12 Angry Men (1957)

My favorite movie, well, grown up movie, is 12 Angry Men, starring Henry Fonda. My mom talked me into watching this because, except for a few seconds at the beginning and end, it's all filmed in one room and the cinematography is really excellent.  Also, it's a great story about how people can be blinded by their prejudices and even grown ups can sometimes be bullies.

That's me in my room - what do you think? Do you like it?

This movie is based on the TV play of the same name, which was produced on CBS's Studio One in Hollywood, live on September 20, 1954. Actors Joseph Sweeney and George Voskovec, Jurors # 9 and #11 respectively, reprized their roles for the film version. Also starring in the film adaptation are Jack Warden, Jack Kulgman, Ed Begley (Sr), Martin Balsom, Lee J. Cobb, E. G. Marshall, Edward Binns, Robert Webber and John Fielder, who will forever be the voice of Piglet to me. :)

The characters are all known by their juror numbers. Fonda, juror #8, appropriately dressed in a white suit, is the lone hold out in a murder trial. He insists that they discuss the case rather than turn in a quick guilty verdict. Through a thoughtful and insightful series of "just suppose" and "what if's", Juror #8 gets some of his fellow jurors to question the prosecution's case.

Discussions are often heated and some of the jurors are very hot-headed.  Though the defendant's ethnicity is never identified, references to his "kind" are often made, mostly in disapproving ways.

What I really love about this movie is the way they look at the evidence and turn it over and around and look to see if it holds water. Is it credible? Is the case proven beyond a reasonable doubt?  A person's race does not determine guilt or innocence. But neither is a not guilty verdict equal to innocence. Our judicial system is set up that 'not guilty' means the person may or may not be guilty, but the evidence provided was not conclusive beyond a reasonable doubt, therefore a guilty verdict could not be determined.  I think that is part of what is hard for some of the jurors. It's hard to separate the fact that not guilty does not mean innocent.  And it's hard to accept that even if you feel the person may have committed the crime, if there is room for reasonable doubt you have to vote not guilty, and you may feel the person is getting away with a crime. 

Being a juror is a huge responsibility and Fonda schools his fellow jurors in their duties.  The process is so interesting and the filming is mesmerizing.  You may not even notice it, but as the movie begins, the scenes are shot at long and wide angles. But by the time the movie draws to an end, the shots are close and tight, feeling almost claustrophobic. It's an excellent example of the cinematography itself helping to create the mood.

The AFI rates this as the #2 Courtroom Drama of all time, (#1 is To Kill a Mockingbird) and #87 on its list of Greatest American Films of All Time. (I've seen 25% of that list - so far....)

Absolutely a thumbs up!

Fun Fact: Because the painstaking rehearsals for the film lasted an exhausting two weeks, filming had to be completed in an unprecedented 21 days.

PARENTS SHOULD KNOW:  There is a lot of prejudice and racism, even though the boy's race/ethnicity is never identified. No one ever mentions any particular race or ethnicity. They say "them" or "their kind".  However, the characters who behave this way are shown to be wrong and shunned by the other jurors for their attitudes. This is a great vehicle for discussing such behaviors and how to deal with intolerance and bullies. An excellent family film.