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City of Nightmares: The New York of Sidney Lumet

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City That Never Sleeps
This chapter is in the book City That Never Sleeps
183City of Nightmaresthe new york of sidney lumetpamela graceSidney Lumet’s New York is a city of multiple ethnicities, sympathetic oddballs,idealists, criminals, and many, many cops. Lumet’s films examine the city’s neigh-borhoods and institutions, with special interest devoted to the justice system. Asof the beginning of, Lumet has directed forty-two feature films, a large per-centage of them set in New York City. Between and the present, he has alsodirected and produced several television programs, many of which also take placein New York.Lumet moved to New York with his parents a few years after his birth inPhiladelphia in . He grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in the Lower EastSide, where his father, Baruch Lumet, worked in Yiddish theater and radio beforegoing on to English-language roles on Broadway and television. The youngSidney began his theatrical career at the age of four, appearing in the Yiddish the-ater and then on Yiddish-language radio. He first appeared on Broadway in anEnglish-language role when he was eleven.Lumet’s education and work were also centered in New York. Just beforejoining the army, he studied dramatic literature at Columbia University for onesemester. After the war, he taught acting, began directing for television, and even-tually became a celebrated film director. Success did not lure Lumet to Hollywood.When asked why he spent virtually his entire life in New York, he responded, “It’sa great city . . . There’s almost no choice. I almost can’t imagine living anyplaceelse” (Goldberg ). Asked what New York has given to his movies, he said, “It’scapable of telling any kind of story, from the most lyrical and romantic to themost desolate and alone. Just within the city itself, New York has any atmosphereyou could ever imagine to tell a story” (Kaufman ).Lumet’s films express an intense love of the city and its people—and outrageat injustice and inhumanity. His New York films cover a wide range of themes. Angry Men() looks at the workings of an ethnically mixed jury; ThePawnbroker() explores the silent suffering of a Holocaust survivor, the dam-age caused by his loss of empathy, and his painful return to human emotions anda sense of community; Bye Bye Braverman() is a comedy about a group of
© 2019 Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick

183City of Nightmaresthe new york of sidney lumetpamela graceSidney Lumet’s New York is a city of multiple ethnicities, sympathetic oddballs,idealists, criminals, and many, many cops. Lumet’s films examine the city’s neigh-borhoods and institutions, with special interest devoted to the justice system. Asof the beginning of, Lumet has directed forty-two feature films, a large per-centage of them set in New York City. Between and the present, he has alsodirected and produced several television programs, many of which also take placein New York.Lumet moved to New York with his parents a few years after his birth inPhiladelphia in . He grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in the Lower EastSide, where his father, Baruch Lumet, worked in Yiddish theater and radio beforegoing on to English-language roles on Broadway and television. The youngSidney began his theatrical career at the age of four, appearing in the Yiddish the-ater and then on Yiddish-language radio. He first appeared on Broadway in anEnglish-language role when he was eleven.Lumet’s education and work were also centered in New York. Just beforejoining the army, he studied dramatic literature at Columbia University for onesemester. After the war, he taught acting, began directing for television, and even-tually became a celebrated film director. Success did not lure Lumet to Hollywood.When asked why he spent virtually his entire life in New York, he responded, “It’sa great city . . . There’s almost no choice. I almost can’t imagine living anyplaceelse” (Goldberg ). Asked what New York has given to his movies, he said, “It’scapable of telling any kind of story, from the most lyrical and romantic to themost desolate and alone. Just within the city itself, New York has any atmosphereyou could ever imagine to tell a story” (Kaufman ).Lumet’s films express an intense love of the city and its people—and outrageat injustice and inhumanity. His New York films cover a wide range of themes. Angry Men() looks at the workings of an ethnically mixed jury; ThePawnbroker() explores the silent suffering of a Holocaust survivor, the dam-age caused by his loss of empathy, and his painful return to human emotions anda sense of community; Bye Bye Braverman() is a comedy about a group of
© 2019 Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Prelude: To Wake Up in the City That Never Sleeps 3
  5. MEMORY ALL ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT
  6. “I Love New York!”: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’ S 23
  7. A Day in New York: On the Town and The Clock 33
  8. Paradise Lost and Found: A Bronx Tale 49
  9. THERE’S A PLACE FOR US
  10. Woody Allen’s New York 65
  11. From Mean Streets to the Gangs of New York 77
  12. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You 91
  13. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place 103
  14. WHISPERING ESCAPADES OUT ON THE D TRAIN
  15. “When We See the Ocean, We Figure We’re Home” 123
  16. He Cuts Heads: Spike Lee and the New York Experience 137
  17. New York Class-Passing Onscreen in the 1930s 151
  18. STAYIN’ ALIVE. City of Danger and Adjustment
  19. City of Nightmares: The New York of Sidney Lumet 183
  20. Urban Irrational: Rosemary’s Baby, Polanski, New York 201
  21. The City That Never Shuts Up: Aural Intrusion in New York Apartment Films 215
  22. Wretched Refuse: Watching New York Ethnic Slum Films in the Aftermath of 9/11 229
  23. Night World: New York as a Noir Universe 243
  24. Works Cited and Consulted 259
  25. Notes on Contributors 267
  26. Index 271
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.36019/9780813541341-013

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents vii
  3. Acknowledgments ix
  4. Prelude: To Wake Up in the City That Never Sleeps 3
  5. MEMORY ALL ALONE IN THE MOONLIGHT
  6. “I Love New York!”: BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’ S 23
  7. A Day in New York: On the Town and The Clock 33
  8. Paradise Lost and Found: A Bronx Tale 49
  9. THERE’S A PLACE FOR US
  10. Woody Allen’s New York 65
  11. From Mean Streets to the Gangs of New York 77
  12. Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You 91
  13. A Clean, Well-Lighted Place 103
  14. WHISPERING ESCAPADES OUT ON THE D TRAIN
  15. “When We See the Ocean, We Figure We’re Home” 123
  16. He Cuts Heads: Spike Lee and the New York Experience 137
  17. New York Class-Passing Onscreen in the 1930s 151
  18. STAYIN’ ALIVE. City of Danger and Adjustment
  19. City of Nightmares: The New York of Sidney Lumet 183
  20. Urban Irrational: Rosemary’s Baby, Polanski, New York 201
  21. The City That Never Shuts Up: Aural Intrusion in New York Apartment Films 215
  22. Wretched Refuse: Watching New York Ethnic Slum Films in the Aftermath of 9/11 229
  23. Night World: New York as a Noir Universe 243
  24. Works Cited and Consulted 259
  25. Notes on Contributors 267
  26. Index 271
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