12 Angry Men
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| 12 Angry Men | |
|---|---|
| Image:12 angry men.jpg 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 |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $340,000 (estimated) |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
12 Angry Men is an American drama film produced in 1957 by first time director Sidney Lumet based on the play 12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose. It is about a jury member who must try to persuade the other 11 members to acquit the suspect on trial on the basis of reasonable doubt. The film is notable for its use of a single 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 ensemble cast 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).
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".
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[edit] Plot summary
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 at the time, any jury that will decide whether the death penalty is appropriate must be unanimous. The question they are deciding is whether the defendant, an 18-year-old man[1], murdered his father. The jury is further instructed that a guilty verdict will be accompanied by a mandatory death sentence (something that could not happen in the current American legal system). The 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. Throughout their deliberation, not a single juror calls another by name because their names are unknown to each other; however at the end, Sweeney's and Fonda's characters tell their last names (McArdle and Davis, respectively).
[edit] 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.
[edit] Responses
[edit] 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.
Even though when first released, it proved to be a major box office disappointment, today, the film is viewed as a "classic" and is 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, the 28th greatest movie hero of the 20th century, named 12 Angry Men the 42nd most inspiring film, and recently, named it the 87th best film of the past hundred years. As of December 19th, 2007, 12 Angry Men is ranked as the 13th Best Film in existence on the IMDb Top 250.
Several of the actors became well known (especially Warden, Klugman, Binns, Fiedler, Begley, Cobb, Balsam and Marshall) for distinguished performances in this film and in the remainder of their careers.
[edit] 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. The original screenplay won 3 Grammys.
[edit] Remake and other adaptations
[edit] 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, 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.
The film's premise has been utilized (both dramatically and comically) in several TV shows, including:
- 3rd Rock from the Sun, "Eleven Angry Men and One Dick", 1997 (the defendant is obviously guilty of telemarketing fraud, but the defendant has a friendly personality and Dick can't bring himself to send him to jail.)
- 7th Heaven, The WB, "Twelve Angry People", 2000 (the jury foreman, Reverend Eric Camden, argues for a conviction)
- All in the Family, "Edith's Jury Duty", 1971 (Edith as a lone dissenter in a murder trial)
- Andy Griffith Show, "Aunt Bee on the Jury," in which Aunt Bee is the lone dissenting juror who refuses to vote Guilty against a burglary suspect played by Jack Nicholson. Andy flushes out the real thief, right in the courtroom.
- Charmed,The WB, "Trial By Magic", 2002 (Phoebe must convince a jury that a man is innocent, despite overwhelming evidence against him.)
- Crossing Jordan, NBC, "Slam Dunk", 2004 (Jordan, as a juror, has her suspicions over an alleged cop-killer during his re-trial.)
- CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, "Eleven Angry Jurors", 2004
- Cupid, ABC, "Hung Jury", 1998
- The Dead Zone, USA Network, "Unreasonable Doubt", 2002
- The Dick Van Dyke Show, CBS, "One Angry Man", 1962
- Doogie Howser, M.D., ABC, "Eleven Angry People. ..and Vinnie", 1993
- Doordarshan (TV Movie), India, "Ek Ruka Hua Faisla", 1986, directed by Basu Chatterjee[2]
- Family Matters, ABC, "The Jury," 1996
- Hancock's Half Hour, BBC, "Twelve Angry Men", 1959
- Here's Lucy, CBS, "Lucy and Joan Rivers Do Jury Duty", 1973
- Hey Arnold!, Nickelodeon, "False Alarm", 1997
- Judge John Deed, BBC, "One Angry Man", 2006[3]
- King of the Hill, Fox, "Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men", 1998
- Matlock, ABC, "The Juror," 1993
- Malcolm in the Middle, Fox, "Jury Duty", 2002. (Lois consistently flips her opinion back and forth to keep the other jurors in the room to talk about the case.)
- Monk, USA Network, "Mr. Monk Gets Jury Duty", 2006
- My Wife and Kids, ABC, "Jury Duty", 2003 (Jay is the only woman on the jury. The rest of the men want to get it over with because of the 'Godfather' marathon that was to be shown later that day. Jay votes not guilty in the initial vote.)
- The Odd Couple, ABC, "The Jury Story", 1970
- Pepper Ann, ABC, "One Angry Woman", 2000 (Pepper Ann's mother has to decide whether or not a child should receive a strict community service sentence after he allegedly spat on a bank's camera. A notable similarity was the line 'I spit on you! I spit on you!' from said episode and the line from 12 Angry Men: "I'll kill him! I'll kill him!").
- The Robot Chicken episode Midnight Snack has a humorous short named "12 Angry Little People", making fun of "12 Angry Men".
