Sidney Lumet

Birthday: 25 June 1924, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Height: 165 cm

Sidney Lumet was a master of cinema, best known for his technical knowledge and his skill at getting first-rate performances from his actors -- and for shooting most of his films in his beloved New York. He made over 40 movies, often complex and emotional, but seldom overly sentimental. Although his politics were somewhat left-leaning and he often treated socially relevant themes in his films, Lumet didn't want to make political movies in the first place. Born on June 25, 1924, in Philadelphia, the son of actor Baruch Lumet and dancer Eugenia Wermus Lumet, he made his stage debut at age four at the Yiddish Art Theater in New York. He played many roles on Broadway in the 1930s and also in the film ...One Third of a Nation... (1939). After starting an off-Broadway acting troupe in the late 1940s, he became the director of many television shows in the 1950s. Lumet made his feature film directing debut with 12 Angry Men (1957), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival and earned three Academy Award nominations. The courtroom drama, which takes place almost entirely in a jury room, is justly regarded as one of the most auspicious directorial debuts in film history. Lumet got the chance to direct Marlon Brando in The Fugitive Kind (1960), an imperfect, but powerful adaptation of Tennessee Williams' "Orpheus Descending". The first half of the 1960s was one of Lumet's most artistically successful periods. Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962), a masterful, brilliantly photographed adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play, is one of several Lumet films about families. It earned Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Dean Stockwell and Jason Robards deserved acting awards in Cannes and Hepburn an Oscar nomination. The alarming Cold War thriller Fail-Safe (1964) unfairly suffered from comparison to Stanley Kubrick's equally great satire Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), which was released shortly before. The Pawnbroker (1964), arguably the most outstanding of the great movies Lumet made in this phase, tells the story of a Holocaust survivor who lives in New York and can't overcome his experiences in the Nazi concentration camps. Rod Steiger's unforgettable performance in the title role earned an Academy Award nomination. Lumet's intense character study The Hill (1965) about inhumanity in a military prison camp was the first of five films he did with Sean Connery. After the overly talky but rewarding drama The Group (1966) about young upper-class women in the 1930s, and the stylish spy thriller The Deadly Affair (1966), the late 1960s turned out to be a lesser phase in Lumet's career. He had a strong comeback with the box-office hit The Anderson Tapes (1971). The Offence (1973) was commercially less successful, but artistically brilliant - with Connery in one of his most impressive performances. The terrific cop thriller Serpico (1973), the first of his films about police corruption in New York City, became one of his biggest critical and financial successes. Al Pacino's fascinating portrayal of the real-life cop Frank Serpico earned a Golden Globe and the movie earned two Academy Award nominations (it is worth noting that Lumet's feature films of the 1970s alone earned 30 Oscar nominations, winning six times). The love triangle Lovin' Molly (1974) was not always convincing in its atmospheric details, but Lumet's fine sense of emotional truth and a good Blythe Danner keep it interesting. The adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (1974), an exquisitely photographed murder mystery with an all-star cast, was a big success again. Lumet's complex crime thriller Dog Day Afternoon (1975), which Pauline Kael called "one of the best "New York" movies ever made", gave Al Pacino the opportunity for a breathtaking, three-dimensional portrayal of a bisexual man who tries to rob a bank to finance his lover's sex-change operation. Lumet's next masterpiece, Network (1976), was a prophetic satire on media and society. The film version of Peter Shaffer's stage play Equus (1977) about a doctor and his mentally confused patient was also powerful, not least because of the energetic acting by Richard Burton and Peter Firth. After the enjoyable musical The Wiz (1978) and the interesting but not easily accessible comedy Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), Sidney Lumet won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for his outstanding direction of Prince of the City (1981), one of his best and most typical films. It's about police corruption, but hardly a remake of Serpico (1973). Starring a powerful Treat Williams, it's an extraordinarily multi-layered film. In his highly informative book "Making Movies" (1995), Lumet describes the film in the following way: "When we try to control everything, everything winds up controlling us. Nothing is what it seems." It's also a movie about values, friendship and drug addiction and, like "Serpico", is based on a true story. In Deathtrap (1982), Lumet successfully blended suspense and black humor. The Verdict (1982) was voted the fourth greatest courtroom drama of all time by the American Film Institute in 2008. A few minor inaccuracies in legal details do not mar this study of an alcoholic lawyer (superbly embodied by Paul Newman) aiming to regain his self-respect through a malpractice case. The expertly directed movie received five Academy Award nominations. Lumet's controversial drama Daniel (1983) with Timothy Hutton, an adaptation of E.L. Doctorow's "The Book of Daniel" about two young people whose parents were executed during the McCarthy Red Scare hysteria in the 1950s for alleged espionage, is one of his underrated achievements. His later masterpiece Running on Empty (1988) has a similar theme, portraying a family which has been on the run from the FBI since the parents (played by Christine Lahti and Judd Hirsch) committed a bomb attack on a napalm laboratory in 1971 to protest the war in Vietnam. The son (played by River Phoenix in an extraordinarily moving, Oscar-nominated performance) falls in love with a girl and wishes to stay with her and study music. Naomi Foner's screenplay won the Golden Globe. Other Lumet movies of the 1980s are the melancholic comedy drama Garbo Talks (1984); the occasionally clichéd Power (1986) about election campaigns; the all too slow thriller The Morning After (1986) and the amusing gangster comedy Family Business (1989). With Q & A (1990) Lumet returned to the genre of the New York cop thriller. Nick Nolte shines in the role of a corrupt and racist detective in this multi-layered, strangely underrated film. Sadly, with the exception of Night Falls on Manhattan (1996), an imperfect but fascinating crime drama in the tradition of his own previous genre works, almost none of Lumet's works of the 1990s did quite get the attention they deserved. The crime drama A Stranger Among Us (1992) blended genres in a way that did not seem to match most viewers' expectations, but its contemplations about life arouse interest. The intelligent hospital satire Critical Care (1997) was unfairly neglected as well. The courtroom thriller Guilty as Sin (1993) was cold but intriguing. Lumet's Gloria (1999) remake seemed unnecessary, but he returned impressively with the underestimated courtroom comedy Find Me Guilty (2006) and the justly acclaimed crime thriller Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007). In 2005, Sidney Lumet received a well-deserved honorary Academy Award for his outstanding contribution to filmmaking. Sidney Lumet tragically died of cancer in 2011. Hide

