New York City lost its lover this morning. Sidney Lumet, who happened to be born in Philadelphia but adored his adopted city immoderately, immortalizing it in 12 Angry Men, Bye, Bye Braverman, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network and Q & A, passed away this morning at the age of 86. (You can read my obituary on philly.com once it gets edited.)
Lumet, who resembled a cross between an owl and a leprechaun, was acclaimed for many things. Making serious-minded movies that explored the injustices of the justice system. Eliciting an actor's best performance. Working with such lightning speed that Paul Newman (who starred in Lumet's The Verdict) cracked that "Sidney's the only man who would double-park in front of a whorehouse."
He is not acclaimed for his comedies. But after you see the great Lumet dramas (my favorites are 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead), don't forget he made the subversive comedy Just Tell Me What You Want (1980), starring Alan King as a Ray Stark-like media baron and Ali McGraw as his mistress. Every time I watch it I laugh till my ribs ache. For a director who loved New York, warts, carbuncles and all, this movie shows a city just emerging from the caterpillar ignominy of financial ruin to the butterfly beauty of the go-go 1980s. The comedy in the fight scene between McGraw and King is wonderfully choreographed. As McGraw once said:" Two-three-kick, four-five-six-slap, seven-eight-nine-raincoat — it was as specific as a dance sequence."
Bye, Bye, Mr. Lumet. And tell me what your favorite Lumet movies are.
My favorite Sidney Lumet movie is "The Verdict."— HowardBHaas- Carrie! I was thinking about "Just Tell Me What You Want" the other day - that it was a forgotten gem, ripe for rediscovery, and that it was, perhaps, way ahead of its time. I agree with you - Lumet made among the best NY-oriented films ever - and his overall filmography is awesome. Let's not forget the endearing "Garbo Talks." That charmer made it possible for me to forgive the misguided "The Wiz."
— Pash 
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"THE INTERPRETER" FOR MAKING NICOLE KIDMAN EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL, AND FOR SHOWING HER ACTING AS GOOD AS SHE LOOKS. BUT MOST OF ALL, FOR THE FIRST TIME ANYONE HAS BEEN ALLOWED IN THE U.N. TO FILM ANYTHING OTHER THAN A NEWS ITEM. NOTHING LOOKS BETTER VISUALLY THAN A HOLLYWOOD PRODUCTION, AND FINALLY THE INTERIOR OF THE UN BUILDING IS ON MAGNIFICENT DISPLAY. ONE OF NYC'S TREASURES THAT DID NOT ESCAPE SYDNEY'S ARTISTIC VISION.- "The Interpreter" was directed by Sydney Pollack, not Lumet.— Pash
- A pleasing irony: my favorite movie by this most New York of all directors turns out to be a very sharp look at Los Angeles: "The Morning After," with Jane Fonda in her last great performance, along with good work from Jeff Bridges and Raul Julia as the two men in her life. Of his lesser-known movies, I also like "Night Falls On Manhattan" a lot.— wwolfe
- Lumet was a great filmmaker so it's difficult to choose among many -- but my fave is: Long Day's Journey Into Night -- a film with four great performances, inspired camera work, and the touch of a director who knew how to film an O'Neill play and move it beyond being a filmed stage vehicle. My second favorite is The Pawnbroker.— sherry37
- Sidney Lumet may be my favorite director. I think his best films are from great scripts: Network; Dog Day Afternoon; The Verdict. Don't forget Fail Safe, too. It's the serious version of Dr. Strangelove.— Gusman
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