The Panic in Needle Park

The Panic in Needle Park (1971)

Timing: 1:50 (110 min)

6.78/10
307

7.151/10
6188

7.1/10
22000

• Al Pacino's first two films, "Me, Natalie" (1969) and "The Panic in Needle Park" (1971), successfully exploited the image of a weak, spineless man, which had stuck with him since his theater days. His performance was magnificent, and he was soon offered the role of Michael Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Godfather," which brought him his first major fame and his first Academy Award nomination.
• Two candidates were considered for the lead role: Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. Director Jerry Schatzberg only saw Al Pacino in the role. The director told De Niro that he would take Al Pacino, at which point De Niro got on his knees, grabbed Jerry by the pants, and pleaded: Don't give this role to Al, don't give it away. Robert De Niro subsequently denied this.
• "The Panic in Needle Park" is completely devoid of musical accompaniment.
• Jerry Schatzberg initially rejected the script offered to him, but then Al Pacino became interested in the project, and Schatzberg was offered the chance to direct again. He agreed on the condition that Al Pacino would play the lead role. Later, however, difficulties arose in finding a studio that would approve filming with a newcomer (Al Pacino) in the main role.
• The Needle Park name came from a district in Manhattan, New York, where drug addicts gathered.
• Herman Bachman, who was responsible for the makeup, specifically studied the injection marks on the hands of drug addicts in hospitals and on corpses in morgues to achieve a realistic depiction of such marks on the actors in the film; those actors injected themselves with collodion. A nurse was always present on set during the filming of these scenes.
• It was this film that Francis Ford Coppola showed to the management of Paramount Pictures to convince them to give Al Pacino the role of Michael Corleone in 'The Godfather' (1972).
• 'Needle Park' is completely devoid of musical accompaniment.