Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
It’s well known that a vast number of people work on any given movie in roles as varied as writing scripts, choosing locations, dressing sets, costuming the players, lighting scenes, manipulating the camera, directing actors, editing film, working on sound, advertising the finished product, and screening it to an audience. Have you ever thought about how these components are collated? Or why the director is most often considered the author of a film? Wonder no more, because Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies is a terrific journey through each stage of filmmaking that is overseen by the director. Lumet, the veteran director of Twelve Angry Men, The Pawnbroker, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, Network, The Verdict, and many other fine movies, knows the ins and outs of American filmmaking as well as anyone. In this excellent, personable account, Lumet tells what he’s learned about making movies in the course of the last 40 years. He shows why fine directors need to have strong imaginations, extraordinary adaptability, and skill in many different fields. His enthusiasm for his life’s work, particularly his love of actors, is evident on every page of this book. As Herculean as the labors of film directing are, Lumet takes great pleasure in his work, almost guiltily admitting that the film director’s job is “the best in the world.”
From Publishers Weekly
Lumet, the acclaimed director of such films as Dog Day Afternoon and Network, presents an anecdotal insider’s account of the key elements in filmmaking.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
“Film would be a better place if every director were required to share with other romancers of film his process. It is a gift to us all that it is Sidney Lumet, one of American’s greatest filmmakers, who is sharing his point-of-view.” —Stephen Spielberg
“Invaluable. . . . I am sometimes asked if there is one book a filmgoer could read to learn more about how movies are made and what to look for while watching them. This is the book.” —Roger Ebert, The New York Times Book Review
“Remarkable . . . . as dignified as the movies [Lumet] has made and yet deeply felt and very moving. . . . Anyone who truly loves movies ought to read what he has to say about them. . . . Delightfully engrossing.” —Los Angeles Times
“The film bible from a master. It tells in meticulous detail the step-by-step process of making a movie. You feel you’re on the set. A must.” —Quincy Jones
“Full of energy, enthusiasm and wisdom. . . . It’s all engrossing because [Lumet] speaks so fervently and opinionatedly about matters on which he has earned the right to opinions.” —The New Republic
From the Inside Flap
America’s most acclaimed directors comes a book that is both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on 40 years of experience on movies ranging from Long Day’s Journey Into Night to The Verdict, Lumet explains the painstaking labor that results in two hours of screen magic.
From the Back Cover
America’s most acclaimed directors comes a book that is both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on 40 years of experience on movies ranging from Long Day’s Journey Into Night to The Verdict, Lumet explains the painstaking labor that results in two hours of screen magic.
About the Author
Sidney Lumet’s films have received more than fifty Academy Award nominations. He has been nominated by the Directors Guild of America for Best Director seven times. In addition, he has received an honorary lifetime membership in the Directors Guild of America as well as its most prestigious award, the D. W. Griffith Award. In 1993, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Arts Club. His films have been shown in retrospectives at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the American Museum of the Moving Image, the British Academy in London, and the Cinémathèque in Paris. He has also been honored by the French government as a Commander of Arts and Letters. He died in 2011.
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Hamilton Beck –
“Making Movies” is one of the best books on the nuts and bolts of film-making ever. It deserves the highest rating simply because it is both well presented and full of practical insights. Lumet is brilliant on the psychology of movie-making in the old days, for instance, when each producer had the power to order cuts at will. The director who knew this would deliberately leave some weak scenes in during early screenings so that the producers could order them removed and thus later claim to have “saved” the picture – if, that is, it turned out to be a hit. That said, Lumet’s overall approach is not historical but topical, from selecting a writer to making the final cut. In Chapter Three, he raises a point I often try to impress upon my students: The way you tell a story should relate somehow to what that story is about. That gets to the whole question of the importance of style, which he terms “the most misused word since love.” (pg. 49) Good, practical advice can be found on every page. Here’s how he can tell if something is off when watching a scene during rushes: “If my concentration breaks, something is wrong.” (pg. 141) This, I might add, applies equally well to reading as to watching – if our attention drifts, there may be something wrong with the book we are reading, or the text of the speech we are delivering. Here’s something that may seem counter-intuitive: The audience’s perception of the length of a film depends not on the tempo of the movie itself so much as the presence or absence of changes in tempo. The fewer the changes, even if the tempo is fast, the longer the movie will seem. Most melodramas accelerate speed towards the end. Inexperienced directors adopt an up-tempo from the start, then believe they have left themselves nowhere to go except even faster, thus exhausting the audience long before the final credits. Lumet candidly confesses he doesn’t know what makes a hit, and doubts that anyone really does. It is certainly not the stars alone. He talks about those he has worked with (including Paul Newman and Al Pacino) without indulging in gossip, and when he has something negative to say, he does so without naming names. One movie of his, which he refuses to identify, suffered from the limited range of one of its stars. “On the second day of shooting, I began to realize that the leading actress lacked the tenderness her part called for. She simply didn’t have it in her as an actress or a person. She was superb with anger; she had humor. But if she