Had he not passed away on April 9, famed director Sidney Lumet would have turned 87 years old on Saturday. The five-time Academy Award-nominee was responsible for some of the most indelible films from the last half-century, including 12 Angry Men, Network, Dog Day Afternoon, The Verdict and Running on Empty, to name just five. Lumet was remembered at the Los Angeles Film Festival this week, and if you didn't get a chance to participate in that event, Movieline is here to provide a sounding board. In honor of what would have been Lumet's birthday, celebrate the director's career ahead.
Perhaps because it feels like this summer may be filled with muggy insanity here in New York, Dog Day Afternoon sticks out as my favorite Lumet film at the moment. (That could change within the hour, of course, when I think back on Network, The Verdict and Before the Devil Knows You're Dead.) As it was revealed at the Los Angeles Film Festival, the film was initially intended to be more comedic than what was put to film, but that doesn't mean Dog Day Afternoon isn't without a copious amount of humor. Like the "Wyoming scene," which is guaranteed to make you laugh harder than any actual comedy you've seen in theaters during the last two months. (Sadly, the clip is not embeddable, but you can click here to watch.)
What are some of your favorite Lumet movies and moments? Spend this Saturday discussing them in the comments section below.