skippy the bush kangaroo: god speed, mr. lumet

Saturday, April 09, 2011

god speed, mr. lumet

you were one of the most amazing directors tackling social issues head on. your movies were often way ahead of their time...and gave our society plenty of warning. too bad, we did not head them.

Turner Classic Movies states that "it was the social realism which permeated his greatest work that truly defined Lumet — the themes of youthful idealism beaten down by corruption and the hopelessness of inept social institutions allowed him to produce several trenchant and potent films that no other director could have made." Serpico (1973) was the first of four "seminal" films he made in the 1970s that marked him as "one of the greatest filmmakers of his generation." It was the story of power and betrayal in the New York City police force, and was coupled with the "idea that innocence is lost in the face of corruption." The movie became a blueprint that Lumet would use to portray the inner world of cops, lawyers and street criminals, with only an "idealistic lone wolf battling seemingly impossible odds."

"As a child of the Depression," writes Joanna Rapf, "growing up poor in New York City with poverty and corruption all around him, Lumet became concerned with the importanc of justice to a democracy. He says he likes questioning things, people, institutions, what is considered by society as 'right' and 'wrong.'" He admits, however, that he does not believe that art itself has the power to change anything. "There is, as he says, a lot of 'shit' to deal with in the entertainment industry, but the secret of good work is to maintain your honesty and your passion. - wikipedia

god speed, mr. lumet. thank you for sharing your talent with us.

some of his films