DVD/DVR #51 - My first theater job in NYC was as Script Supervisor on a musical starring a pre-Everwood Treat Williams (I had to run lines with him every week while he got his hair permed (for the role)). I tried to see this movie then, but it wasn’t on DVD yet.
If you like gritty, complex docu-style police procedurals, check it out. It’s way long (almost three hours), but it never lags, you get to see Jerry Orbach originate the understated cop persona he’d use later on Law & Order, and Treat is great. He did this movie not long after Hair. Then he disappeared into crappy TV movies for a long time (because of drugs? Ego?).
Also - If I ever get to direct films, I want to do it like Sidney Lumet. Strong, subtle choices, incredible trust of his actors, and script-first storytelling. I know those aren’t the attributes of successful Hollywood directors these days, but to that I say: 12 Angry Men, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon & Network. Those are all dramas, but I think comedy could be done the same way. Maybe I’m wrong.
