12 Angry Men

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12 Angry Men
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
Music by	Kenyon Hopkins
Cinematography	Boris Kaufman
Editing by	Carl Lerner
Distributed by	United Artists
Release date(s)	13 April 1957
Running time	96 minutes
Language	English
Budget	$340,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

12 Angry Men (released in the UK as Twelve Angry Men) is a play adapted to a drama film produced in 1957 by director Sidney Lumet. 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 a short conversation 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).

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Production 3 Responses 3.1 Critical responses 3.2 Awards 4 Remake and other adaptations 4.1 Film and TV 4.2 Theater 4.3 Other 5 Characters 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

[edit] Plot summary

The story begins after closing arguments have been presented in a homicide case, as the judge is giving his instructions to the jury. As in any American criminal case, the twelve men must unanimously determine innocence or guilt. (In the American justice system, a non-unanimous verdict results in a hung jury, which in turn results in a mistrial.) The accused in the case at bar pertains to whether the young man murdered his own 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). These twelve then move to the jury room, where they begin to become acquainted with the personalities of their peers. Throughout their deliberation, not a single juror knows another by his name.

[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 feared lost, was finally discovered in 2003.

The success of the TV film resulted in an 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.

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," and it has been consistently ranked in the top 14 of the Internet Movie Database Top 250 List. It also has a 100% rating on both critics and users polls at the site Rotten Tomatoes. The American Film Institute named Juror #8, played by Henry Fonda, the 28th greatest movie hero of the 20th century and named 12 Angry Men the 42nd most inspiring film.

[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.

[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 most other aspects the action and dialogue of the film is identical to the original, with the exception of a few modernisations such as the prohibition of smoking in the room.

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 an acquittal)
• 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, India, "Ek Ruka Hua Faislaa", 1986, directed by Basu Chatterjee
• Family Matters, ABC, "The Jury," 1996
• Hancock's Half Hour, BBC, "Twelve Angry Men", 1959
• Hey Arnold!, Nickelodeon, "False Alarm", 1997
• Judge John Deed, BBC, "One Angry Man", 2006 [1]
• King of the Hill, Fox, "Nine Pretty Darn Angry Men", 1998
• Matlock, ABC, "The Juror," 1993
• 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!").
• Robot Chicken, Cartoon Network, "Midnight Snack", 2005
• The Simpsons, Fox, "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", 1994
• The Tracy Morgan Show, NBC, "A Call to Duty", 2004
• Veronica Mars, UPN, "One Angry Veronica", 2005
• Yes Dear, CBS, "Mr. Fix It", 2001 (Christine drags out the case so she will not have to go home to her kids)

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 beacause 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.

[edit] Theater

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 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

12 Angry Men is sometimes studied in educational settings as literature.^{[citation needed]}

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.

[edit] Characters

Juror #	Character	1954 actor	1957 actor	1997 actor	2006-7 Actor	Order that juror votes 'not guilty'
1	Jury foreman, somewhat pre-occupied with his duties; proves to be a weak leader submissive to others	Norman Fell	Martin Balsam	Courtney B. Vance	George Wendt	9
2	Mild and unpretentious bank clerk	John Beal	John Fiedler	Ossie Davis	Todd Cerveris	5
3	Businessman and an emotionally distraught father	Franchot Tone	Lee J. Cobb	George C. Scott	Randle Mell	12
4	Rational stockbroker, imperturbable and self-assured	Walter Abel	E.G. Marshall	Armin Mueller-Stahl	Jeffrey Hayenga	11
5	Young man from violent slum, a Baltimore Orioles fan	Lee Phillips	Jack Klugman	Dorian Harewood	Jim Saltouros	3
6	Painter, tough but principled and respectful	Bart Burns	Ed Binns	James Gandolfini	Charles Borland	6
7	Salesman, sports fan, superficial and indifferent	Paul Hartman	Jack Warden	Tony Danza	Mark Morettini	7
8	Architect named Davis, the lone dissenter	Robert Cummings	Henry Fonda	Jack Lemmon	Richard Thomas	1
9	Wise and observant elderly man named McCardle	Joseph Sweeney	Joseph Sweeney	Hume Cronyn	Alan Mandell	2
10	Garage owner, a loudmouth racist	Edward Arnold	Ed Begley	Mykelti Williamson	Julian Gamble	10
11	Immigrant watchmaker, proud to be an American citizen	George Voskovec	George Voskovec	Edward James Olmos	David Lively	4
12	An indecisive advertising executive	William West	Robert Webber	William L. Petersen	T. Scott Cunningham	8

[edit] See also

• Jury
• Jury nullification
• Minority influence

[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

• 12 Angry Men at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Invitation to the Dance

Golden Bear winner 1957

Succeeded by Wild Strawberries