R.I.P. Sidney Lumet

I'm so sad to hear about Sidney Lumet's passing last week. His movies really spoke to me and he was one of the people who stoked my desire to be in the movie industry. 12 Angry Men, Murder On The Orient Express (I had a copy of this on VHS that I played often - spectacular cast!), Serpico (my first glimpse of Al Pacino – amazing!) and Dogs Day Afternoon. And how about Network? It was so intense and (dare I say) prophetic. And yes, I did go to the porch as kids and scream that classic Peter Finch line, " I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more!!!!". And then there's, The Wiz, (a classic in black cinema) known for MJ's first film role . Wow. I can literally tell you where I was and who I was with when I saw his movies.

I'm now brushing off my copy of Lumet's book, 'Making Movies', which is a great chronicling of how his movies were made, movie by movie and set by set (including camera angles and number of takes). The book was a hard read at first because I knew nothing about making movies but now it's all sinking in. I also didn't know that he started his career as an actor, which explains his touch with the talented casts he directed. He'll be greatly missed but it's encouraging that his daughters are in the industry, too.

R.I.P. Mr. Lumet and may God bless you.