Al Pacino, His Passion - Part 1 Quiz

Answer: Blue

At the beginning of the movie the camera zoomed in on the blue car parked outside the bank and we saw the three actors sitting inside. Sonny, who was the last to exit, got out from the front passenger seat, carrying a large, white flower box under his arm.
All three entered the bank, one at a time, not wanting anyone to notice them until they chose to be noticed.

Answer: Panic in Needle Park

"Panic in Needle Park" was made in 1971, "The Godfather" in 1972 and "Dog Day Afternoon" in 1975. There was also a sequel to "The Godfather" filmed in 1974, "Godfather 2".
This movie was the story of two young New Yorkers, out of work, and on drugs. It depicted the difficulties they faced, trying to pay for their habit and, once in a while, for food. The characters were more concerned with the former.
It was an eight minute segment from this movie that Francis Ford Coppola saw that made him recognize the talent Al Pacino possessed. He subsequently wanted to sign him to play Michael Corleone, in his upcoming "Godfather" movie.

Answer: Bobby and Helen

Their surnames were not mentioned during the movie or in the closing credits.
The movie depicted the turmoil surrounding the taking of illicit drugs and the difficulties raising money to support the habit.
The characters of Bobby and Helen, young and unemployed New Yorkers, were in love. They led a hand to mouth existence; getting the next fix was more important to them than when their next meal would be.

Answer: All of these

Al Pacino had to learn all three of these things while the filming progressed. Although Al waltzed in the movie, one could almost hear him saying "one, two, three" to himself during that first dance sequence. While he was not fluent in Italian, he was not completely ignorant of the language.

He learned the necessary dialogue as needed. Driving a car would also have been learned fairly quickly.

Answer: Pittsburgh

"Scarecrow" (1973) was about two unlikely characters, who met on a deserted highway, travelling across America, each with their own destination in mind. Fate and a cigarette brought them together and they became friends and decided to travel on together.
While Max Millan was in prison for six years, he had saved over $2,000 dollars to start a business in Pittsburgh. He told Lion that he wanted him to be his partner. Lion was willing to go to Pittsburgh with Max. At the end of the movie we got to see where Max kept his stash.
This movie was underrated, and largely ignored at the time.

Answer: A Car Wash

As the movie progressed the two unlikely friends hitched their way across America. Max Millan, played by Gene Hackman, and Francis Lionel Delbuchi, Al Pacino's character, made a strange and interesting duo.
Max confided in Lion, telling him he planned to open a car wash business in Pittsburgh. Lion was planning to travel to Detroit where he had a wife and a child he had never seen.
Max also told him he would call him 'Lion' because he didn't like calling him Francis.

Answer: Pay for a sex change operation

Sonny also had a wife and two children, along with his boyfriend Leon. Leon was to receive the money from the robbery to pay for his sex change operation. While we know that their marriage would have been illegal at the time, this fact was related in the movie by one policeman to another, so I want to mention it here. It explained Sonny's motive, and the relationship the two men had as the underlying theme of the movie.
No sleaze here, Director Sidney Lumet, showed that love is a human need and depicted it with class.

Answer: A child's bedroom lamp

The lamp was for his child whom he had never seen.
As the story unfolded we see the bonding of two strangers into a firm friendship, while they were rambling across America. There were both funny and moving scenes as the movie progressed.
This was a wonderful movie that has never received the acclaim that it was due.
I enjoyed watching Al Pacino dancing around on several ocassions in the movie, playing such a different character from the stoic Michael Corleone.

Answer: At sea

Max Millan, Gene Hackman's character had been in prison for six years. Lion (Al Pacino) had been at sea for five, no other information was offered in the movie about this five year span.
The characters met on a lonely highway, both hitchhiking across the country.
Lion offered Max his last match to light a cigar. This impressed Max so much that he took Lion under his wing. The two men set off together, heading hopefully to Pittsburgh, via Denver and Detroit.
Max was an explosive character who often struck out at people, and Lion was a gentle, simple character, who constantly tried to keep Max out of trouble. This was a difficult task, as Max constantly found and usually caused trouble wherever he went.

Answer: "I'm a Star!"

There is a well known expletive uttered by the pizza delivery boy, that I have not added to the correct answer!
This was the pizza delivery boy's five minutes of fame.
This was a fascinating story of a man in turmoil, who took on a campaign to get money to pay for a sex change operation for his boyfriend (wife). Apparently the two men had been married in a church, (according to the dialogue during the movie). He even showed a picture of Chris Sarandon, as Leon, in a wedding gown. Al Pacino was the leader, and John Cazale was his trusty sidekick. The two were close friends at the time of shooting of the film. Sadly John was to die three years later of bone cancer.
Watch John Cazale in "The Conversation" (1974) with Gene Hackman, and "The Deer Hunter" (1978) with Robert De Niro and Meryl Streep.