thenationofartists.com

First printed at www.movingpicturesnetwork.com

After establishing himself as a TV director, “12 Angry Men” marked Lumet’s feature debut… “12 Angry Men”? Really??? An AFI 100 ranked film, an Oscar nomination, on his first shot?

Was Lumet that good or that lucky? Really, he was that good, following up that effort with three other Oscar nominated efforts, the Pacino-led “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975), double-digit nominated “Network” (1976) and Paul Newman’s “The Verdict” (1982). While all these films are still relevant, “Network” was a tour de force. Unfortunately, so were a few other all-time classics released that same year, “All the President’s Men,” “Taxi Driver” and Sylvester Stallone’s king-hitting “Rocky.”

Just as significant to Lumet’s career are his non-Oscar’ed films that hold up against the work of any of his contemporaries, including adaptations of Eugene O’Neill’s “Long Day’s Journey Into Night,” Arthur Miller’s “A View from the Bridge,” and Tennessee Williams’ “The Fugitive Kind” starring Marlon Brando and Joanne Woodward.

Then there’s “Serpico.”

Lumet received his honorary Oscar at age 81 in 2005, two years before releasing the final title of his oeuvre, “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” a quiet and troubling piece of noir with a truly stellar cast: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei, Michael Shannon, Amy Ryan, Albert Finney, Brian F. O’Byrne and Ethan Hawke.

The title of the film comes from a toast, ”May you have food and raiment, a soft pillow for your head; may you be 40 years in heaven, before the devil knows you’re dead.”

We certainly wish Mr. Lumet more years than that. The movies will miss you, and New York will mourn you. Many, many thanks indeed.

–Elliot V. Kotek