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Sidney Lumet: A Life Audiobook
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Publisher Description
The first-ever biography of the seminal American director whose remarkable life traces a line through American entertainment history
Acclaimed as the ultimate New York movie director, Sidney Lumet began his astonishing five-decades-long directing career with the now classic 12 Angry Men, followed by such landmark films as Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network. His remarkably varied output included award-winning adaptations of plays by Anton Chekhov, Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and Eugene O’Neill, whose Long Day’s Journey into Night featured Katharine Hepburn and Ralph Richardson in their most devastating performances.
Renowned as an “actor’s director,” Lumet attracted an unmatched roster of stars, among them: Henry Fonda, Sophia Loren, Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Newman, Al Pacino, Ethan Hawke, and Philip-Seymour Hoffman, accruing eighteen Oscar nods for his actors along the way.
With the help of exclusive interviews with family, colleagues, and friends, author Maura Spiegel provides a vibrant portrait of the life and work of this extraordinary director whose influence is felt through generations, and takes us inside the Federal Theater, the Group Theatre, the Actors Studio, and the early “golden age” of television.
From his surprising personal life, with four marriages to remarkable women―all of whom opened their living rooms to Lumet’s world of artists and performers like Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson―to the world of Yiddish theater and Broadway spectacles, Sidney Lumet: A Life is a book that anyone interested in American film of the twentieth century will not want to miss.
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“The book’s greatest strength is its first half, thanks no doubt to Spiegel’s access to Lumet’s unfinished memoir. The director abandoned his autobiography as the story line reached his 20s. As a result, in Spiegel’s book, Lumet’s early years, before his movie career kicks off, are chronicled with a gripping degree of detail.”
— Washington Post
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“A very full picture both of her subject’s personal and professional lives—lives that richly reflected the themes and concerns of the century into which he was born.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“A likely definitive exploration of the director’s distinguished career—of great interest to budding filmmakers and film enthusiasts.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review) -
“This revealing and entertaining biography provides a sensitive look at one of Hollywood’s most humanistic and socially aware filmmakers.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Provide[s] a strong perspective of a talented but uncompromising director. An insightful biography, perfect for film buffs.”
— Library Journal -
“Illuminating…Essential reading for movie fans.”
— Booklist
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About Maura Spiegel
Maura Spiegel is a born and bred New Yorker. She has been teaching literature and film at Columbia University for over two decades. She is a founding member and codirector of the Division of Narrative Medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, where she teaches film to medical students. She has lectured nationally and internationally on film and medical ethics. She has published on many subjects including the history of the emotions, Charles Dickens, Victorian fashion and film, and diamonds in the movies.
About Kate Mulligan
Kate Mulligan has acted with the Oregon Shakespeare Festival for more than ten seasons in productions including Hairspray, Alice in Wonderland, and Sense and Sensibility. Her film and television work includes Being John Malkovich and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.