[on Akira Kurosawa] Kurosawa never affected me directly in terms of my own movie-making because I ne Show more [on Akira Kurosawa] Kurosawa never affected me directly in terms of my own movie-making because I never would have presumed that I was capable of that perception and that vision. Hide

While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film in which I believe goes one step furt Show more While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film in which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing. Hide

[on Christopher Reeve] What seemed such a nice, simple, artless performance in Superman (1978) was t Show more [on Christopher Reeve] What seemed such a nice, simple, artless performance in Superman (1978) was the finest kind of acting. Reeve's timing -- and humor -- has to be just about perfect to make the character come off. Hide

Goodfellas (1990) is a superb movie. And The Sopranos (1999) is a brilliant television show. And the Show more Goodfellas (1990) is a superb movie. And The Sopranos (1999) is a brilliant television show. And they are very truthful. Hide

[on his film Network (1976) losing the Oscar for Best Picture to Rocky (1976)] There was no trace of Show more [on his film Network (1976) losing the Oscar for Best Picture to Rocky (1976)] There was no trace of an accent. It's embarrassing that Rocky beat us out. Chayefsky (Paddy Chayefsky) was so prescient. Everyone was saying we were going to take it all. And on the flight out to L.A., he said, 'Rocky's going to take Best Picture.' And I said, 'No, no, it's a dopey little movie.' And he said, 'It's just the sort of sentimental crap they love out there.' And he was right. Hide

[on the art of film] I don't think art changes anything. I do it because I like it and it's a wonder Show more [on the art of film] I don't think art changes anything. I do it because I like it and it's a wonderful way to spend your life. Hide

There's no such thing as a small part. There are just small actors. There's no such thing as a small part. There are just small actors.

