Movies - 12 Angry Men

Home > Listing Index > Movies > 12 Angry Men

	Movies - 12 Angry Men

12 Angry Men is a black-and-white film produced in 1957, and tells the story of twelve jurors bound by the acceptance of their civic duty and thrust together into a hot, humid room to deliberate the guilt or innocence of a boy accused of killing his father in a moment of rage. Initially, only one juror is not certain, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the young man is guilty. With the exception of a few moments at the beginning and the end, the entire movie takes place in the room.

A study of contrasts in human character under the stress of grave responsibility, the movie stars what has been described as one of the finest ensembles of character actors ever assembled, and includes Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, John Fiedler, E.G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Ed Binns, Martin Balsam, Jack Klugman, George Voskovec, Robert Webber, and Joseph Sweeney (his last appearance in motion pictures). 12 Angry Men is highly regarded from both a critical and popular viewpoint; Roger Ebert lists it as one of his "Great Movies", and it has been consistently ranked in the top 30 of the Internet Movie Database Top 250 List.

Plot summary

The story begins after closing arguments have been presented, as the judge is instructing the jury. The twelve men must determine, unanimously, whether the accused is innocent or guilty of the charge of murder. These twelve then move to the jury room, where they begin to become acquainted with the personalities of their peers. In a preliminary vote they are startled to find that one juror has voted "not guilty." Many of the jurors are amazed and disturbed because juror #8 ("Davis", played by Fonda), the lone dissenter, does not see the "open and shut" nature of the case. Davis maintains that he has a reasonable doubt, and it is morally wrong and illegal to condemn a man to death if any jury member has a reasonable doubt.

The ensuing arguments and sifting of the evidence unveil the flaws of the prosecution's case, the questionable representation by the defendant's court-appointed attorney, and the true character of each of the jury members. Although it is only inferred, it soon becomes apparent that the accused boy is a member of an ethnic minority, and that a measure of prejudice exists in the jury room. Throughout the deliberations, not a single juror knows another by his name. Gradually, Davis and those jurors who become convinced by the soundness of his reasoning prove to every man on the jury that the defendant's guilt is not "beyond a reasonable doubt". The result is a vote of 12-0 in favor of acquittal, and the jurors leave the room. What happens in the courtroom after that is left to the imagination of the viewers. In the final scene, as they are going down the courthouse steps toward the street, McCardle calls to Davis and asks for his name. They introduce themselves to each other, say goodbye, and go their separate ways.

Behind the scenes

Directed by Sidney Lumet and adapted by Reginald Rose from his 1954 teleplay which was originally broadcast on CBS, 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. The cinematographer, Boris Kaufman, who hailed from Europe and collaborated with French film director Jean Vigo on Zéro de Conduite
(1933) and L'Atalante
(1934), was a previous Academy Award winner for his work in On the Waterfront
(1954), but was not nominated in 1957. Lumet and Kaufman went on to collaborate successfully in The Fugitive Kind (1959), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), and The Pawnbroker (1964). Fonda, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor in the first movie of his distinguished career, The Grapes of Wrath
(1940), was not nominated.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for 12 Angry Men ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article 12 Angry Men; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay