Sidney Lumet Quotes (10 Quotes)

He was prescient. What can I tell you He was a Jewish soothsayer. One of the things I admire stylistically is how he was able to give you the bitter pill with such good laughs.

Galvin uses the word 'faith' several times in his summation to the jury, ... He says, 'In my faith, we are told you have only to act as if you have faith and faith will be given you.... You have only to act with justice,' and so on. He is using 'faith' absolutely synonymously with 'love.'

We all have a prejudice about action films. It's sort of like, if they're beautiful and blonde, she can't act, and we should know better by now. I've heard it from people, 'What are you doing, doing a picture with Vin Diesel' They're not giving him the credit he deserves. Sometimes, I just say, 'Wait till you see him in the picture.

I thought back to the O.J. Simpson trial. I would have voted him guilty. But there was no doubt that Johnnie Cochran overwhelmed the jury.

For any director with a little lucidity, masterpieces are films that come to you by accident.

We're all, and I include myself in this, big snobs about action heroes, we relegate them. It's what we used to do with beautiful actresses... if you're an action hero and a star it means you cannot act -- and all of this despite the fact that we know different.

All great work is preparing yourself for the accident to happen.

People make the great mistake with action heroes. They think that because generally the plots are simpler and their behavior is one-note that they can't act. But most of the time they can.

I knew I wasn't buying a pig in a poke. I knew how good he was.

there is no justice without love.