“The Tomorrow Man” sounds like a 1970s sci-fi film about a guy who predicts the future, but Noble Jones’ feature debut is kind of exactly the opposite, the story a guy whose fixation on the future keeps him from fully experiencing the present.
It’s a mostly thoughtful character study that falters only by failing to scrutinize fully the central character’s toxic, paranoid worldview. Nevertheless, the film makes some astute observations about the coping mechanisms we use to protect ourselves from the world, with Jones eliciting solid performances from John Lithgow and Blythe Danner as two troubled senior citizens embarking on a tenuous courtship.
Lithgow plays Ed, a lonely forced retiree who fills his days preparing for a sociopolitical apocalypse both physically (filling a hidden panic room with canned goods and gasoline) and philosophically, presiding over dark-web chatrooms with ominous declarations. Desperate for real-world interaction after exhausting even his son Brian with endless,...
It’s a mostly thoughtful character study that falters only by failing to scrutinize fully the central character’s toxic, paranoid worldview. Nevertheless, the film makes some astute observations about the coping mechanisms we use to protect ourselves from the world, with Jones eliciting solid performances from John Lithgow and Blythe Danner as two troubled senior citizens embarking on a tenuous courtship.
Lithgow plays Ed, a lonely forced retiree who fills his days preparing for a sociopolitical apocalypse both physically (filling a hidden panic room with canned goods and gasoline) and philosophically, presiding over dark-web chatrooms with ominous declarations. Desperate for real-world interaction after exhausting even his son Brian with endless,...
- 5/20/2019
- by Todd Gilchrist
- The Wrap
Gwyneth Paltrow is being sued for more than $3 million after being accused of committing a “hit-and-run ski crash” that left a man seriously injured, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Utah.
Terry Sanderson is suing the Oscar winner, saying that she knocked him out after she was”skiing out of control” and ran into him from behind during a February 2016 trip to the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah. Making matters worse, Paltrow not only failed to help but “got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured,” according to his lawsuit.
Eric Christiansen, Paltrow’s Deer Valley ski instructor, also declined to help Sanderson and blamed the crash on him, the lawsuit claimed. Sanderson suffered four broken ribs, “permanent traumatic brain injury” and emotional distress from the collision, according to his lawsuit. Sanderson, a retired 72-year-old optometrist, is seeking $3.1 million in damages.
Terry Sanderson is suing the Oscar winner, saying that she knocked him out after she was”skiing out of control” and ran into him from behind during a February 2016 trip to the Deer Valley Ski Resort in Park City, Utah. Making matters worse, Paltrow not only failed to help but “got up, turned and skied away, leaving Sanderson stunned, lying in the snow, seriously injured,” according to his lawsuit.
Eric Christiansen, Paltrow’s Deer Valley ski instructor, also declined to help Sanderson and blamed the crash on him, the lawsuit claimed. Sanderson suffered four broken ribs, “permanent traumatic brain injury” and emotional distress from the collision, according to his lawsuit. Sanderson, a retired 72-year-old optometrist, is seeking $3.1 million in damages.
- 1/30/2019
- by Sean Burch
- The Wrap
“What They Had” isn’t so much an Alzheimer’s movie as it is a film about a family in crisis. Yes, a senior woman suffers from dementia, the severity of which her husband, kids, and granddaughter seem to think is up for debate. But they all have problems that fight to inform their decisions about how to handle it, and the bigger issue is the exhausting challenge of being a caregiver, especially when the person you’re caring for is family.
The film promises to be sentimental from the start, with first-time writer-director Elizabeth Chomko focusing on photos and a Christmas tree as Ruth (Blythe Danner) puts on lipstick and a coat in the middle of the night and walks out of her Chicago home; she’s still in her nightgown. By the time her husband, Burt (Robert Forster), notices, she’s long gone, and he calls his local son,...
The film promises to be sentimental from the start, with first-time writer-director Elizabeth Chomko focusing on photos and a Christmas tree as Ruth (Blythe Danner) puts on lipstick and a coat in the middle of the night and walks out of her Chicago home; she’s still in her nightgown. By the time her husband, Burt (Robert Forster), notices, she’s long gone, and he calls his local son,...