I like being described as the actor's director because it comes primarily from the fact that they op Show more I like being described as the actor's director because it comes primarily from the fact that they open up with me more than they do with most directors. Hide

[on The Hill (1965)] I knew when I was sent that script that Sean (Sean Connery) could act. [on The Hill (1965)] I knew when I was sent that script that Sean (Sean Connery) could act.

[on Ralph Richardson] There's no secret about the fact that Ralph is terrified of the camera. But, a Show more [on Ralph Richardson] There's no secret about the fact that Ralph is terrified of the camera. But, at the same time, he is unquestionably a great actor. Yet, he looks to a director, too. Hide

[on Paul Newman] Paul's always been one of the best actors we've got, but there was that great stone Show more [on Paul Newman] Paul's always been one of the best actors we've got, but there was that great stone face and those gorgeous blue eyes and a lot of people assumed he couldn't act. He got relegated to leading man parts and he wasn't using a quarter of his talent. Now he's able to cut loose and do sensational work. Hide

While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film is which I believe goes one step furt Show more While the goal of all movies is to entertain, the kind of film is which I believe goes one step further. It compels the spectator to examine one facet or another of his own conscience. It stimulates thought and sets the mental juices flowing. Hide

As I'm rehearsing, I slowly evolve into the style in which I'm going to shoot the movie. As I'm rehearsing, I slowly evolve into the style in which I'm going to shoot the movie.

[October 2007] Melodrama is a much maligned genre. And I hope we can bring it back into fashion. I a Show more [October 2007] Melodrama is a much maligned genre. And I hope we can bring it back into fashion. I always think of melodrama as the thing we are all capable of that's swept under the rug. Hide

I once asked Akira Kurosawa why he had chosen to frame a shot in Ran (1985) in a particular way. His Show more I once asked Akira Kurosawa why he had chosen to frame a shot in Ran (1985) in a particular way. His answer was that if he'd panned the camera one inch to the left, the Sony factory would be sitting there exposed, and if he'd panned an inch to the right, we would see the airport. Hide

There's no real difference in acting between theater and film. Well, there's one difference -- you c Show more There's no real difference in acting between theater and film. Well, there's one difference -- you can get away with more in the theater; you can take it easier than you can in film. But that cliché about how you have to reduce the performance , make it smaller for film, isn't true. You just have to work more honestly. Hide

[on Tab Hunter] Also talented, but primarily a character actor, yet always used as a leading man bec Show more [on Tab Hunter] Also talented, but primarily a character actor, yet always used as a leading man because he's so pretty. I've seen him do character parts in which he's really great. But, as a leading man, he tightens up. Mostly, he turned to character work in American television when his Hollywood career started going sour. Then, he played the roles of psychotic killers and so forth, and his talent became clear. Hide

Directors today - the younger ones - are very different, not better or worse, mind you. I think that Show more Directors today - the younger ones - are very different, not better or worse, mind you. I think that Steven Spielberg is as sensitive as I am - probably more so. The primary difference is a subtle yet profound one. I think you can draw a solid line between the directors who were brought up on television - who spent their childhoods watching television - and those who didn't. That reflects the film's content and how the film is shot. Two totally different types of directors and two totally different types of movies. Hide

[on New York City] Locations are characters in my movies. The city is capable of portraying a mood a Show more [on New York City] Locations are characters in my movies. The city is capable of portraying a mood a scene requires. Hide

