Adapted from Reginald Rose's television play, this film marked the directing debut of Sidney Lumet. At the end of a murder trial in New York City, the twelve jurors retire to consider the verdict. The man in the dock is a young Puerto Rican accused of killing his father, and eleven of the twelve jurors do not hesitate in finding him guilty. However, one of the jurors (Henry Fonda), reluctant to send the youngster to his death without any debate, returns a vote of not guilty. From this single event, the jurors begin to re-evaluate the case, as they look at the murder - and themselves - in a fresh light.

How is a movie made and what exactly does a director do? This book attempts to illuminate every circumstance, internal and external, emotional and technical, involved in the arduous process that culminates in what we see on the big screen.;Only the director knows the background to the scenes, behind every passing frame of film, and the complex series of details and decisions involved, from budget considerations to divine inspiration, from the earliest rehearsal to the final screening. Sidney Lumet's knowledge of the art and craft of directing is considerable, and here he discusses everything from art direction and wardrobe, shooting and editing, the verbal and mechanical soundtracks, to the distribution and marketing of a film and the role of the studio.

Sidney Lumet's 1973 crime drama Serpico remains one of the most influential cop movies - alongside Al Pacino's nuanced performance in a disturbing portrait of corruption and morality in the city that never sleeps.

A plainclothes street patrolman, Frank Serpico (Pacino) might be the best cop in New York, but he is unwilling to play dirty and give into police corruption of drugs, violence, and kickbacks his colleagues indulge in every day. When he decides to expose those around him, Frank finds himself a target, not just to the city's criminals, but his own peers.

Shot on location and based on real events, Serpico captures the grit of New York in a way no film has rivalled, not just for its toned down realism, but also the bleakness Lumet portrays within his hometown city with brutal cynicism with frank immediacy.

Adapted from Reginald Rose's television play, this film marked the directing debut of Sidney Lumet. At the end of a murder trial in New York City, the twelve jurors retire to consider the verdict. The man in the dock is a young Puerto Rican accused of killing his father, and eleven of the twelve jurors do not hesitate in finding him guilty. However, one of the jurors (Henry Fonda), reluctant to send the youngster to his death without any debate, returns a vote of not guilty. From this single event, the jurors begin to re-evaluate the case, as they look at the murder - and themselves - in a fresh light.

Modern update of 'The Wizard of Oz' with Diana Ross as Dorothy leading her gang of no-gooders to the disco chic city of New York. Plenty of Motown music and dance routines are provided by an all black cast.

Crime drama directed by Sidney Lumet. Sean Connery stars as Detective Sergeant Johnson, a brutal policeman who has seen too much action and misery in his past twenty years of service. In the claustrophobic atmosphere of the interrogation room, Johnson finally snaps when questioning a suspected rapist called Kenneth Baxter (Ian Bannen), who he is convinced is guilty. But as he becomes more obsessed with Baxter's guilt and his suppressed emotions are unleashed, the detective finds himself subtly changing places with the offender as notions of truth, good and evil are challenged.

From one of America's most acclaimed directors comes a book that is both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on 40 years of experience on movies ranging from Long Day's Journey Into Night to The Verdict, Lumet explains the painstaking labor that results in two hours of screen magic.

Ageing television presenter Howard Beale (Peter Finch) is on the edge of a mental breakdown when he is fired. He decides to open his heart to his audience, breaking down live on TV. Incredibly, this boosts his ratings, and Beale is re-hired and given his own show on which he can scream and shout. The film won three Oscars, with Paddy Chayevsky winning an award for the Best Original Screenplay.