- 10/17/2018
- by Tricia Olszewski
- The Wrap
Gwyneth Paltrow has shared details of a now-famous confrontation between her ex, Brad Pitt, and producer Harvey Weinstein, which followed her account of an unwanted proposition from the mogul in the 1990s.
Appearing on “The Howard Stern Show,” Paltrow described her then-boyfriend’s reaction to Weinstein asking her for a massage in his hotel room. The actress said the incident occurred just as she signed on to star in the Miramax films “Emma” and the Oscar-winning “Shakespeare in Love.”
Pitt went ballistic over Weinstein’s behavior, Paltrow told Stern on Wednesday.
Also Read: When Gwyneth Paltrow, Blythe Danner and a Drunk Christopher Walken Starred in 'The Sea Gull' (Podcast)
“If you ever make her feel uncomfortable again., I’ll kill you,” Pitt told Weinstein in 1995, on the opening night of a Broadway production of “Hamlet,” the actress said.
“It was the equivalent of throwing him against the wall,...
Appearing on “The Howard Stern Show,” Paltrow described her then-boyfriend’s reaction to Weinstein asking her for a massage in his hotel room. The actress said the incident occurred just as she signed on to star in the Miramax films “Emma” and the Oscar-winning “Shakespeare in Love.”
Pitt went ballistic over Weinstein’s behavior, Paltrow told Stern on Wednesday.
Also Read: When Gwyneth Paltrow, Blythe Danner and a Drunk Christopher Walken Starred in 'The Sea Gull' (Podcast)
“If you ever make her feel uncomfortable again., I’ll kill you,” Pitt told Weinstein in 1995, on the opening night of a Broadway production of “Hamlet,” the actress said.
“It was the equivalent of throwing him against the wall,...
- 5/23/2018
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
For her new Goop podcast, Gwyneth Paltrow recently talked with her mom, Blythe Danner, about the time in 1994 they appeared in an adaptation of “The Sea Gull” — with a drunk-on-cocktails-in-a-can Christopher Walken.
“It was a strange production,” Danner said, involving complex mother-daughter dynamics — and it’s the subject of our new “Shoot This Now” podcast, in which we talk about stories that should be made into movies. You can listen on Apple or Spotify or right here:
Also Read: That Time Sean Hannity Got Fired for Homophobic Comments... and Went to the Aclu for Help (Podcast)
My fellow “Shoot This Now” host, Matt Donnelly, loves Paltrow the way Tony Stark loves Pepper Potts, and I don’t totally get it.
But we do agree — and so does our guest, TheWrap film reporter Trey Williams — that Paltrow, Danner and Walken’s performance of “The Sea Gull” would be an excellent backdrop for a film or miniseries about Hollywood mothers and daughters.
The “Sea Gull” discussion comes around the 37-minute mark of the Goop podcast. Danner recalls being very tough on her 19-year-old daughter, who “didn’t have too work hard” on the difficult role of Nina, a role Danner had played herself 20 years earlier.
Danner had mixed emotions over how easily acting seemed to come for Paltrow, and that led to tension between them.
Both profess their undying love for Walken, but also remember a comical night when he got drunk on cocktails-in-a-can.
Also Read: Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie Accuse Harvey Weinstein of Sexual Misconduct
“Oh my God. Mom, do you remember that night he got drunk onstage with me?”
“As wacky as he can be, he is such a company person. His heart is always there to catch you,” Danner replied. “Unfortunately, not that night, because he just happened to be drinking. He didn’t normally.”
Paltrow and Danner came together to save things — Paltrow onstage, and Danner off.
We also talk about why “Silicon Valley” star Zach Woods would be great as Walken and our bold choices to ply Paltrow and Danner. And we talk about mundane celebrity encounters with the cast of “Entourage” and Michael Jackson.
Read original story When Gwyneth Paltrow, Blythe Danner and a Drunk Christopher Walken Starred in ‘The Sea Gull’ (Podcast) At TheWrap...