[from 1973] All I want to do is get better and quantity can help me to solve my problems. I'm thrill Show more [from 1973] All I want to do is get better and quantity can help me to solve my problems. I'm thrilled by the idea that I'm not even sure how many films I've done. If I don't have a script I adore, I do one I like. If I don't have one I like, I do one that has an actor I like or that presents some technical challenge. Hide

If a director comes in from California and doesn't know the city at all, he picks the Empire State B Show more If a director comes in from California and doesn't know the city at all, he picks the Empire State Building and all the postcard shots, and that, of course, isn't the city. Hide

[on Elia Kazan] What moves me most about his work is his pioneering spirit. Emotions, passions were Show more [on Elia Kazan] What moves me most about his work is his pioneering spirit. Emotions, passions were put up on the screen. That Mediterranean release is responsible for a lot of what we're doing today. Hide

[October 2007] Anything you can do with film, I can do with HD. [October 2007] Anything you can do with film, I can do with HD.

All great work is preparing yourself for the accident to happen. All great work is preparing yourself for the accident to happen.

Good acting is really self-revaluation, and that's a very painful, complicated, and frightening proc Show more Good acting is really self-revaluation, and that's a very painful, complicated, and frightening process, and it takes time to get people free enough to do that. Hide

I only said Titanic (1997) is unwatchable because one cannot watch it. I only said Titanic (1997) is unwatchable because one cannot watch it.

[on being awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2007] I wanted one, damn it, and I felt I deserved on Show more [on being awarded an Honorary Academy Award in 2007] I wanted one, damn it, and I felt I deserved one. Hide

[on his experience acting in ...One Third of a Nation... (1939) as a 14-year-old boy] I hated acting Show more [on his experience acting in ...One Third of a Nation... (1939) as a 14-year-old boy] I hated acting in movies and I've understood all about actors ever since...I knew that I could never be a really good actor. Hide

Look, on a movie, we're all giving each other something precious. No bullshit, I can't think of a be Show more Look, on a movie, we're all giving each other something precious. No bullshit, I can't think of a better job. It's not a technique. I'm not a fool. I think I'm a talented man. But then there's luck. I think there's a reason luck doesn't always happen to others. They don't know how to prepare the groundwork for luck. I do. Hide

[on actors] I understand what they're going through. The self-exposure, which is at the heart of all Show more [on actors] I understand what they're going through. The self-exposure, which is at the heart of all their work, is done using their own body. It's their sexuality, their strength or weakness, their fear. And that's extremely painful. And when they're not doing it in their performance, they pull back. They get shy. Paul Newman, who I worked with on The Verdict (1982), is one of the shyest men I've ever met. That's why rehearsal is so important. Hide

If I'm moved by a scene, a situation... I have to assume that that's going to work for an audience. If I'm moved by a scene, a situation... I have to assume that that's going to work for an audience.

I don't have any particular theory on adapting stage works to film. I take them one at a time. I did Show more I don't have any particular theory on adapting stage works to film. I take them one at a time. I didn't open up Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) at all, except for that scene on the porch, which was important, given the title. I don't believe in opening it up if you lose tension, lose characterizations, or lose the story. I opened up Deathtrap (1982) very, very little because it would have let the tension out. It's a psychological thing. Confinement can work for you. Hide

[on being asked "Does it still rankle not to have won an Oscar?"] Sure, and anyone who says it doesn Show more [on being asked "Does it still rankle not to have won an Oscar?"] Sure, and anyone who says it doesn't matter is talking bullshit. Of course it matters! First of all, the difference between winning and losing can be $3 or $4 million on your next fee. So let's start with that. And maybe this is a very subjective reaction, but it seems to me that I've always lost to crap. Hide

The law fascinates me. The law fascinates me.

In Hollywood, actors learn to act from watching television. In New York people learn to act by walki Show more In Hollywood, actors learn to act from watching television. In New York people learn to act by walking down the street. Hide

Sidney Lumet's FILMOGRAPHY

All as Actor (15) as Director (15) as Creator (1)

Find Me Guilty