12 Angry Men (film)
"12 Angry Men" is a 1957 American drama film that explores the intricacies of the jury deliberation process in a murder trial. Based on a live television production from 1954, the film follows twelve jurors as they navigate their biases and confront the weight of their decision regarding the guilt or innocence of an eighteen-year-old boy accused of killing his father. The story unfolds predominantly in a single jury room, where the jurors' personalities and prejudices are revealed through intense discussions about the evidence presented in court.
The film begins with a near-unanimous vote for a guilty verdict, but Juror 8 stands alone in his dissent, prompting a thorough examination of the case. As the deliberations progress, the jurors grapple with their assumptions and the concept of reasonable doubt, ultimately leading to a dramatic shift in opinions. Despite its initial lack of commercial success, "12 Angry Men" received critical acclaim, earning multiple Academy Award nominations and becoming a revered classic in American cinema. The film's themes resonate with social and political issues of the 1950s, particularly concerning justice and equality, making it a timeless examination of the human condition.
12 Angry Men (film)
- Release Date: 1957
- Director(s): Sidney Lumet
- Writer(s): Reginald Rose
- Principal Actors and Roles: Henry Fonda (Juror #8); Martin Balsam (Juror #1); Ed Begley (Juror #10); Edward Binns (Juror #6); Lee J. Cobb (Juror #3); John Fiedler (Juror #2); Jack Klugman (Juror #5); E.g. Marshall (Juror #4); Joseph Sweeney (Juror #9); George Voskovec (Juror #11); Jack Warden (Juror #7); Robert Webber (Juror #12)
12 Angry Men is an American drama film based on an original television production broadcast live in 1954 on the CBS program, Studio One. Its success spurred interest in creating a film adaptation. Despite not being a box office success immediately, it was critically acclaimed and has become known as a cinema classic.
The budget of the film was a modest $340,000. Adjusted for modern inflation, that comes out to approximately $2.9 million. The cast barely rehearsed for three weeks before they began shooting. They were often made to rehearse lines in one confined room. This was meant to mimic the tight, limited conditions their characters endured throughout the film.
12 Angry Men is centered on the jury deliberations of a murder trial. The film documents the jury of twelve men as they attempt to come to a unanimous verdict. The film explores the idea of reasonable doubt, as well as techniques used to reach a consensus. The twelve men of the jury have a wide range of personalities, in addition to personal biases. All of these factors ignite conflict in the jury room, and make it all the more difficult for the men to reach a unanimous decision.
12 Angry Men almost exclusively employs one set for the entire film. Of the total 96 minutes the film runs, all but three minutes of it take place in the jury room. In addition, no characters in the film have names that are made known to the viewer. Each juror is referred to by his juror number, and the defendant is simply called "the boy." The witnesses are only known as "the old man" and "the lady across the street."
Plot
The entire film takes place in a New York courthouse during the trial of an eighteen-year-old boy. The boy, who is from a neighborhood slum, has allegedly stabbed and killed his father. All of the closing arguments have already been presented at the start of the film, and the evidence only becomes known to the audience via the juror’s deliberations later on. The judge instructs the jury that they must decide whether or not the boy is guilty. He informs the jury that if they deem the boy guilty, he will be sentenced to death. The jury then retires to the jury room to make their deliberation.
The jury briefly gets to know one another and chat about the case before the deliberations begin. From the conversations that take place, the audience can tell that the jurors are already convinced of the boy’s guilt. The jurors want to immediately return to the courtroom and inform the judge of their "guilty" verdict, without discussing the matter further. However, after an initial tally of votes, there is only one "not guilty" vote, cast by Juror 8. This puts a wrench in the plans of the jury to wrap up quickly, because the law necessitates a unanimous decision. Juror 8 feels that the decision is too important to make without a discussion.
Throughout the rest of the film, the jury attempts to reach a unanimous decision. It becomes clear that many of the jurors are prejudiced against people from slums. They discuss each piece of the evidence against the boy in detail in an attempt to determine whether or not the testimonies of the witnesses are reliable and accurate. Several more votes are cast, each time with more jurors changing their vote to "not guilty." Through several experiments and further examination of the evidence, it becomes increasingly clear that the evidence is not as strong as it had initially been perceived. The jury eventually comes to a unanimous "not guilty" verdict after Juror 3, the most adamant "guilty" vote, comes around.
Significance
12 Angry Men was not a commercial success initially, and the film’s performance at the box office was underwhelming. At the time of the film’s release, color films had gained popularity, so this disappointment has partially been attributed to the decision to shoot it in black and white. Despite the unpopular reception, however, the film was immediately critically acclaimed. 12 Angry Men eventually garnered popularity after it aired on television. The film was nominated for many Academy Awards the year it was released, including awards for best director, best picture, and best writing of adapted screenplay. The film lost all three categories to The Bridge on the River Kwai.
The film’s cinematographer, Boris Kaufman, strategically employed different focal lengths throughout the film to elicit specific emotions in the audience. In the beginning of the film, all of the cameras are placed at eye-level. This positioning, in addition to the use of wide-angle lenses, emphasizes the great distance between the subjects. Gradually throughout the rest of the film, the lens lengths increase and close-ups of the characters are shown. This is meant to create a feeling of claustrophobia and stress that is felt, as the deliberations grow more and more tense.
12 Angry Men also echoed some of the social and political conflicts that were raging on in the United States in the 1950s. Tensions were growing in the Civil Rights Movement, and 12 Angry Men depicted a situation that realistically could have occurred during this time period.
The film is now considered a cinematic classic. The American Film Institute named Juror 8 number twenty-eight on its list of the fifty greatest movie heroes of the twentieth century.
Awards and nominations
Nominated
- Academy Award (1957) Best Picture
- Academy Award (1957) Best Director: Sidney Lumet
- Academy Award (1957) Best Screenplay (Adapted): Reginald Rose
- Golden Globe (1957) Best Motion Picture (Drama)
- Golden Globe (1957) Best Director: Sidney Lumet
- Golden Globe (1957) Best Motion Picture Actor (Drama): Henry Fonda
- Golden Globe (1957) Best Supporting Actor: Lee J. Cobb
Bibliography
"12 Angry Men." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 2015. Web. 06 Jun. 2015 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/610903/12-Angry-Men>.
"12 Angry Men (1957)." Turner Classic Movies. Turner Entertainment Networks, Inc., 2015. Web. 06 Jun. 2015 <http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/94081/12-Angry-Men/>.
BookRags. Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose: Summary & Study Guide. Amazon Digital, 2012. Electronic.
Lumet, Sidney. Making Movies. New York: Vintage, 1996. Print.
Weiler, A.H. "Screen: ‘12 Angry Men’; Jury Room Drama Has Debut at Capitol." New York Times 15 Apr. 1957. Web. 6 June 2015. <http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9f02e3de1730e23bbc4d52dfb266838c649ede>.