Will I love Making Movies?

Make a list of great American movies of the 20th century—Sidney Lumet has directed a lot of them. 12 Angry Men. Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Network, The Wiz, The Verdict, and so many more. When his book came out in 1995, there had never been a book like it.

Sidney Lumet was giving away his secrets? Wow. I purchased it immediately. When I learned that Mr. Lumet was to appear at a book signing in my city, I arrived early, toting my precious, already dogeared volume, and stood in line to get it signed. For all these years since its… show more.

Sidney Lumet directed Twelve Angry Men and The Verdict, among many others, and the beauty of this short book is just how practical he is about his craft. In the magazine interviews and hagiographies about directors, we seldom get a true sense of the working day on a movie set, or what happens long before shooting begins and months after it finishes. But here Lumet reveals why he always tried to schedule a very simple shot for the first set-up on day 1 of production, the value of a rehearsal period (if he was granted one) and that he… show more.

Before you sit down and write a movie, it might be a good idea to find out how they’re made – and what better guide than the director of 12 Angry Men, Serpico, and Dog Day Afternoon. Sidney Lumet actually liked writers (not always a given with directors) and worked with some of the best, including Paddy Chayefsky (Network) and David Mamet (The Verdict). Mamet’s brilliant work adapting The Verdict is also examined in Goldman’s book, and together they provide a fascinating insight into the combination of art, commerce, ego, and chance which comprises… show more.