I'm Sad as Hell, and I'm Not Gonna Take it Anymore...

It is with a heavy heart that I mourn the loss of one of America's great film directors, Sidney Lumet. The pleasant-looking old man behind such hardcore classics as "12 Angry Men," "Network," "Dog Day Afternoon," and "Murder on the Orient Express" died yesterday at age 86 in his home in Manhattan.

The man.

Whenever a director or actor from back-in-the-day Hollywood dies, I find myself becoming a little sad (or a lot sad, depending on my degree of attachment to the person's body of work). In this scenario, because Lumet directed a movie that would eventually be adapted into one of my favorite stage plays, I am a lot sad. Throughout his dynamic career, Lumet directed gritty, visceral films that raised the bar in Hollywood ("12 Angry Men"), painted compelling portraits of New York City ("Dog Day Afternoon"), and held a mirror up to the people and industries who distribute our media (the timeless, amazing "Network"). 

Oh, and did I mention that "12 Angry Men," a film that was once on the AFI list of 100 Greatest Movies, was his debut film? Right from the beginning he was a force to be reckoned with.

On the one hand, it makes me really sad to think that we've lost a director who contributed so much to the screen in his 29 years of work. But on the other hand, something like this reminds me that although an older, beloved generation of Hollywood is dying off, a new, promising generation is being ushered in. We may be losing the greats, but we're cultivating new ones too. It blows my mind to think that I'm part of a generation that saw a movie about Facebook get nominated for 6 major Oscars; a generation that saw an ex-stripper/phone sex operator take home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay; a generation that strives to break conventions and embraces rebirth. 

So, as sad as I am to know that Mr. Lumet is gone (I'll be wearing black today, which I have only done historically to mourn people I really love), I am excited and optimistic that my generation of directors will vie to meet his high standards. To quote of my favorite Disney movies, "it's all part of the great circle of life."

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[Picture: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFsmRIBNnP_K-RvKUFcToEZN9Hamg828hBN_0Qjykhs70o801S7lFCsNmFokkfh4jTx7W2bXp9gdfbPXPxoOtj6fQyW0VJ1BKb3vKB1eI5WBgoRr5TSfVjiQfwCY51cLelGC1chtS_4dGm/s1600/lumet,+sidney.jpg]