it’s because you’re weak.
Sylvia: [sarcastically] Right. I’m weak.

— Dog Day Afternoon (1975), screenplay by Frank Pierson, based on an article by P.F. Kluge and Thomas Moore

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week: Bank.

Trivia: Sal berates one of the bank tellers for smoking, saying he doesn’t smoke because “I don’t want to get the cancer.” John Cazale, a heavy smoker, died from lung cancer three years later.

Dialogue On Dialogue: While Al Pacino’s performance is probably the first thing which comes to mind when we remember this movie, it’s good to put a spotlight on John Cazale as this low-key, but dramatic scene.