Lumet’s most earnest and lasting commentary on the messiness and sublime complexity of human beings.

A sweeping film at the intersection of life and art, politics and performance, the intimate and the epic. 

After nearly a century of critics, scholars, and moviegoers singing its praises, the answer to what makes the film endure remains simple, if rather dissatisfying: Movie Magic.  

Francis Ford Coppola’s film has a mythological place in American culture and history.  

This is a strange film. Nothing quite compares.

A film about the face as an open and accessible site of truth, leaving any attempt to conceal, deny, or disfigure the face a crime against Nature.

A film about women sharing their histories and memories.

Gene Tierney plays an icon who entrances everyone around her, but the performer’s life off-camera lends the role tragic insight that makes the film unforgettable. 

The film’s lasting effect has less to do with its narratives than the unusual, beautiful, and unforgettable cinematic language Kobayashi creates in their service.