- The Simpsons, FOX, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much," 1994. When Homer is on the jury for a man who seems completely guilty, he purposely puts in the only "not guilty" vote so that he'll be sequestered at a nice hotel. As it turns out, he was right and the man really was innocent.
- The Tracy Morgan Show, NBC, "A Call to Duty", 2004
- Veronica Mars, UPN, "One Angry Veronica", 2005
- WKRP in Cincinnati In an reversal of the traditional plot, Herb Tarlek convinces a jury he is on that the man is guilty.
- Yes Dear, CBS, "Mr. Fix It", 2001 (Christine drags out the case so she will not have to go home to her kids)
- In an episode of Happy Days, Fonzie employs his knowledge of motorcycles to prove that a man accused of stealing a woman's purse and escaping on a motorcycle was in fact innocent.
A parody entitled Twelve Angry Men was made starring Tony Hancock and Sidney James for Hancock's Half Hour. The lead juror (Hancock) protests the innocence of the defendant because he has 'such a nice face', and his impoverished companion (James) sides with him to keep the trial going, as they are being paid as long as the jury made no decision. This version ends with the jury themselves being tried for the supposed theft of a diamond ring used as evidence.
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.'[4]
[edit] Theatre
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.
[edit] Other
| This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2007) |
The movie has been used in management seminars as a case study in team building and leadership. The resolution-of-conflict techniques presented in 12 Angry Men have been analyzed and applied to employee efforts to collaborate among themselves to handle issues. The goal is to minimize or eliminate the inefficient micromanagement by company executives in areas in which they are unskilled and/or unknowledgable. This use is most widely seen in the Total Quality Management system used by the U.S. government as well as numerous private sector corporations.
In a May 26, 1999 piece in the New York Times titled "Importance of Being Persuasive; Daimler-Chrysler Merger Made an Art of Making a Case" by Youssef M. Ibrahim, Jurgen E. Schrempp, the ex-CEO of DaimlerChrysler who oversaw the merger of the two companies, stated about the movie: 'It helps me put my arguments into words, focus on people'.
[edit] 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 accommodative to others. An Assistant High-School Football coach. | Norman Fell | Martin Balsam | Courtney B. Vance | Mark Blum | George Wendt | 9 |
| 2 | A Mild 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 | Franchot Tone | Lee J. Cobb | George C. Scott | Philip Bosco (Replaced by Robert Foxworth) | Randle Mell | 12 |
| 4 | A Rational stockbroker, imperturbable and self-assured | Walter Abel | E.G. Marshall | Armin Mueller-Stahl | James Rebhorn | Jeffrey Hayenga | 11 |
| 5 | A Young man from 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 | Paul Hartman | Jack Warden | Tony Danza | John Pankow | Mark Morettini | 7 |
| 8 | An Architect, the lone dissenter at the beginning. Named "Davis" in the Film. | Robert Cummings | Henry Fonda | Jack Lemmon | Boyd Gaines | Richard Thomas | 1 |
| 9 | A Wise and observant elderly man. Named McArdle in the Film | Joseph Sweeney | Joseph Sweeney | Hume Cronyn | Tom Aldredge | Alan Mandell | 2 |
| 10 | A Garage owner, a loudmouth bigot | Edward Arnold | Ed Begley | Mykelti Williamson | Peter Friedman | Julian Gamble | 10 |
| 11 | An Immigrant watchmaker, proud to be an 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) | T. Scott Cunningham | 8 |
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- ^ In some productions, the age of the accused is 19, 18, or 16.
- ^ Ek Ruka Hua Faisla. IMDB. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
- ^ Judge John Deed. BBC. Retrieved on 2007-04-16.
- ^ Official Awards at the 64th Venice Film Festival. Retrieved on 2007-10-14.
[edit] References
- 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
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Invitation to the Dance | Golden Bear winner 1957 | Succeeded by Wild Strawberries |
de:Die 12 Geschworenen es:12 Angry Men fr:Douze Hommes en colère (film) ko:12인의 성난 사람들 hr:12 bijesnih ljudi it:La parola ai giurati (film 1957) he:12 המושבעים ja:十二人の怒れる男 pl:Dwunastu gniewnych ludzi pt:Twelve Angry Men ru:Двенадцать разгневанных мужчин (фильм, 1957) sv:12 edsvurna män (1957) uk:12 Розгніваних чоловіків zh:十二怒漢
Categories: Articles needing additional references from September 2007 | 1957 films | American films | Directorial debut films | Courtroom dramas | Black and white films | Edgar Award winning works | English-language films | Films directed by Sidney Lumet | Legal films | United Artists films | Films with a capital punishment theme | Films based on plays | United States National Film Registry
