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12 Angry Men (1957, Not Rated)

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12 Angry Men (1957, Not Rated) Lee J. Cobb #3, George Voskovec #11, E.G. Marshall #4, Robert Webber #12, Jack Warden #7, Ed Begley #10, Jack Klugman #5, Joseph Sweeney #9, Henry Fonda #8, John Fiedler #2, Martin Balsam #1, and Edward Binns #6 12 Angry Men (1957, Not Rated) Directed by Sidney Lemut, Written by Reginald Rose Available on DVD through Netflix A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his colleagues to reconsider the evidence. Twelve Angry Men is a courtroom drama broadcast initially as a television play in 1954. The following year it was adapted for the stage, and in 1957 was made into a film. It has since had numerous remakes, adaptations, and tributes. Selected in 2007 for the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant,” it was rated as the second-best courtroom drama ever (after To Kill a Mockingbird) by the American Film Institute. What a Character-Study Is Meant to Be (IMDB User Review, 8 June 2002) Intense courtroom drama having 12 very different people, all males, struggle with a murder case involving a young Puerto Rican boy that seems cut-and-dried. However, Juror 8 (Henry Fonda) does not believe it to be as sure-fire as it appears. He votes not guilty and what follows is a chain of events that will test the views, beliefs and thoughts of the other 11 members. Fonda is great, but Lee J. Cobb steals every scene (and that is not easy to do in a film like this). Ed Begley, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman, Joseph Sweeney, E.G. Marshall and John Fiedler are among the other individuals caught in a situation that is much more difficult than it appears on the surface. An excellent character-study that should be studied and embraced by all present and future filmmakers. 5 stars out of 5. The Jurors: Juror 1 Martin Balsam, the jury foreman; a calm and methodical assistant high school football coach. Juror 2 John Fiedler, meek and unpretentious, a bank worker who is dominated by others. Juror 3 Lee J. Cobb, hot-tempered owner of a courier business who is estranged from his son, the most passionate advocate of a guilty verdict. Juror 4 E.G. Marshall, unflappable and analytical stock broker who is concerned with the facts of the case. Juror 5 Jack Klugman, who grew up in a violent slum, sensitive to insults about his upbringing. Juror 6 Edward Binns, tough but principled house painter who consistently speaks up when others are verbally disrespected, especially the elderly. Juror 7 Jack Warden, wisecracking salesman and Yankees fan who seems indifferent to his role. Juror 8 Henry Fonda, humane, justice-seeking architect; initially the only one to vote "not guilty" and openly question the seemingly clear evidence presented. Juror 9 Joseph Sweeney, wise and intelligent senior who is highly observant of the witnesses' behavior and their possible motivations. Juror 10 Ed Begley, pushy, loud-mouthed, and xenophobic garage owner. Juror 11 George Voskovec, European watchmaker and naturalized American citizen who demonstrates strong respect for democratic values such as due process. Juror 12 Robert Webber, indecisive and distractible advertising executive. The 1997 remake jurors were: Courtney B. Vance #1, Ossie Davis #2, George C. Scott #3, Armin Mueller-Stahl #4, Dorian Harewood #5, James Gandolfini #6, Tony Danza #7, Jack Lemmon #8, Hume Cronyn #9, Mykelti Williamson #10, Edward James Olmos #11, and William Petersen #12. Questions: 1. During the summer heat, the jury is in a poorly ventilated the New York County Courthouse room, where they prepare to deliberate the case of an 18-year-old impoverished youth accused of stabbing his father to death. The judge instructs them that if there is any reasonable doubt, the jurors are to return a verdict of not guilty; if found guilty, the defendant will receive a death sentence and the verdict must be unanimous. How does this set the tone for the drama? 2. All jurors heard the same testimony and seemed to take the decision lightly, but the first vote returns one not-guilty ballot. With which juror do you relate most? 3. How does the jurors’ behavior before the vote contrast with their reactions? What seems to set Juror #8 apart from the others? 4. Juror #8 speaks his piece and agrees to a secret ballot, from which he will abstain; if all vote guilty, he will acquiesce. When the ballot reveals one not guilty vote, how do the jurors react? What happens when they discover who cast the vote? 5. How do the jurors’ personal experiences and backgrounds impact the deliberations? What roles do the individual jurors play in facilitating the discussion? How do the others react to the discussions? 6. What biases emerge? How do other jurors react? How do you react? 7. At the end, it is 11 not guilty and one guilty. How does the jury get to a unanimous verdict? What was your reaction to the last holdout? 8. What appeared at first to be an open-and-shut court case fell apart upon scrutiny. How does this 1950s drama apply to today? 9. How did your perception of individual jurors change through the course of the deliberations? 10. Other than Juror #8, with which juror(s) did you identify? With which did you least? 11. What surprised you the most about the story? 12. How appropriate do you think the title is? Would you retitle it? .
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