Sidney Lumet dead at 86

[SLeeK]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_847014.html

[iam1bearcat]

what sad news!

he was / is an absolutely terrific director who made some of the best, most diverse films we've ever seen.

ironically enough, i'm listening to his commentary on Dog Day Afternoon as i type this.

R.I.P.
best wishes for his family and friends.

[fresh's superior]

R.I.P. Sidney Lumet luckilly you left us with a great catalogue of films. You will be missed

[Aerodude73]

Damn, that sucks. I actually just recv'd a book a couple months ago that he wrote, "Making Movies" by Sidney Lumet. Now I'll have to move that up on my reading list.

[Dotpattern]

Originally Posted by Aerodude73

Damn, that sucks. I actually just recv'd a book a couple months ago that he wrote, "Making Movies" by Sidney Lumet. Now I'll have to move that up on my reading list.

I was just going to post that this book is essential reading for any aspiring filmmaker.

RIP

[Aerodude73]

Originally Posted by Dotpattern

I was just going to post that this book is essential reading for any aspiring filmmaker.

RIP

[gvortex7]

Rest easy Sidney! We'll be enjoying your masterworks for a long time to come.

[Brad1963]

He was the best. During the late 60's into the 80's he directed some of the greatest contemporary American films. To this day I think Network is the greatest American film of our generation. Thanks Sidney, rest in peace.

[BluPix]

One of my very favorite directors, he's easily one of the best this country has ever produced, with a long list of masterworks. Many people are not familiar with him, partly because his body of work, in many ways, is so diverse (though they also share many themes and characteristics). But even the most casual of filmgoers is sure to have heard of some of his work he completed during his career, one of the most prolific of any director.

His films include...

12 Angry Men
The Fugitive Kind
Long Day's Journey into Night
The Pawnbroker
Fail-Safe
Serpico
Murder on the Orient Express
Network*
Dog Day Afternoon*
Equus
The Wiz*
The Verdict
Prince of the City
Family Business
Guilty as Sin
Night Falls on Manhattan
Critical Care
Find Me Guilty
Before the Devil Knows You're Dead*

and many, many others (a sizeable number of which I myself have yet to view). A small number of his films, including the ones I've indicated above with an asterisk (*) are on Blu-ray already. Hopefully, many more will arrive on the format soon.

He was also a prolific television director in the 1950s and did much work in the theater, on Broadway.

New York Times article: http://www10.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/...6.html?_r=5&hp
Filmography (NY Times): http://movies.nytimes.com/person/154...et/filmography
Overview (NY Times): http://movies.nytimes.com/person/1548245/Sidney-Lumet

The film world has lost one of its truly great people, but we'll be able to (re)discover and cherish the fifty years worth of films he left behind.

[wnicholas76]

RIP, Sidney Lumet.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by BluPix

...partly because his body of work, in many ways, is so diverse...

I was going to make this observation as well. I generally hate cliches like 'old school' but sometimes they just apply and this is one of those times.

It's hard to imagine a current director going from 12 Angry Men to Fail-Safe to Deathtrap to Child's Play and pulling them all off let alone completely freaking nailing them.

Billy Wilder could do something like that. But Christopher Nolan or David Fincher? I dunno, maybe.

Or maybe it really is becoming a lost art.

[Arkadin]

incredible director, incredible body of work.
hopefully many more of his films will make it to blu-ray before the format begins to fade out.
He is truly under appreciated imo, especially as far as name recognition.

[blufellas]

RIP Sidney Lumet.

[rkolinski]

He will be missed; what a great body of work to enjoy forever. BTW, I own originals of the 2 versions of this movie poster:

[BluPix]

Originally Posted by octagon

I was going to make this observation as well. I generally hate cliches like 'old school' but sometimes they just apply and this is one of those times.

It's hard to imagine a current director going from 12 Angry Men to Fail-Safe to Deathtrap to Child's Play and pulling them all off let alone completely freaking nailing them.

Billy Wilder could do something like that. But Christopher Nolan or David Fincher? I dunno, maybe.

Or maybe it really is becoming a lost art.

Yes, one of the biggest traits I admire in film is for a director (or, for that matter, an actor, screenwriter, producer, music composer or anyone else) to clearly show that he is capable of working on a range of projects that are diverse in their scope, subject matter, genre, style, etc. and Lumet routinely did so.

Billy Wilder was indeed another director who did so. I think David Fincher can, at least to some extent; he's certainly shown some of that diversity with his last couple films, which were big breaks away from the crime dramas and suspense films he had done previously. As for Christopher Nolan, his filmography so far remains firmly steeped in mystery, suspense and action and varies chiefly in scale (I still enjoy his work though).

I don't think it's quite becoming a lost art. Perhaps somewhat less common, but not really lost.

[ForEver Blu]

Originally Posted by octagon

I was going to make this observation as well. I generally hate cliches like 'old school' but sometimes they just apply and this is one of those times.

It's hard to imagine a current director going from 12 Angry Men to Fail-Safe to Deathtrap to Child's Play and pulling them all off let alone completely freaking nailing them.

Billy Wilder could do something like that. But Christopher Nolan or David Fincher? I dunno, maybe.

Or maybe it really is becoming a lost art.

Ridley Scott's filmography is quite diverse, which includes, scifi, war drama, fantasy and sword & sandal epics like Gladiator.


Back to Mr. Lumet...


Watching Dog Day Afternoon right now on blu, also awaiting the arrival of the Q&A dvd from Best Buy.com

Which i ordered last week, how's that for irony?

Still have to get Network, hope more of his films will be released on BR in the future.



R.I.P.

[jvince]

Sidney Lumet marathon on TCM tonight! 12 Angry Men, The Hill, Network, and Dog Day Afternoon!