As a filmmaker, Mr. Lumet was drawn to stories of characters trying to break out of enclosed spaces and enclosed systems, whether it be the justice complex in 12 Angry Men, the police force in Serpico, or the broadcast corporation in Network. His is a cinema of conscience. One of his main themes is the injustice of the justice system. His movies engage moral issues without being moralistic, effectively putting the audience in the shoes of one torn between doing the right thing and the easy thing. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor cites 12 Angry Men as a major influence on her law career.
Originally a child actor, Mr. Lumet was a most sensitive director of performers and a magnet for the biggest names of his era. Sean Connery, Faye Dunaway, Al Pacino, and Paul Newman clamored to work with him.
Newman, whose career high was as the ambulance-chasing lawyer in Mr. Lumet's The Verdict, dubbed him "Speedy Gonzales" for his habit of shooting only one take for a scene. Prior to making a movie, Mr. Lumet liked an intensive rehearsal period. On the set, he expected the well-prepared actors to give their all in their first at-bat.
His lightning-quick methods led Newman to tease Mr. Lumet as "the only man who would double-park in front of a whorehouse." Of the filmmaker's tireless vigor, Woody Allen quipped yesterday, "Knowing Sidney, he will have more energy dead than most live people."
In all, Mr. Lumet's actors would win a staggering 18 Academy Award nominations and he himself received five nominations for directing and writing. But his only statuette was a lifetime achievement Oscar in 2005.
