12 Angry Men (50th Anniversary Edition)
by Sidney Lumet
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Ed Begley, Edward Binns, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, Rudy BondDirector: Sidney Lumet
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Boris Kaufman
Composer: Kenyon Hopkins
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: French (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language); French (Dubbed)
Format: Black & White, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.66:1
Running Time: 96 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-03-04
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Product features:
- Condition: New
- Format: DVD
- Black & White; Subtitled; Widescreen
Movie Reviews of 12 Angry Men (50th Anniversary Edition)
Movie Review: One of the greatest films ever made.
Summary: 5 Stars
Beware the spoilers.
That pretty much sums it up. Despite being loved by critics in 1957 when it appeared and now over 50 years later, "Twelve Angry Men" was not a commercial success. But that doesn't really matter, does it? Who cares how much money the movie did or didn't make? It doesn't mean much to me; I firmly believe that the quality of a work will endure long after its cost fades from memory. This is is the highest level of form a movie can be made at. This is art. No words will ever be adequate for the superb quality of this movie, but as so many have before, I will try to find words that will do it justice.
"12 Angry Men" is directed by the brilliant Sidney Lumet and stars Henry Fonda as Juror #8, the lone dissenter at the start of the jury's meeting. We are briefly introduced to the case, which is in its final stages, and to the defendant, a poor boy from city slums, who has been accused of murdering his father. Most everyone regards the case as being already over- the judge, for his part, appears and sounds bored. The racial background of the defendant is never specified and he never appears again after a brief shot of him in the courtroom, but his race and where he is from turn out to be tremendous in their influence on the course of the film.
The use of cameras in the film is positively amazing. As the juror's sit down and slowly begin to examine the case piece by piece, we sit back at a distance much as they do. Calm and detached, most of the jurors are convinced that the meeting will be short and the guilt of the defendant is in their minds certain. Then, when a vote is conducted, one man puts his hand up in a vote of not guilty. Juror #8 is rightly regarded as being one of the greatest heroes in movie history. His courage and resolve in standing up to the other jurors and the ridicule they repeatedly send his way is incredible. But one thing that truly is fascinating about this film is that, unlike most courtroom movies, it is not about the clear-cut guilt or innocence of the defendant. It is instead about whether or not the jury is *sure* of it either way. #8 is not sure, and that's what his argument is all about. But it isn't just #8 who is remarkable- every last one of the twelve jurors is. Some are loud, some are quiet, some are considerate and fair, some are pushy and ignorant. #4, a stockbroker who stands against #8 for almost the entire film, is particularly interesting in that unlike the others, he tries very hard to avoid the use of emotion. Confident and cool, he battles #8 with facts and logic, who in turn parries and defeats each one until #4 runs out. I particularly liked the honest, hardworking #6, a housepainter who deals little in the 'what ifs' that are so central to the case. "My boss does the supposing." he says, but does his share of participating in the case. When #3, leader of the jurors favoring a guilty vote, yells at an old, wise man- #9, #6 decides this is too much, and promises #3 a beating if he shows such disrespect to an elderly man again. It's one of the only occasions in which someone manages to shut down #3 completely.
As the debate goes on and things heat up more, the cameras close in until we are staring the jurors directly in the face, creating a tense and near-claustrophobic atmosphere. One juror, #7, gets bored when the votes reach 6 to 6 and changes his to not guilty just to hurry things along. A foreign-born watchmaker, #11, is incensed by this and grills #7 thoroughly. "What is it... that gives you the right to play with a man's life?" he demands. Under pressure, #7 insists that he believes the defendant is not guilty, but #11 is not convinced and neither is the audience. Another juror, #12, switches back and forth as the debating continues, but finally stays on the 'not guilty' side as the odds steadily begin to favor #8. But #7's disgraceful apathy about the case is nothing compared to the hideous bigotry of #10, who regularly makes loud, pushy attacks on the 'not guilty' voting jurors and repeated references to 'them'. Eventually, #10 reveals himself for what he is- a bigoted, insensitive man, and in one of the most moving scenes in the film, every last one of the jurors, regardless of his belief regarding the defendant's guilt or lack thereof, stands up and turns his back on #10. None of them are willing to listen to his racist tirade, and eventually #10 deflates and quiets down, soon changing his vote to not guilty and remaining silent for the rest of the film.
Eventually, juror #3 is the only one left. He rails defiantly against the softness of every juror who changes his vote to not guilty, which only serves to send them scurrying into that camp forever. In the end, he is alone in his seemingly unshakable, highly emotional belief that the boy is guilty, and at the height of his raging we learn why- he hurls his wallet on the table, snatches a picture of the son he has not seen for years after a fight between the two, and tears it up. He suddenly stops, realizing how far his troubles with his son have pushed him, and surrenders. The jury at last departs and delivers a verdict of not guilty off screen. It is only then that the camera zooms back again, giving us room to breathe after the tense battle in the room, on one of the hottest days of the year. #8 stays behind to help #3 don his suit coat, and as he departs, the old man, #9, asks his name. "Davis" is #8's reply, and #9, we learn, is McArdle. "Well, so long!" 9 says in farewell, and the film closes soon after.
I have never seen a director who has shown greater respect for the audience's intelligence than Sidney Lumet. I have seen many films where the director does the opposite, and I deeply resent that. It is not the director's job to assume his audience will be filled with idiots and make the film accordingly. The director should instead do what Lumet did- create a film where the quality of the story, of the acting, and the atmosphere are paramount, and let the audience form their own opinions, make their own ideas. I cannot recommend this movie strongly enough. It is one of the finest ever made, and one of the last, great or not, made in black and white.
Summary of 12 Angry Men (50th Anniversary Edition)
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