12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men
original film poster
Directed by	Sidney Lumet
Produced by	Henry Fonda Reginald Rose
Written by	Reginald Rose
Starring	Henry Fonda Lee J. Cobb E.G. Marshall Martin Balsam John Fiedler Jack Klugman Ed Binns Jack Warden Joseph Sweeney Ed Begley George Voskovec Robert Webber
Music by	Kenyon Hopkins
Cinematography	Boris Kaufman
Editing by	Carl Lerner
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	United States: 13 April 1957; 17 August 1997, TV
Running time	96 minutes
Language	English
Budget	US$340,000 (estimated)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

12 Angry Men is an American drama film produced in 1957 by first-time director Sidney Lumet based on the play of the same name by Reginald Rose. It is about a jury member who tries to persuade the other 11 members to acquit the suspect on trial on the basis of reasonable doubt. The film is notable for its almost exclusive use of one set: with the exception of three minutes of screen-time split between the beginning and the end and two short scenes in an adjoining washroom, the entire movie takes place in the jury room.

The titular twelve "angry men" (the jurors) are played by an ensemble cast:

1. Martin Balsam,
2. John Fiedler,
3. Lee J. Cobb,
4. E.G. Marshall,
5. Jack Klugman,
6. Ed Binns,
7. Jack Warden,
8. Henry Fonda,
9. Joseph Sweeney (in his last appearance in motion pictures).
10. Ed Begley,
11. George Voskovec,
12. Robert Webber,

Apart from two of the jurors swapping names on leaving the courthouse, no names are used in the film: the defendant is referred to as "the boy" and the witnesses as the "old man" and "the lady across the street".

In 2007, 12 Angry Men was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

Contents 1 Plot 2 Production 3 Responses 3.1 Critical responses 3.2 Awards 4 Remake and other adaptations 4.1 Film and TV 4.2 Theatre 5 Characters 6 See also 7 References 8 Bibliography 9 External links

Plot

The story begins after closing arguments have been presented in a murder case, as the judge is giving his instructions to the jury. According to American law (both then and now), the verdict (whether guilty or not guilty) must be unanimous. The question they are deciding is whether the defendant, a young teenaged boy from the city slum, murdered his father. The jury is further instructed that a guilty verdict will be accompanied by a mandatory death sentence — the electric chair. The jury of twelve move to the jury room, where they begin to become acquainted with each others' personalities and discuss the case.

The plot of the film revolves around their difficulty in reaching a unanimous verdict due, in some cases, to the jurors' prejudices. Juror #8 dissents in the initial voting, stating that the evidence presented is circumstantial and the boy deserves a fair deliberation, upon which he starts questioning the accuracy and reliability of the sole two witnesses to the murder, the fact that the knife used in the murder is not as unique as assumed (he produces an identical one from his pocket) and that the overall circumstances are rather shady.

His most fierce opponents - Jurors 3, 4 and 10 - claim that the boy's alibi is botched, since he does not remember any detail from the movies he watched at the theatre the night of the murder and he has sufficient motivation to kill his father. His lack of memory, however, is excused by panic attack; also, one of the witnesses is accused of wanting attention whilst the other might have "witnessed" the murder without her glasses on. As the deliberation goes on, the jurors go on to vote not guilty - in order, Jurors 9, 5, 11, 2, 6, 7, 12, 1, 4, 10 and finally 3. In a secret ballot, Juror 9 is the first to support Juror 8, not necessarily believing the accused is innocent but feeling Juror 8 deserves the opportunity for discussion. After listening to the complaints of Jurors 7 and 10, Jurors 5 and 2 change their votes. After Jurors 11 and 6 also decide on "not guilty," 7 becomes tired and also votes "not guilty" just so that the deliberation may end. Juror 12 changes his mind after voting "not guilty," but switches back moments after; the jury Foreman, 1, also votes "not guilty". Juror 10 loses all favor or respect after indulging in a bigoted rant, after which he is told to shut up by Juror 4 - who in turn is convinced that the witness who "saw" the murder may be inaccurate in her account because she may not have been wearing glasses at the time.

Last of all is the adamant Juror 3, who, after a long confrontation with Juror 8, breaks down after glancing at and furiously tearing up a picture of him and his son, whom he hasn't seen in two years (his angry rage suggesting a probable falling out with the boy). All jurors leave and clear the accused of all charges off-screen. In the epilogue, the friendly Jurors 8 (Davis) and 9 (McArdle) exchange surnames (all jurors have remained nameless throughout the movie) and the movie ends.

Production

Reginald Rose's screenplay for 12 Angry Men was initially produced for television, and was broadcast on the CBS program Studio One in 1954. A complete kinescope of that performance, which had been missing for years and was feared lost, was discovered in 2003.

