Sidney Lumet, 86.
Sidney Lumet, arguably the greatest director of the American crime drama, has died at the age of 86.
His stepdaughter, Leslie Gimbel, said Lumet died of lymphoma at his home in Manhattan, the New York Times reported. Read the article in the Guardian.
Lumet directed Serpico, Network, The Verdict, and his masterpiece, Dog Day Afternoon. His last film was Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke.
His work featured some of the best yelling we can recall in cinema. The best way to pay tribute to Sidney Lumet is to open your window, lean out as far as you can go and yell, “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!
“So turn off your television sets. Turn them off now! Turn them off right now! Turn them off and leave them off. Turn them off right in the middle of this sentence I’m speaking to you now!”
Finish with “ATTICA! ATTICA!” (Referring to a prison riot in Attica, New York that was brutally put down by the police.)
This clip from Dog Day Afternoon contains language that will offend delicate sensibilities. We love you Al! Thank you, Mr. Lumet.
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Glenn Kenny has written a lovely eulogy in Some Came Running. “About the choices he made as a director, Sidney Lumet said,
“Sometimes you want to stretch. Sometimes you want to buy a house. They’re all legitimate. As long as you don’t try to kid yourself.”
April 10th, 2011 at 01:13
“Dog Day Afternoon” was great, but the Sidney Lumet movie I love most is “Running On Empty.” It still drives me to tears.
April 10th, 2011 at 02:54
The YA/Fantasy literature community also suffered with the loss of Diana Wynne Jones and Brian Jacques.
April 10th, 2011 at 10:17
You’re right! Even his later movies feels like they were directed by a young person, they’re so vibrant. I’ve seen young filmmaker works that are impressive but feel like they’ve given up on life.
April 11th, 2011 at 11:26
Life Magazine article that Sidney Lumet’s “Dog Day Afternoon” was based on:
tnx to @ironicsans
http://books.google.com/books?id=5VYEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA66&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=1#v=twopage&q&f=false