Posted on 04/09/2011 10:35:14 AM PDT by Borges
NEW YORK – Sidney Lumet, the award-winning director of such acclaimed films as "Network," "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon" and "12 Angry Men," has died. He was 86.
Lumet's death was confirmed Saturday by Marc Kusnetz, who is the husband of Lumet's stepdaughter, Leslie Gimbel. He said Lumet died during the night and had suffered from lymphoma.
A Philadelphia native, Lumet moved to New York City as a child, and it became the location of choice for more than 30 of his films. Although he freely admitted to a lifelong love affair with the city, he often showed its grittier side.
Such dramas as "Prince of the City," "Q&A," "Night Falls on Manhattan" and "Serpico" looked at the hard lives and corruptibility of New York police officers. "Dog Day Afternoon" told the true-life story of two social misfits who set in motion a chain of disastrous events when they tried to rob a New York City bank on an oppressively hot summer afternoon.
"It's not an anti-L.A. thing," Lumet said of his New York favoritism in a 1997 interview. "I just don't like to live in a company town."
Although he didn't work in Los Angeles, the director maintained good relations with the Hollywood studios, partly because he finished his pictures under schedule and budget. His television beginnings had schooled him in working fast, and he rarely shot more than four takes of a scene.
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Ah man, sad to see this. He did a lot of great classics.
One of the greatest movie speeches of all time, and just as relevant today:
“YOU HAVE MEDDLED WITH THE PRIMAL FORCES OF NATURE, MR. BEALE....”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI5hrcwU7Dk
Lumet was a great director.
Many of his movies probed the darker side of the human condition. His movies were often gritty ultrarealistic dramas.
TWELVE ANGRY MEN
NETWORK
FAIL-SAFE
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
THE VERDICT
DOG DAY AFTERNOON
SERPICO
Ping
Wow, it’s been ages...what a great piece of acting that was, thanks!
And the equally awsome “We’re in a lot of trouble” speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFvT_qEZJf8&feature=related
ping
I’ve heard that ‘12 Angry Men’ has been a bad influence on jury pools.
Even though "Mad as hell..." is the hook that everyone remembers from "Network", that magnificent monologue by Ned Beatty is the high point of the film for me. Baldwin's "motivational" speech to the boiler room crew in "Glengarry Glen Ross" is another one.
And before I get jumped on for mentioning Alec Baldwin in anything like a favorable light, he's a dope smokin' commie, traitor, idiot, DumboRAT, unhinged, mentally retarded, misanthrope, kicks dogs, wife abuser, alcoholic, blog pimper, environwhacko, fascist, cheats at golf and a poor speeler. Hope that covers it. But he also was an inspired actor in that particular scene.
A little off subject but CSI and other forensic crime shows also mess up juries as they make jurors expect fast and definite results like the shows have.
I’ve been using the pic of the ‘brass balls’ from that scene on the Trump threads.
Entertaining but a bleeding heart liberal if there ever was one.
I don’t really see a similarity between Griffith’s grifter character and Beale. Beale wasn’t a grifter, was he?
Network and Broadcast News are the movies that made stop watching TV news. Very good, very smart movies that speak a lot of truth. Sorry to see anybody associated with either go.
Network always struck me as shrill camp. I’m surprised people took it so seriously.
Sure wish “Child’s Play,” his 1972 adaptation of Robert Marasco’s creepy play, would finally be released on home video.
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