The success of the TV film resulted in a film adaptation. Sidney Lumet, whose prior directorial credits included dramas for television productions such as the Alcoa Hour and Studio One, was recruited by Henry Fonda and Rose to direct. 12 Angry Men was Lumet's first feature film, and for Fonda and Rose, who co-produced the film, it was their first and only roles as film producers. Fonda later stated that he would never again produce a film.

The filming was completed after a short but rigorous rehearsal schedule in less than three weeks on a budget of about $350,000.

At the beginning of the film, the cameras are positioned above eye level and mounted with wide-angle lenses to give the appearance of greater depth between subjects, but as the film progresses the focal length of the lenses is gradually increased. By the end of the film, nearly everyone is shown in closeup using telephoto lenses from a lower angle, which decreases or "shortens" depth of field. Lumet, who began his career as a director of photography, stated that his intention in using these techniques with cinematographer Boris Kaufman was to create a nearly palpable claustrophobia.^{[citation needed]}

Responses

Critical responses

On its first release, 12 Angry Men received critical acclaim. A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote "It makes for taut, absorbing, and compelling drama that reaches far beyond the close confines of its jury room setting." His observation of the 12 men was that "their dramas are powerful and provocative enough to keep a viewer spellbound." However, it was not a popular success: the advent of color and widescreen productions resulted in the film receiving a disappointing box office performance.

Despite this, the film is today viewed as a classic, highly regarded from both a critical and popular viewpoint: Roger Ebert lists it as one of his "Great Movies,". The American Film Institute named Juror #8, played by Henry Fonda, 28th in a list of the 50 greatest movie heroes of the 20th century, named 12 Angry Men the 42nd most inspiring film, and later named the movie as the 87th best film of the past hundred years. In June 2008, it revealed its "Ten top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. 12 Angry Men was acknowledged as the second best film in the courtroom drama genre.^[1]

Awards

The film was nominated for Academy Awards in the categories of Best Director, Best Picture and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium. In all of these categories, the film was eclipsed by The Bridge on the River Kwai, which won seven Academy Awards that year. At the Berlin International Film Festival, the film won the Golden Bear Award.

Remake and other adaptations

Film and TV

12 Angry Men was remade for television in 1997. Directed by William Friedkin, the remake stars George C. Scott, James Gandolfini, Tony Danza, William Petersen, Ossie Davis, Hume Cronyn, Courtney B. Vance, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Jack Lemmon. In this production, the judge is a woman and four of the jurors are African American. (In interviews, producers said they decided against putting a woman in the jury because they didn't want to change the title.) Still, most of the action and dialogue of the film is identical to the original. Modernizations include a prohibition on smoking in the jury room, the changing of references to income and pop culture figures, more dialogue relating to race, and occasional profanity.

In 2007, Russian film director Nikita Mikhalkov completed his remake of the movie. The jury of 64th Venice Film Festival assigned its special prize to this remake 'to acknowledge the consistent brilliance of Nikita Mikhalkov’s body of work.'^[2]

Theatre

Main article: 12 Angry Men (play)

The screenplay has been published, and Rose wrote several stage adaptations of the story. In 1964 Leo Genn appeared in the play on the London stage. In other theatrical adaptations in which female actors are cast the play is retitled 12 Angry Jurors or 12 Angry Women.

In 2004, the Roundabout Theatre Company presented a Broadway production of the play, starring Boyd Gaines as a more combative Juror No. 8, with James Rebhorn (No. 4), Philip Bosco (No. 3), and Robert Prosky as the voice of the judge. In 2007, 12 Angry Men ran on a national theater tour with Richard Thomas and George Wendt starring as Jurors No. 8 and No. 1, respectively. The 2008 tour does not include Wendt but features another popular TV personality, Kevin Dobson of Kojak and Knots Landing , as Juror No. 10.