“It was a strange production,” Danner said, involving complex mother-daughter dynamics — and it’s the subject of our new “Shoot This Now” podcast, in which we talk about stories that should be made into movies. You can listen on Apple or Spotify or right here:
Also Read: That Time Sean Hannity Got Fired for Homophobic Comments... and Went to the Aclu for Help (Podcast)
My fellow “Shoot This Now” host, Matt Donnelly, loves Paltrow the way Tony Stark loves Pepper Potts, and I don’t totally get it.
But we do agree — and so does our guest, TheWrap film reporter Trey Williams — that Paltrow, Danner and Walken’s performance of “The Sea Gull” would be an excellent backdrop for a film or miniseries about Hollywood mothers and daughters.
The “Sea Gull” discussion comes around the 37-minute mark of the Goop podcast. Danner recalls being very tough on her 19-year-old daughter, who “didn’t have too work hard” on the difficult role of Nina, a role Danner had played herself 20 years earlier.
Danner had mixed emotions over how easily acting seemed to come for Paltrow, and that led to tension between them.
Both profess their undying love for Walken, but also remember a comical night when he got drunk on cocktails-in-a-can.
Also Read: Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie Accuse Harvey Weinstein of Sexual Misconduct
“Oh my God. Mom, do you remember that night he got drunk onstage with me?”
“As wacky as he can be, he is such a company person. His heart is always there to catch you,” Danner replied. “Unfortunately, not that night, because he just happened to be drinking. He didn’t normally.”
Paltrow and Danner came together to save things — Paltrow onstage, and Danner off.
We also talk about why “Silicon Valley” star Zach Woods would be great as Walken and our bold choices to ply Paltrow and Danner. And we talk about mundane celebrity encounters with the cast of “Entourage” and Michael Jackson.
Read original story When Gwyneth Paltrow, Blythe Danner and a Drunk Christopher Walken Starred in ‘The Sea Gull’ (Podcast) At TheWrap...
- 5/9/2018
- by Tim Molloy
- The Wrap
Keep up with the wild and wooly world of indie film acquisitions with our weekly Rundown of everything that’s been picked up around the globe. Check out last week’s Rundown here.
– IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Justin Kelly’s “King Cobra.” The film, written and directed by Kelly, stars James Franco, Christian Slater, Garrett Clayton, Keegan Allen, Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald. It had its world premiere in the Midnight section of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
The film “centers on Sean Lockhart – seventeen and boyishly handsome – who dreams of fame and success even though he’s broke and without direction. When he meets the seemingly conservative Stephen, founder of Cobra Video, he starts to perform in gay porn under the moniker ‘Brent Corrigan,’ creating a slew of wildly successful videos during which he blossoms from a naïve young man into a confident sex symbol. When rival porn producers Joe,...
– IFC Films has acquired U.S. rights to Justin Kelly’s “King Cobra.” The film, written and directed by Kelly, stars James Franco, Christian Slater, Garrett Clayton, Keegan Allen, Alicia Silverstone and Molly Ringwald. It had its world premiere in the Midnight section of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
The film “centers on Sean Lockhart – seventeen and boyishly handsome – who dreams of fame and success even though he’s broke and without direction. When he meets the seemingly conservative Stephen, founder of Cobra Video, he starts to perform in gay porn under the moniker ‘Brent Corrigan,’ creating a slew of wildly successful videos during which he blossoms from a naïve young man into a confident sex symbol. When rival porn producers Joe,...
- 7/22/2016
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
It has been a year since Sidney Lumet passed away on April 9, 2011. Here is our retrospective on the legendary filmmaker to honor his memory. Originally published April 15, 2011.
Almost a week after the fact, we, like everyone that loves film, are still mourning the passing of the great American master Sidney Lumet, one of the true titans of cinema.
Lumet was never fancy. He never needed to be, as a master of blocking, economic camera movements and framing that empowered the emotion and or exact punctuation of a particular scene. First and foremost, as you’ve likely heard ad nauseum -- but hell, it’s true -- Lumet was a storyteller, and one that preferred his beloved New York to soundstages (though let's not romanticize it too much, he did his fair share of work on studio film sets too as most TV journeyman and early studio filmmakers did).
His directing career stretched well over 50 years,...
