--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sidney Lumet's chief preoccupation wasn't…" description: "\"Sidney Lumet's chief preoccupation wasn't art. It was right and wrong in the American city, nearly always in New York.\" — Wesley Morris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/wesley-morris-8047_american_sidney-lumet-s-chief-preoccupation-wasn_3235419.png" --- # Sidney Lumet's chief preoccupation wasn't art. It was… ![“Sidney Lumet's chief preoccupation wasn't art. It was right and wrong in the American city, nearly always in New York.” quote by Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/wesley-morris-8047_american_sidney-lumet-s-chief-preoccupation-wasn_3235419.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/wesley-morris-8047_american_sidney-lumet-s-chief-preoccupation-wasn_3235419.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1c6/wesley-morris-8047_american_sidney-lumet-s-chief-preoccupation-wasn_3235419.png) > “Sidney Lumet's chief preoccupation wasn't art. It was right and wrong in the American city, nearly always in New York.” [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lumet focused on moral dilemmas in urban life rather than aesthetic concerns. **In simple terms:** He cared about right and wrong in cities. Key Takeaway Consider the ethical impact of your work. Themes ethics urban life film morality Mood reflective serious Type analytical critical When to use this quote - city planning - film direction - policy making - community activism Key Concepts social critique human condition Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance moral messaging with artistic expression? - What city issues demand moral scrutiny? A Different Perspective His focus may overlook artistic innovation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Chiefs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chiefs/) [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) [Right and wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-and-wrong/) ## Related quotes > [The suspicion that immigrants are not to be trusted or are unpatriotic is not just wrong; it is un-American. And dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-lieu/the-suspicion-that-immigrants-are-not-to-be-trusted-or-are/) [Ted Lieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-lieu/) > [Money is at the root of most that is wrong in American politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-beckel/money-is-at-the-root-of-most-that-is-wrong-in-american-politics/) [Bob Beckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-beckel/) > [Something is very, very wrong with American culture. The signs are everywhere. I think the country is in almost terminal descent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/something-is-very-very-wrong-with-american-culture-the-signs-are-2/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [L.A. is my American city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-ford/l-a-is-my-american-city/) [Tom Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-ford/) > [I love Las Vegas in a way separate from my love of any other American city. For me, growing up, it was a town…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meghan-mccain/i-love-las-vegas-in-a-way-separate-from-my-love-of-any-other-american/) [Meghan McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meghan-mccain/) > [If you sit around and wring your hands as they're all doing now until something happens to a major American city, then it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-inhofe/if-you-sit-around-and-wring-your-hands-as-they-re-all-doing-now-until/) [James Inhofe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-inhofe/) > [A great American city is fighting for its life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-morial/a-great-american-city-is-fighting-for-its-life/) [Marc Morial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-morial/) > [No other American city is so intensely American as New York.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-trollope/no-other-american-city-is-so-intensely-american-as-new-york/) [Anthony Trollope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-trollope/) > [Chicago is the great American city, New York is one of the capitals of the world, and Los Angeles is a constellation of plastic;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/chicago-is-the-great-american-city-new-york-is-one-of-the-capitals-of/) [Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/) > [If you visit American city, You will find it very pretty. Just two things of which you must beware: Don't drink the water and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/if-you-visit-american-city-you-will-find-it-very-pretty-just-two/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [Sidney Lumet is one of my favorite filmmakers. I feel like his approach to filmmaking was always so human. He was always making movies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-cianfrance/sidney-lumet-is-one-of-my-favorite-filmmakers-i-feel-like-his/) [Derek Cianfrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-cianfrance/) > [I worked with Sidney Lumet years ago, and we had a long rehearsal process, and he would tape out the entire set on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-worked-with-sidney-lumet-years-ago-and-we-had-a-long-rehearsal/) [Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/) > [ I don't know if you've ever seen some of the Sidney Lumet movies, like Dog Day Afternoon \[1975\] or Network \[1976\]. They're real events… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodie-foster/i-don-t-know-if-you-ve-ever-seen-some-of-the-sidney-lumet-movies-like/) [Jodie Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodie-foster/) > [I was walking around with the babies so much that when I got to the Sidney Lumet picture, I would be on set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/i-was-walking-around-with-the-babies-so-much-that-when-i-got-to-the/) [Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/) > [Sidney Poitier and Sidney Lumet were instrumental in helping me get started as the first black composer to get name credit for movie scores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quincy-jones/sidney-poitier-and-sidney-lumet-were-instrumental-in-helping-me-get/) [Quincy Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quincy-jones/) ## More by Wesley Morris > [I don't like turkey. I mean, I do. But I don't like it on Thanksgiving. I don't need it. There are about 20 other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-like-turkey-i-mean-i-do-but-i-don-t-like-it-on-thanksgiving-i/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > ['Playboy' operated with a patina of civility that granted the average man a presumption of pleasure that went one way - his. And that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/playboy-operated-with-a-patina-of-civility-that-granted-the-average/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I feel like I've always approached criticism with a degree of morality, right? Like, not as a moralizer, but just as