Sidney Lumet has always been one of my favorite directors and a big filmmaking inspiration to me. He's always enjoyable to listen to whe*2019 Re-read*
Sidney Lumet has always been one of my favorite directors and a big filmmaking inspiration to me. He's always enjoyable to listen to when he speaks about the craft and I've learned so much from him over the years, even from simply watching his movies, which includes numerous classics like Dog Day Afternoon, Network, The Verdict, 12 Angry Men, and Serpico.
And this book is a great summary of everything that makes Lumet awesome. You get a sense of his theories on filmmaking and working with actors, as well as great on-set anecdotes. And it's all told in his trademark pragmatic tone that's easy to read, non-technical, totally relatable, and completely unpretentious.
When people ask me about required reading for filmmakers, I always include this on my lists....more
I read this book as part of research for my next tv show that I'm prepping. It was a fun read, not only because of all the cool photos, but also due tI read this book as part of research for my next tv show that I'm prepping. It was a fun read, not only because of all the cool photos, but also due to The Roots drummer ?uestlove's conversational style. He's not a professional scholar or historian so the book is mostly personal reflections about the show and its impact. It makes for a less academic approach to the material and something a bit more casual, but still very informative. So if a strictly scholastic approach to Soul Train's history is what you're looking for, this might not be it. But if you're looking for a piece of informative appreciation written by a big fan, check this one out. For me, not being a fan of reading non-fiction, this one was right up my alley....more