Almost a week after the fact, we, like everyone that loves film, are still mourning the passing of the great American master Sidney Lumet, one of the true titans of cinema.
Lumet was never fancy. He never needed to be, as a master of blocking, economic camera movements and framing that empowered the emotion and or exact punctuation of a particular scene. First and foremost, as you’ve likely heard ad nauseum -- but hell, it’s true -- Lumet was a storyteller, and one that preferred his beloved New York to soundstages (though let's not romanticize it too much, he did his fair share of work on studio film sets too as most TV journeyman and early studio filmmakers did).
His directing career stretched well over 50 years,...
- 4/9/2012
- by Oliver Lyttelton
- The Playlist
From July 19 to 25, the Film Society of Lincoln Center in New York will hold Prince of the City: Remembering Sydney Lumet, a retrospective to honor the work of the late great Sydney Lumet. A total of 16 films will be shown, including masterpieces like Network, Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men and, naturally, The Wiz. The highlight, perhaps, is a rare screening of Lumet's 1968 adaptation of Anton Chekhov's The Sea Gull, a film that's not even available on DVD.
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- 7/9/2011
- by Arya Ponto
- JustPressPlay.net
From July 19-25, 2011, Film Society of Lincoln Center will honor Sidney Lumet with a commemorative showing titled “Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet.”
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
- 6/29/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
From July 19-25, 2011, Film Society of Lincoln Center will honor Sidney Lumet with a commemorative showing titled “Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet.”
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
The screenings at the Walter Reade Theater in New York City will include:
- “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975). One of the seminal films of the 1970s, Pacino and Cazale exhibited a sensitivity not often seen on the big screen. Pacino received one of his Oscar nominations for the role.
- “Network” (1976). Another all-time classic, “Network” still resonates with viewers, Peter Finch’s “Mad as hell” speech an ever-lasting element of cinematic history.
- “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” (1962). A telling of Eugene O’Neill’s most personal play, Katharine Hepburn, Ralph Richardson, Jason Robards Jr and Dean Stockwell brought the stage to the screen, and wowed the French at the 1962 Cannes Film Festival.
- “Serpico” (1973). Another of those films that has burnt a place in the psyche of `70s cinema-watchers.
- 6/29/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
With the passing of iconic filmmaker Sidney Lumet came not only an outpouring of love and respect for the late, legendary New Yorker, but a re-visiting of his filmography.
Now, thanks to the Film Society Of Lincoln Center, it’s time for his surrogate hometown’s turn to share in the showing of respect.
The New York-based Film Society will be honoring Lumet with a new retrospective, entitled Prince Of The City: Remembering Sidney Lumet, and will be running from July 19 until July 25. Including a series of guest speakers including the likes of Lauren Bacall, Walter Bernstein, Bobby Cannavale, Glenn Close, Jonathan Demme, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jenny Lumet, David Mamet, Phylilis Newman and Christopher Walken, the retrospective will feature many of his works.
Screening Schedule For Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet:
Screening Venue:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65 Street,...
Now, thanks to the Film Society Of Lincoln Center, it’s time for his surrogate hometown’s turn to share in the showing of respect.
The New York-based Film Society will be honoring Lumet with a new retrospective, entitled Prince Of The City: Remembering Sidney Lumet, and will be running from July 19 until July 25. Including a series of guest speakers including the likes of Lauren Bacall, Walter Bernstein, Bobby Cannavale, Glenn Close, Jonathan Demme, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jenny Lumet, David Mamet, Phylilis Newman and Christopher Walken, the retrospective will feature many of his works.
Screening Schedule For Prince of the City: Remembering Sidney Lumet:
Screening Venue:
The Film Society of Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater
165 West 65 Street,...
- 6/28/2011
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Only days ago "The Deadly Affair" arrived at my doorstep, yet another of Sidney Lumet's films I had never seen before since having been born two-thirds of the way into the director's legendary career, it's always been a game of catch-up. Then again, it was that way for most in his field, even if they were contemporaries.
