Cultureshark Remembers/Brooks on Books: Sidney Lumet's "Making Movies"

Since it's Sunday and I often write about books on the blog to end the weekend, I decided to remember the great director Sidney Lumet, who passed away a few days ago, with a few words about his excellent "Making Movies." Incidentally, this book is not only in print, but it's snaggable for about 9 bones at Amazon, and it's well worth that minimal investment.

First let me say I loved the man's work, and while I still have some gaps in my Lumet-watching, I appreciate just about everything I've seen, and reading the book gave me some more appreciation of the ones I either hadn't seen or hadn't appreciated as much. "Making Movies" was released about 15 years ago, well before his final motion picture, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead." Sidney still had it even then, and while I loved "Devil," I must confess that on some level I may have been awed simply that a guy well into his 80s was making crime movies so potent.

Now, the fact that I enjoyed Lumet's filmed output was no guarantee I would get into his prose; at about the same time I devoured "Making Movies," I read David Mamet's disappointing "Bambi vs. Godzilla: On the Nature, Purpose, and Practice of the Movie Business." One big difference between the two is that Lumet's book is a thorough look at how a director makes a movie from start to finish, while Mamet's volume is a collection of essays. Another big difference is that Lumet's book is a pleasure to read from cover to cover, wheras Mamet's is often a chore to get through.

Lumet may not have been as no-nonsense and accessible as he comes off in his text, but he sure seems like a guy for whom you'd want to work hard. He describes the routine of a director in vivid detail, from when he gets up and how he gets to the set to working in the editing room. Besides the account of the day-to-day job of shooting a film, he also describes both pre- and post-production phases and what a director's role is. There is a lot of practical info in here for anyone with an interest in the lifestyle, but Lumet's straightforward, entertaining account ensures this is never just a dull occupational primer.

In fact, Lumet uses specific examples and stories from throughout his accomplished career, ocassionally telling a blind item or two but never relying on gossip. All throughout, he is generous with his candor and his insight. Lumet's own shooting style is obviously not for everyone, nor will every aspiring filmmaker replicate his circumstances. Yet there is a lot of general info in here about approaching directing, about organizing a project, about dealing with actors, that should benefit film students of all types--even those of us who just enjoy learning about the process for its own sake.

In "Making Movies," one common thread is Lumet's essential professionalism, and his likability make the book an even more engaging read. If you're a Teamster, though, you might not think the guy is so likable. Lumet doesn't set out to trash vast numbers of industry types, but, boy, does he have some issues with the unions.

So I am not remembering Sidney Lumet today with a conventional account of his films (but let me put in a strong word for "Fail Safe," which doesn't get talked about as much as the others), but by recommending this great book, a work as much about the art form as about the man, but one which, I'd like to think, gives us a solid sense that he was a cool guy. It's a must-read for Lumet fans and probably movie fans, period.