Directed By…Sidney Lumet: Volume 1 [Imprint] Blu-Ray Review – Six Essential Gems From A Filmmaking Legend

The Pawnbroker (1964) – This groundbreaking drama features a critically acclaimed performance by Academy Award winning actor Rod Steiger (On The Waterfront, In The Heat Of The Night), and is based on the novel by Edward Lewis Wallant. A WWII Nazi death camp survivor takes refuge in misery and a bitter condemnation of humanity while managing a Harlem pawnshop subjected to an endless parade of prostitutes, pimps, and thieves.

The Group (1966) – A BAFTA-nominated social satire, The Group stars an incredible female ensemble cast including Candice Bergen (Gandhi, The Domino Principle, Bite The Bullet), Jessica Walter (Play Misty For Me, Archer), and Academy Award nominees Joan Hackett, Elizabeth Hartman, and Shirley Knight. A group of eight young women from a certain single-sex liberal arts college face the inevitable pressures to sand the rough edges off their personalities and to surrender their independence to the men in their lives and the institutions they represent. 

The Deadly Affair (1967) – Sidney Lumet directs the legendary James Mason in this thrilling spy film with an incredible score by Quincy Jones, based on John le Carre’s debut novel ‘Call For The Dead’. Puzzled by the sudden suicide of a man he’s recently investigated, a British secret agent persists with his inquiries despite being warned off by the Foreign Office. What he uncovers has dire consequences…

Child’s Play (1972) – James Mason, Robert Preston, and Beau Bridges star in this 70’s psychological mystery directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the Broadway play by Robert Marasco. At an exclusive boys’ school, a new gym teacher is drawn into a feud between two older instructors, and he discovers that everything at the school is not quite as staid, tranquil and harmless as it seems.

The Offence (1973) – A thrilling neo-noir crime drama starring Sean Connery as a troubled police detective, The Offence is based on John Hopkins’ stage play This Story Of Yours. A burnt-out British police detective finally snaps whilst interrogating a suspected child molester. With impressive performances from Ian Bannen (nominated for a BAFTA for his role in this film), Trevor Howard (The Third Man), and Vivien Merchant (Frenzy, Alfie), Sidney Lumet’s direction of this bold piece is explosive and disturbing. 

Serpico (1973) – Sidney Lumet’s Academy Award-nominated biographical crime drama masterpiece features a gripping performance from Al Pacino, acclaimed by critics and audiences alike. Serpico presents a city in decay both literally and morally, as everybody is in on the take, and the cops and criminals are almost interchangeable.

For thoughts on Directed by…Sidney Lumet: Volume 1, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

Video Quality

Directed by…Sidney Lumet: Volume 1 comes to Blu-Ray courtesy of Imprint Films with six feature films each given their own disc. This label is based out of Australia, but these discs will play on all Blu-Ray players including those in the United States. All of these masters appear to be older masters that are noted as being from a 2K scan. Every title seems to have been released in the United States previously by companies such as Olive Films and Kino Classics, except for The Deadly Affair which was released by Indicator in the UK. These new releases are presumably using the same masters as the previous releases elsewhere in the world. These transfers look fairly solid and it is great to have all of these films together in one set, but giving all of these titles a fresh coat of paint would have made the experience even better. These films share many of the same qualities, so I will mostly be judging them as a group while pointing out noticeable differences when necessary. 

The quality of these six films remains in the “pretty good” range with no film dazzling or completely falling apart. Most of the films show off a slight bit of underlying print damage and other source anomalies to one degree or another, but by and large, these transfers represent the films well even without fresh remasters. The title that most obviously stands apart is The Pawnbroker, which is the only film captured with black-and-white photography. The contrast is consistent with only a minor level of density fluctuation in the print. This one does not succumb to black crush or blooming highlights. The remaining five films are presented in color, but outside of The Group, most are rather aesthetically dour affairs that line up with the tonal ambitions of the narrative. Hues have nice depth even if they are not vibrant. 

The natural grain field appears to have been retained throughout this set while resolving well. There are occasional moments that briefly spike or swarm, but not much has been managed or scrubbed of its texture. There is a fine amount of detail present with textures on the costumes and in the locales and production design. Black levels are largely solid but could be given slightly more depth. There are no egregious occurrences of compression artifacts across the six films. The biggest disappointment about this set is that Serpico has already been released on 4K UHD Blu-Ray, so going back to an old 2K scan feels like a major step back. Considering it is the premiere title of the set, most will want to snag that much better disc to supplement this set. Some of these titles are a bit difficult to find these days, so we are glad Imprint Films has brought them back to life, even if improvements could be made. 

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with a favorable LPCM 2.0 track for each of these six films that presents them effectively. Serpico also has a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track which seemingly duplicates what can be heard on the 4K UHD release here. Lumet films excel when it comes to exchanges of dialogue, and nearly every line comes through clearly without a hint of distortion or sibilance. The sound mixing balances it well with the environmental elements so that each element gets the power it needs. 

The scores that accompany these films never steal focus from other important information, and very few moments ever feel fragile or stained. There are a few discrete deficits that come in the form of some faint hissing, humming, and crackles that more than likely date back to the source elements. While not overly showy, Imprint Films has provided a steady audio experience for these. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films.

Special Features

The Pawnbroker

• Audio Commentary: Writer/producer Phoef Sutton, writer/NPR commentator Mark Legan, and author/film historian C. Courtney Joyner provide a very illuminating new commentary track in which they discuss how this feature works as a feat of adaptation, where this fits into the filmography of Sidney Lumet, the science behind photographing in black-and-white, the careers of the talent involved, the legacy of the film and more. 

