As I continue with this tribute to my grandma I wanted to review a film that is very important to myself, film and our society today. I have sentimental love for this film; it was the last DVD my grandma
As I continue with this tribute to my grandma I wanted to review a film that is very important to myself, film and our society today. I have sentimental love for this film; it was the last DVD my grandma bought me.
So I thought I’d bring this classic into the mix. The film is 53 years old and to this day is known as one of the best films ever made. In 1957 an unknown director named Sidney Lumet (“Serpico,” “Dog Day Afternoon”) burst out of television and into film thanks to the help of cinema legend Henry Fonda (“Grapes of Wrath”) who produced “12 Angry Men” and gave Lumet his shot. This would be the only movie Fonda ever produced.
“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 an open-and-shut case of murder, but soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors’ prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Based on the play, all of the movie takes place in the jury room.
This movie is known for its subtextual camerawork, editing, acting and directing. This will be the first film I will tell the reader to watch for an amazing camera technique. I don’t believe in spoiling the plot and the camera work should never be noticed in a good movie. This film uses close-ups and limited view of the room to create a close-knit feeling between you and the characters. When the characters open up, so does your view of the film and society.
Lumet is one of the best directors cinema will ever see and this was his first film. He would go on to direct Oscar winners and movie legends like Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Paul Newman, Katherine Hepburn, Sean Connery, Albert Finney, River Phoenix, Ethan Hawke and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. He’s 86 years old and still making good movies.
“12 Angry Men” plays on the universal themes of assuming — I won’t repeat the cliché saying, but every single viewer has found themselves to be wrong about something. This film on a small level is disturbing because 53 years later not a thing as changed with some of the ‘50s “conservative” mentality towards justice and equality. Another grand theme this film examines is how sometimes we have to stand up for our own convictions no matter what the odds. It doesn’t preach and the message is not argumentative, but it shows us the light that we all must take a stand for what we believe in.
I’m one who loves a film that shakes it up. A film that changes you, shapes you, motivates you and gets you seeing the world differently. “12 Angry Men” does that on numerous levels through seamless editing and incredible acting. I can’t find the words to describe how powerful this 12-man ensemble is (you will be amazed).
Learn the name Sidney Lumet and “go for the ride” of the top 10 at right. This director has made over 50 movies, been awarded an honorary Oscar (2005) and has been nominated four times as best director.
Year: 1957
Studio: MGM
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Jack Warden, JackClugman
Oscars: Nominated for picture, director, screenplay
1. Dog Day Afternoon (1975)
2. Network (1976)
3. The Verdict (1982)
4. Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007)
5. A Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962)
6. Running on Empty (1988)
7. Find Me Guilty (2006)
8. Fail Safe (1964)
9. Deathtrap (1982)
10. Night Falls on Manhattan (1997)