After passing away far too soon at the age of 86, Lumet leaves behind a half-century-long career that will no doubt be scrutinized for being inconsistent, a richly ironic assessment given that in person and on film, he was known as a straight shooter, and perhaps one of the only filmmakers who could say their final film ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") was as vital and strong as their first ("12 Angry Men"). However, that certainly isn't the only reason why Lumet was a rarity.
In a world full of auteurs, Lumet was a collaborator,...
After passing away far too soon at the age of 86, Lumet leaves behind a half-century-long career that will no doubt be scrutinized for being inconsistent, a richly ironic assessment given that in person and on film, he was known as a straight shooter, and perhaps one of the only filmmakers who could say their final film ("Before the Devil Knows You're Dead") was as vital and strong as their first ("12 Angry Men"). However, that certainly isn't the only reason why Lumet was a rarity.
In a world full of auteurs, Lumet was a collaborator,...
- 4/14/2011
- by Stephen Saito
- ifc.com
Director Sidney Lumet had over 50 films to his name when he passed away on Saturday at age 86. He had been suffering from lymphoma, and he died at his home in New York City.
Lumet began directing with off-Broadway plays before becoming a highly sought after television director. He directed his first film, the canonical "12 Angry Men," in 1957 and made nearly a film per year after that. "12 Angry Men" helped pave the way for other TV directors hoping to move into the film genre.
Some of his many films are "Long Day's Journey Into Night" (1962), "The Sea Gull" (1968), Serpico (1973), "Equus" (1977), "Running on Empty" (1988), and "Gloria" (1999). His final film was in 2007, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
At the time of his dead, Lumet was married to his fourth wife, Mary Gimbel, who he married in 1980. He has two daughters with his previous wife Gail Jones: Amy, and actress/writer Jenny,...
Lumet began directing with off-Broadway plays before becoming a highly sought after television director. He directed his first film, the canonical "12 Angry Men," in 1957 and made nearly a film per year after that. "12 Angry Men" helped pave the way for other TV directors hoping to move into the film genre.
Some of his many films are "Long Day's Journey Into Night" (1962), "The Sea Gull" (1968), Serpico (1973), "Equus" (1977), "Running on Empty" (1988), and "Gloria" (1999). His final film was in 2007, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" with Philip Seymour Hoffman.
At the time of his dead, Lumet was married to his fourth wife, Mary Gimbel, who he married in 1980. He has two daughters with his previous wife Gail Jones: Amy, and actress/writer Jenny,...
- 4/9/2011
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Filmmaking legend Sidney Lumet has passed away at the age of 86 from lymphoma. With a career spanning over five decades, Lumet has long been held high as one of the great filmmakers of all time by many of the great filmmakers of our time.
Starting out as a director of off-Broadway productions and then a highly respected TV director, he's one of the most prolific directors ever with a knack for not just working well with actors but shooting extremely quickly which allowed for a high turnover of work.
Throughout the 50's he directed hundred of episodes of television series like "Danger" and "You Are There" along with a similar amount of TV play adaptations for anthology series like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One". Thus by the time of his first feature film, he was already extremely experienced behind the camera.
That first film also became arguably his signature work - "12 Angry Men". The 1957 drama,...
Starting out as a director of off-Broadway productions and then a highly respected TV director, he's one of the most prolific directors ever with a knack for not just working well with actors but shooting extremely quickly which allowed for a high turnover of work.
Throughout the 50's he directed hundred of episodes of television series like "Danger" and "You Are There" along with a similar amount of TV play adaptations for anthology series like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One". Thus by the time of his first feature film, he was already extremely experienced behind the camera.
That first film also became arguably his signature work - "12 Angry Men". The 1957 drama,...
- 4/9/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Director Sidney Lumet, whose gritty portraits of New York City earned him four Oscar nominations for Best Director for films such as Dog Day Afternoon and Network, died Saturday of lymphoma at his home in Manhattan; he was 86. Synonymous with the New York filmmaking scene, Lumet prowled the streets of his adopted hometown in a wide variety of films, working in the nascent medium of television in the early 1950s before making his feature film directorial debut in 1957 with the cinematic adaptation of the jury room classic 12 Angry Men, starring Henry Fonda. That film earned Lumet his first Oscar nomination and started a prolific career that would take him through crime dramas, Broadway and literary adaptations, occasional Hollywood films, and lacerating satires.