• The Guardian Interview – Rod Steiger Audio Recording (1992): A massive 1-hour-and-55-minute audio interview with the great Rod Steiger who reflects on his career in great detail. This is one you will not want to miss. 

• Cinema of the Pupil – A Talmudic View of Early Holocaust Cinema: A 25-minute video essay is provided by film historian Daniel Kremer that gives some background on the sacred Jewish text and how its ideas are woven into features like The Pawnbroker. 

• Safe Within Myself – Remembering Rod Steiger: A 12-minute interview with the stepdaughter of Rod Steiger, Claudia Myhers Tschudin, who discusses Steiger’s acting prowess, the elements from real life he brought to his performances, his respect for Sidney Lumet, his struggles with depression, his generosity and kindness, and much more. 

• Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided. 

The Group

• Audio Commentary: Critic Adrian Martin provides a fine new commentary track in which he discusses the social issues tackled in this narrative, the dynamics between the women, the direction of Sidney Lumet, the period in which this film was released, the background of the performers, and much more. 

• Theatrical Trailer: There is a nearly four-minute trailer provided for this one.

The Deadly Affair

• Theatrical Trailer: There is a two-and-a-half-minute trailer provided for this one. 

Child’s Play

• Audio Commentary: Film historian Howard Berger provides a new commentary track in which he guides you through the film exploring the themes of the picture, the point of view of the narrative, the direction of Sidney Lumet, the production design, and more. 

• Designing Sidney – Interview with Production Designer Philip Rosenberg: A terrific new 36-minute audio interview with longtime Sidney Lumet collaborator Philip Rosenberg as he reflects on his history as a production designer and his relationship with Lumet on 14 films. 

The Offence

• Audio Commentary: Film historians Lee Pfeiffer, Tony Latino & Paul Scrabo provide a nifty new commentary track in which they discuss how this fits into the career of Sean Connery, his collaborations with Sidney Lumet, the bleak tone of the narrative, the unique score of the film, the legacy of the feature, and more. 

• Sidney Lumet – Childhood Elegy: A new 57-minute video essay from film historian Howard Berger in which he explores his relationship with Lumet, the director’s background, recurring themes throughout his work, and much more. 

• Interview with Second Assistant Director Michael Stevenson: An eight-minute interview with Stevenson in which he discusses his memories of The Offence, the directing style of Sidney Lumet, the shooting locations, lessons learned from Ridley Scott, and more. 

• Interview with Composer Harrison Birtwistle: A 14-minute interview with the composer in which he discusses how he came to score The Offence, his collaboration with Lumet, how he went about creating the score, and much more. 

• Interview with Stage Director Christopher Morahan: A 16-minute interview with the stage director who discusses how the original play was developed, the adaptation for the screen, the casting process, the work of Sean Connery, and more. 

• Interview with Assistant Art Director Chris Burke: A 13-minute interview with Burke in which he discusses working with art director John Clark, the directing style of Sidney Lumet, the rehearsal project, the shooting locations, the sets that were built, and more. 

• Interview with Costume Designer Evangeline Harrison: A nearly seven-minute interview with the costume designer in which she reflects on working with Sean Connery, the outfits she created for the film, and more.

• Interview with Sound Mixer Simon Kaye: A six-minute interview with the sound mixer who discusses the joy of working with Sidney Lumet, the process of recording certain sequences, and more. 

• Theatrical Trailer: There is a two-minute trailer provided for this one. 

Serpico

There are no special features provided on this disc. 

Bonus Disc

• One Step Further – Becoming Lumet: A new 57-minute documentary on the first half of Lumet’s career that is encompassed in this box set from early childhood to Serpico. This is a terrific piece that fans will love. 

• A Perfectly Outrageous Cut – Editing Lumet: A nearly 20-minute interview with award-winning editor Alan Heim discussing his working relationship with Sidney Lumet, how he got his start on The Pawnbroker, his transition into editing from sound work, some contentious collaborations he witnessed over the years, the meticulous planning of Lumet, the challenges faced working for Lumet, and more. 

• His Favorite Protagonist – Designing Lumet: A 13-minute interview with production designer Philip Rosenberg discussing his collaborations with Sidney Lumet, memories of working with international crews, Lumet’s approach to filmmaking, and more that takes some of the information found on the Child’s Play disc and repurposes it here. 

• Man with No Anger – Scoring Lumet: An 18-minute interview with film music historian Daniel Schweiger discussing acclaimed composer Quincy Jones and his collaboration with Sidney Lumet.

• Trailers From Hell – Adam Rifkin Commentary on Serpico: A nearly five-minute piece that explores Serpico with a quick but informative overview. 

Final Thoughts

Directed by…Sidney Lumet: Volume 1 collects six very entertaining films from the early part of the filmmaker’s career into a single box filled with thrills and intrigue. While not all of these titles are his most well known, this is even more reason to pick it up as you get to discover some great works from one of the best to ever do it. There is not a weak link in the bunch, and the set does show some variety. Imprint Films has released a Blu-Ray set featuring a solid enough A/V presentation and some terrific special features. If you are a fan of the director or looking to become one, this set will treat you right. Recommended 

Directed by…Sidney Lumet: Volume 1 is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Note #2: This release is an Australian import that can be played on Blu-Ray players worldwide.

Disclaimer: Imprint Films has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.