Characters

Juror #	Character	1954 actor	1957 actor	1997 actor	2004-2005 Actor	2006-7 Actor	Order that juror votes 'not guilty'
1	The jury foreman, somewhat pre-occupied with his duties; proves to be accommodating to others. An Assistant High-School Football coach	Norman Fell	Martin Balsam	Courtney B. Vance	Mark Blum	George Wendt	9
2	A meek and unpretentious bank clerk	John Beal	John Fiedler	Ossie Davis	Kevin Greer	Todd Cerveris	5
3	A businessman and an emotionally distraught father, opinionated and stubborn with a streak of sadism	Franchot Tone	Lee J. Cobb	George C. Scott	Philip Bosco (Replaced by Robert Foxworth)	Randle Mell	12
4	A rational stockbroker, unflappable and self-assured	Walter Abel	E.G. Marshall	Armin Mueller-Stahl	James Rebhorn	Jeffrey Hayenga	10 (tie)
5	A young man from a violent slum, a Baltimore Orioles fan	Lee Phillips	Jack Klugman	Dorian Harewood	Michael Mastro	Jim Saltouros	3
6	A house painter, tough but principled and respectful	Bart Burns	Ed Binns	James Gandolfini	Robert Clohessy	Charles Borland	6
7	A salesman, sports fan, superficial and indifferent to the deliberations	Paul Hartman	Jack Warden	Tony Danza	John Pankow	Mark Morettini	7
8	An architect, the lone dissenter (in the beginning). Identified as "Davis" at end of film	Robert Cummings	Henry Fonda	Jack Lemmon	Boyd Gaines	Richard Thomas	1
9	A wise and observant elderly man. Identified as "McArdle" at end of film	Joseph Sweeney	Joseph Sweeney	Hume Cronyn	Tom Aldredge	Alan Mandell	2
10	A garage owner; a pushy loudmouthed bigot	Edward Arnold	Ed Begley	Mykelti Williamson	Peter Friedman	Julian Gamble	10 (tie)
11	An immigrant watchmaker, proud to be a naturalized American citizen	George Voskovec	George Voskovec	Edward James Olmos	Larry Bryggman	David Lively	4
12	An indecisive advertising executive	William West	Robert Webber	William L. Petersen	Adam Trese (Replaced by Byron Jennings)	Craig Wroe	8

See also

• Minority influence
• Trial movies

References

Bibliography

• Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet. (c) 1995, ISBN 0-679-75660-4
• Phoebe C. Ellsworth. "Twelve Angry Men," Michigan Law Review, May 2003 v101 i6 p1387(21) (online at Infotrac), in depth analysis compared with research on actual jury behavior.
• The New York Times, April 15, 1957, "12 Angry Men", review by A. H. Weiler
• Readings on Twelve Angry Men, by Russ Munyan, Greenhaven Press, 2000, ISBN 0-7377-0313-X

External links

• 12 Angry Men at the Internet Movie Database

Awards
Preceded by Invitation to the Dance	Golden Bear winner 1957	Succeeded by Wild Strawberries

v • d • e Films directed by Sidney Lumet 12 Angry Men (1957) • Stage Struck (1958) • That Kind of Woman (1959) • The Fugitive Kind (1959) • A View from the Bridge (1961) • Long Day's Journey into Night (1962) • The Pawnbroker (1964) • Fail-Safe (1964) • The Hill (1965) • The Group (1966) • The Deadly Affair (1967) • Bye Bye Braverman (1968) • The Sea Gull (1968) • The Appointment (1969) • King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis (1970) • Last of the Mobile Hot Shots (1970) • The Anderson Tapes (1971) • Child's Play (1972) • The Offence (1972) • Serpico (1973) • Lovin' Molly (1974) • Murder on the Orient Express (1974) • Dog Day Afternoon (1975) • Network (1976) • Equus (1977) • The Wiz (1978) • Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) • Prince of the City (1981) • Deathtrap (1982) • The Verdict (1982) • Daniel (1983) • Garbo Talks (1984) • Power (1986) • The Morning After (1986) • Running on Empty (1988) • Family Business (1989) • Q & A (1990) • A Stranger Among Us (1992) • Guilty as Sin (1993) • Night Falls on Manhattan (1997) • Critical Care (1997) • Gloria (1999) • Strip Search (2004) • Find Me Guilty (2006) • Before the Devil Knows You're Dead (2007)

---

No comments have been added.

Your name:
City:
Country:	USA UK India Pakistan UAE Saudi Arabia Germany Afghanistan Albania Algeria Andorra Angola Antigua Barbuda Argentina Armenia Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burma Burund Cambodia Cameroon Canada Central African Rep Chad Chile China Columbia Comoros Congo Costa Rica Croatia Cuba Cyprus Czech Republic DR Congo Denmark Djiboutil Dominica Dominican Rep Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Eq Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France Gabon Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Greece Grenada Grenadines Guatemala Guinea Bissau Guinea Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iran Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Ivory Coast Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Liberia Libya Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Macau Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Mauritania Mauritius Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Neth Antilles Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria North Korea Norway Oman Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Rawanda Romania Russia Sao Tome Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Korea South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St Kitts_Nevis St Lucia Sudan Suriname Sweden Switzerland Syria Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Tuvala UAE Uganda Ukraine Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Vietnam Western Samoa Yemen Yugoslavia Zaire Zambia Zimbabwe
Your comments:
Security check * (Please enter the number into adjoining box)