12 Angry Men
Number 19 on IMDb's Top 250
Nominated by Lynn
Heralded as one of the all-time great theatrical releases, "12 Angry Men" focuses on a jury's deliberations in a capital murder case. A 12-man jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year-old Latino accused in the stabbing death of his father, where a guilty verdict means an automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. 8 (Mr. Davis, played by Henry Fonda) casts a not guilty vote. Hilarity ensues. At first Juror No. 8 bases his vote moreso for the sake of discussion, after all, the jurors must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. As the deliberations unfold, the story quickly becomes a study of the jurors' complex personalities (which range from wise, bright and empathetic to arrogant, prejudiced and merciless), preconceptions, backgrounds and interactions. That provides the backdrop to Juror No. 8's attempts in convincing the other jurors that a "not guilty" verdict might be appropriate.
Trivia: All but three minutes of the film was shot inside the bare and confining, sixteen by twenty-four foot "jury room". As shooting of the film went on, director Sidney Lumet gradually changed to lenses of longer focal lengths, so that the backgrounds seemed to close in on the characters, creating a greater feeling of claustrophobia.
All hail the classics. Movies like this are what makes Hoolywood so great. What can be simpler then 12 men in a locked room *calmly* discussing a murder trial. That's it, no explosions, no special effects, just pure drama, and it still holds you even though this movie is almost 50 years old. It is truely amazing what they were able to do back then, they actually made good movies, what a concept. I have a new respect for *old* movies after watching this, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, and some of the Best Picture Oscar winners. Thanks Lynn.
Heralded as one of the all-time great theatrical releases, "12 Angry Men" focuses on a jury's deliberations in a capital murder case. A 12-man jury is sent to begin deliberations in the first-degree murder trial of an 18-year-old Latino accused in the stabbing death of his father, where a guilty verdict means an automatic death sentence. The case appears to be open-and-shut: The defendant has a weak alibi; a knife he claimed to have lost is found at the murder scene; and several witnesses either heard screaming, saw the killing or the boy fleeing the scene. Eleven of the jurors immediately vote guilty; only Juror No. 8 (Mr. Davis, played by Henry Fonda) casts a not guilty vote. Hilarity ensues. At first Juror No. 8 bases his vote moreso for the sake of discussion, after all, the jurors must believe beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty. As the deliberations unfold, the story quickly becomes a study of the jurors' complex personalities (which range from wise, bright and empathetic to arrogant, prejudiced and merciless), preconceptions, backgrounds and interactions. That provides the backdrop to Juror No. 8's attempts in convincing the other jurors that a "not guilty" verdict might be appropriate.Trivia: All but three minutes of the film was shot inside the bare and confining, sixteen by twenty-four foot "jury room". As shooting of the film went on, director Sidney Lumet gradually changed to lenses of longer focal lengths, so that the backgrounds seemed to close in on the characters, creating a greater feeling of claustrophobia.
All hail the classics. Movies like this are what makes Hoolywood so great. What can be simpler then 12 men in a locked room *calmly* discussing a murder trial. That's it, no explosions, no special effects, just pure drama, and it still holds you even though this movie is almost 50 years old. It is truely amazing what they were able to do back then, they actually made good movies, what a concept. I have a new respect for *old* movies after watching this, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, and some of the Best Picture Oscar winners. Thanks Lynn.
Posts
2 comments:
ok, ok, here's some more nominations for your future movie viewing pleasure.
dr. strangelove - you've got to love peter sellers.
duck soup - you've never seen a marx brothers movie? shame....
the day the earth stood still - gort klatuu. nikto barada.
grapes o' wrath - a hilarious romp through the dust bowl.
stalag 17 - tons of fun in a german concentration camp.
ed wood - someone who is goofier than me. i. us.
ak
Okay I have added them to my list. I am also going to get Plan 9 From Outer Space, Ed Wood is based on the director making this movie that some consider "the worst movie ever made."
Post a Comment