Born in Philadelphia to parents who were in show business -- his father was an actor and director, his mother a dancer -- he appeared in numerous Broadway plays as a child and young adult before serving three years in the Army during World War II and returning to New York to direct. Lumet's directorial style, described as "lightning quick" in an era when American cinema was still burdened by the limitations of decorative and expensive Hollywood films, earned him a successful career in television, where he adapted numerous plays for such early shows as Playhouse 90 and Studio One, and worked with the young Walter Cronkite on the news series You Are There. He directed a TV version of 12 Angry Men before turning it into a successful 1957 film, starring Henry Fonda as the lone dissenting juror in a murder trial; the film earned three Academy Award nominations (Best Picture, Director and Screenplay) and singlehandedly established Lumet's cinematic directing career.
Lumet alternated film and television work in the late 1950s and early 1960s -- including a television version of The Iceman Cometh starring Jason Robards -- before helming a number of acclaimed cinematic films in the early 1960s: the devastating adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) starring Katharine Hepburn and Ralph Richardson; the New York drama The Pawnbroker (1964), which earned Rod Steiger a Best Actor Oscar nomination; and the nuclear drama Fail-Safe (also 1964), starring Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau. Through the late 1960s and early 1970s some of Lumet's work was uneven -- adaptations of bestsellers The Group (1966) and The Anderson Tapes (1971) as well as Chekhov's The Sea Gull (1968) are admirable but not entirely successful -- but scored again throughout the 1970s. The crime drama Serpico (1973) helped cement Al Pacino's star status after The Godfather -- and earned the actor his first Best Actor Oscar nomination, and the actor and director paired again in 1975's Dog Day Afternoon, the story of a bank heist gone crazily awry; the film, now considered a modern classic, earned Lumet and Pacino Oscar nominations and some of the best reviews of their careers. In between those films, set in New York, Lumet took a literal and figurative jaunt with the successful adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (1974), an upper-class murder mystery set on a luxury European train that seemed as far from the seamy streets of Manhattan as possible.
In 1976, Lumet explored the themes of media exposure and saturation he delved into with Dog Day Afternoon even further with the scathing television satire and drama Network, starring William Holden, Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch. Lumet, along with screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, pioneered the idea (and condemnation) of what is now commonly thought of as reality TV in his story of a network anchorman (Finch) who suffers a breakdown on live television with the rallying cry "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!", and the television executive (Dunaway) who turns him into a folk hero, TV icon, and tragic figure, ultimately goading him into committing suicide live on television. The film, still potent and more lacerating than most explorations of modern media since, won Finch and Dunaway Oscars; Finch's award was posthumous, as the actor died in early 1977. It remains one of only two films to win three Academy Awards for acting (the third for supporting actress Beatrice Straight, who appeared onscreen for less than six minutes), the other being A Streetcar Named Desire.
After that string of commercial and financial hits, Lumet's career included a wide variety of films: adaptations of Broadway hits Equus (1977, fairly successful), The Wiz (1978, a musical flop but a strangely visionary view of New York), Deathtrap (1982, unexpected fun if not a perfect film); crime drama Prince of the City (1981, one of Lumet's most unheralded fims); courtroom drama The Verdict (1982, a big hit that earned star Paul Newman and Lumet Oscar nominations); Hollywood melodrama (1986's The Morning After, starring Jane Fonda); and indie drama (Running On Empty, the 1988 drama with River Phoenix in his only Oscar-nominated performance). Lumet's last film was the 2007 drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, which starred indie stalwarts Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Ethan Hawke, and Amy Ryan.
Lumet was married four times, first to actress Rita Gam, second to socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, and third to Gail Jones, daughter of Lena Horne. He married Mary Gimbel, who survives him, in 1980 and had two daughters with Ms. Jones, Amy Lumet and screenwriter Jenny Lumet, who scripted the drama Rachel Getting Married. Nominated for five Oscars (four for directing, one for screenplay), Lumet was awarded an honorary Academy Award at the 2004 Oscars.
Born in Philadelphia to parents who were in show business -- his father was an actor and director, his mother a dancer -- he appeared in numerous Broadway plays as a child and young adult before serving three years in the Army during World War II and returning to New York to direct. Lumet's directorial style, described as "lightning quick" in an era when American cinema was still burdened by the limitations of decorative and expensive Hollywood films, earned him a successful career in television, where he adapted numerous plays for such early shows as Playhouse 90 and Studio One, and worked with the young Walter Cronkite on the news series You Are There. He directed a TV version of 12 Angry Men before turning it into a successful 1957 film, starring Henry Fonda as the lone dissenting juror in a murder trial; the film earned three Academy Award nominations (Best Picture, Director and Screenplay) and singlehandedly established Lumet's cinematic directing career.
Lumet alternated film and television work in the late 1950s and early 1960s -- including a television version of The Iceman Cometh starring Jason Robards -- before helming a number of acclaimed cinematic films in the early 1960s: the devastating adaptation of Eugene O'Neill's Long Day's Journey Into Night (1962) starring Katharine Hepburn and Ralph Richardson; the New York drama The Pawnbroker (1964), which earned Rod Steiger a Best Actor Oscar nomination; and the nuclear drama Fail-Safe (also 1964), starring Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau. Through the late 1960s and early 1970s some of Lumet's work was uneven -- adaptations of bestsellers The Group (1966) and The Anderson Tapes (1971) as well as Chekhov's The Sea Gull (1968) are admirable but not entirely successful -- but scored again throughout the 1970s. The crime drama Serpico (1973) helped cement Al Pacino's star status after The Godfather -- and earned the actor his first Best Actor Oscar nomination, and the actor and director paired again in 1975's Dog Day Afternoon, the story of a bank heist gone crazily awry; the film, now considered a modern classic, earned Lumet and Pacino Oscar nominations and some of the best reviews of their careers. In between those films, set in New York, Lumet took a literal and figurative jaunt with the successful adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express (1974), an upper-class murder mystery set on a luxury European train that seemed as far from the seamy streets of Manhattan as possible.
In 1976, Lumet explored the themes of media exposure and saturation he delved into with Dog Day Afternoon even further with the scathing television satire and drama Network, starring William Holden, Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch. Lumet, along with screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky, pioneered the idea (and condemnation) of what is now commonly thought of as reality TV in his story of a network anchorman (Finch) who suffers a breakdown on live television with the rallying cry "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!", and the television executive (Dunaway) who turns him into a folk hero, TV icon, and tragic figure, ultimately goading him into committing suicide live on television. The film, still potent and more lacerating than most explorations of modern media since, won Finch and Dunaway Oscars; Finch's award was posthumous, as the actor died in early 1977. It remains one of only two films to win three Academy Awards for acting (the third for supporting actress Beatrice Straight, who appeared onscreen for less than six minutes), the other being A Streetcar Named Desire.
After that string of commercial and financial hits, Lumet's career included a wide variety of films: adaptations of Broadway hits Equus (1977, fairly successful), The Wiz (1978, a musical flop but a strangely visionary view of New York), Deathtrap (1982, unexpected fun if not a perfect film); crime drama Prince of the City (1981, one of Lumet's most unheralded fims); courtroom drama The Verdict (1982, a big hit that earned star Paul Newman and Lumet Oscar nominations); Hollywood melodrama (1986's The Morning After, starring Jane Fonda); and indie drama (Running On Empty, the 1988 drama with River Phoenix in his only Oscar-nominated performance). Lumet's last film was the 2007 drama Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, which starred indie stalwarts Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Ethan Hawke, and Amy Ryan.
Lumet was married four times, first to actress Rita Gam, second to socialite Gloria Vanderbilt, and third to Gail Jones, daughter of Lena Horne. He married Mary Gimbel, who survives him, in 1980 and had two daughters with Ms. Jones, Amy Lumet and screenwriter Jenny Lumet, who scripted the drama Rachel Getting Married. Nominated for five Oscars (four for directing, one for screenplay), Lumet was awarded an honorary Academy Award at the 2004 Oscars.
- 4/9/2011
- by Mark Englehart
- IMDb News
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