was asked to show the simplest affection for the person playing opposite her, a falseness crept into her acting that was readily apparent, particularly since her acting was otherwise so real and true…. Since the movie was fundamentally a love story, I knew that we were in trouble.” (pp. 143-144) I wonder if the movie in question might not have been “The Morning After.” The only hint he provides is that the film “had three very high-powered stars in it.” “Morning After” featured Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges and Raul Julia. On the other hand, Fonda did receive an Oscar nomination for her performance here, so I can’t be certain. Though most (but not all) of the examples are taken from movies he himself directed, the book is most definitely not a survey of his career. While “Murder on the Orient Express,” for example, gets mentioned at least a dozen times, “Fail Safe” rates only a single one, early on. Incidentally, what he has to say about “Murder…” gives me a higher opinion of that movie than I ever had before; now I am tempted go back and take another look at it. The chapter on the “lens plot” in “12 Angry Men” – how he used differing lenses to create an increasing sense of claustrophobia – is justly famous. On the whole, Making Movies is an enlightening introduction to the craft, presented by an insider. If you are like me, you will be amazed at what you hadn’t noticed in movies you thought you knew.For a longer version of this review, please go to hamiltonbeck dot wordpress dot com
F. Felix –
As has been abundantly stated by other reviewers, this is an interesting book for both movie lovers & movie makers. It is eminently readable, in a flowing, non-technical style that is surprisingly effective at delivering practical information about Lumet’s filmmaking choices & philosophy through the decades of a legendary career.Many how-to manuals seem to put the cart before the horse. Refreshingly, rather than providing instruction in equipment-driven decision making [here’s how you use this particular lens, camera, fill light, etc.], Lumet talks about his story-telling goals then how he worked with his team to identify the proper technology to achieve them, resulting in such stylistically varied successes as the hyper-real video & dialog quality of “Dog Day Afternoon” & the Rembrandt-esque look of “The Verdict”.This book has a fly-on-the-wall quality that almost makes you feel like you are participating in a long dinner conversation where the filmmaker discusses his day, reliving his experiences, revisiting his ideas & choices, evaluating whether they worked or not, even racking on the unprofessional Teamster who made him late to rehearsal, then pillaged the craft services cart.Something that hasn’t been stated by other reviewers is how remarkably humble the author comes off. Far from validating the “auteur” status that many would grant him, Lumet appears to have a sincere appreciation for the complex team effort that results in a major motion picture, rather than an inflated perception of the supremacy of the director’s role. He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the filmmaking process & manages to share that knowledge clearly & concisely. He has profound respect for the contributions of the players who typically get nothing but abuse: the studio execs, writers, post-production, the stars.Lumet even seems honestly enraptured by the emergent qualities that blossom from a group effort where “everyone is making the same movie”, & he takes his responsibilities for vision, coordination & budgeting very seriously.This guy just comes off as the consummate professional & his book is a joy to read.
Jordan Hunter –
Sidney Lumet’s “Making Movies” is a wonderful insight into the director’s role in the filmmaking process. The entire book reads like Lumet has sat you down to tell you a story. We get a chance to peer into his mind as he makes small but critical choices throughout the Pre-Production, Production, and Post-Production phases in the movie’s life. Lumet gives many clear and specific examples of moments in his career where he had to overcome the odds to get the shot or performance that the film called for. This book is great for the aspiring filmmaker and seasoned industry veteran alike.I knocked off 1 star only because some of the technical processes of filmmaking described in the book are no longer used, and it made the book feel very dated. The writing is still great and it’s nice to hear about how films used to be made. The techniques of working with actors still hold up, as well as the detailed descriptions of the director’s role within the larger company of talent and executives.I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to advance their cinema education and gain deep appreciation for the art form.
John –
I received Making Movies at around noon today, and am writing this a bit after six PM, having finished the entire book. Lumet was a man who loved movies, loved working on movies, and it shows in every word. He takes the reader through every stage of making a movie – pre to shooting to post and then some. Utterly captivating for a small-time filmmaker like myself, but even if you’re just a fan, there is much to learn and be entertained by here. Highly recommended for anyone even remotely involved in filmmaking, and also recommended to anyone who wants to learn more about the tremendous work, passion, and resolve it takes to make a movie.
Alan Camarena –
El mejor empaquetado que he visto para libros
Llegó en excelentes condiciones, súper bien empaquetado para evitar mojarse por la lluvia.
Lillian Lim – Amazon Customer –
Best book I’ve read so far on directing films
This is, by far, one of the best books I’ve read on directing films. It contains a LOT of fundamental information on directing movies and is very enjoyable reading. Don’t waste your money (and time) on David Mamet’s “On Directing Film” which basically is just a copy of his notes from lectures he’s given to a class and doesn’t contain any RELEVANT information on directing. I threw Mamet’s book into the garbage can after I finished it.
Placeholder –
A great read
A personal guide for anyone interested in the world of making movies
Uhu Buhu –
Still worth reading
Sydney Lumet has produced a book still worth reading after the film industry underwent more fundamental changes. Lumet‘s book covers the mostly pre-digital era that has gone but still contains so many truths about acting, directing and movie making that younger generations still can benefit from.
X-Reyes –
Master Piece!
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