somebody who wants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-feel-like-i-ve-always-approached-criticism-with-a-degree-of/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [A week before Thanksgiving, my mother bought the turkey, frozen. Then she froze it some more. Then she let it thaw and cleaned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/a-week-before-thanksgiving-my-mother-bought-the-turkey-frozen-then/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Jordan Peele is famous, in part, for imitations - of rappers and dingbats and the 44th president of the United States. But he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/jordan-peele-is-famous-in-part-for-imitations-of-rappers-and-dingbats/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I don't need the audience, but sometimes it's nice to have a gauge - not so I know how I feel, but so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-need-the-audience-but-sometimes-it-s-nice-to-have-a-gauge-not/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [If Judge Steven T. O'Neill sent Mr. Cosby away for the rest of his life, that sentence couldn't undo what he's convicted of having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/if-judge-steven-t-o-neill-sent-mr-cosby-away-for-the-rest-of-his-life/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Anyone who watches a lot of television, or listens to pop music, is familiar with a certain vision of America. If not exactly colorblind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/anyone-who-watches-a-lot-of-television-or-listens-to-pop-music-is/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I like Rob Morgan in 'Mudbound.' Most of the attention being paid to this movie has focused on Rachel Morrison's cinematography and Mary J.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-like-rob-morgan-in-mudbound-most-of-the-attention-being-paid-to/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I like Nora Ephron. She wasn't a critic in the strictest sense of the word, but she did a lot of social criticism. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-like-nora-ephron-she-wasn-t-a-critic-in-the-strictest-sense-of-the/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Anything produced and then exhibited for public view is open to interpretation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/anything-produced-and-then-exhibited-for-public-view-is-open-to/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [I don't see a lot, but I think what the movie studios know and what they always know but they kind of ignore, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/i-don-t-see-a-lot-but-i-think-what-the-movie-studios-know-and-what/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [What about Hong Chau? In typical supporting-part fashion, she shows up halfway through 'Downsizing,' already shrunk, an imperious Vietnamese house cleaner with a limp…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/what-about-hong-chau-in-typical-supporting-part-fashion-she-shows-up/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Ms. Sciorra is a member of a dwindling fleet of actors who actually sound like they come from somewhere. In her case, 'somewhere' is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/ms-sciorra-is-a-member-of-a-dwindling-fleet-of-actors-who-actually/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) > [Suddenly, stories of abuse and harassment are being believed; abusers and harassers are being toppled. Yet, at the same time, one of the top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wesley-morris/suddenly-stories-of-abuse-and-harassment-are-being-believed-abusers/) [Wesley Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) [Explore all 85 Wesley Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wesley-morris/) ## More American quotes > [I wasn't attracted to American cinema, but I fell in love with Los Angeles the minute I arrived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/i-wasn-t-attracted-to-american-cinema-but-i-fell-in-love-with-los/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [William Maxwell's my favorite North American writer, I think. 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W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act in a tremendous investment to support millions of workers without a paycheck and behind on bills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-auchincloss/congress-passed-the-american-rescue-plan-act-in-a-tremendous/) [Jake Auchincloss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-auchincloss/) > [Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy and employ almost half of the working population. Yet because of their size, they rarely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-lipinski/small-businesses-are-the-backbone-of-the-american-economy-and-employ/) [Dan Lipinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-lipinski/) > [Although I write in English, and despite the fact that I'm from America, I consider myself an Armenian writer. The words I use are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-saroyan/although-i-write-in-english-and-despite-the-fact-that-i-m-from/) [William Saroyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-saroyan/) > [When we first sold the Wallace and Gromit shorts to America, people suggested we get rid of the strange British accents and put clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-park/when-we-first-sold-the-wallace-and-gromit-shorts-to-america-people/) [Nick Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-park/) > [Firefighters and rescue workers are American superheroes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/firefighters-and-rescue-workers-are-american-superheroes/) [Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) > [New York and San Francisco are distinctly different. San Francisco is driving the American media, not New York. You have young, microwaved millionaires and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-whitlock/new-york-and-san-francisco-are-distinctly-different-san-francisco-is/) [Jason Whitlock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-whitlock/) > [Well look, CIA is an agency that has to collect intelligence, do operations. We have to take risks and it's important that we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-panetta/well-look-cia-is-an-agency-that-has-to-collect-intelligence-do/) [Leon Panetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-panetta/) > [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/) [Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/) > [It's important for American soldiers to be culturally sensitive when deployed in foreign countries. But it's just as important for the U.S. never to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-bauer/it-s-important-for-american-soldiers-to-be-culturally-sensitive-when/) [Gary Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-bauer/) Browse all 7,717 American quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sidney Lumet's chief preoccupation wasn't art. 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