12 ANGRY MEN

Ok, so, a couple of weeks ago I distinctly recall musing on the wisdom of writing about films from the 80’s… In that context, it’s rather strange I actually picked a film from the year 1957. But you know what they say; variety is the spice of life. And besides, I feel that although it is a classic (and rightly so may I add), it’s such an old film that a lot of people who aren’t bona fide conaisseurs may well have not seen this one. It’s a nostalgic black and white movie – typical of the era in many ways (but more of that later) and stars a rather dashing Henry Fonda…

The 12 angry men mentioned in the title are actually 12 jurors on a murder trial. The 90 minute film takes place during the deliberations of the jury; we are privy to their discussion and decisions behind closed doors. The case seems pretty open and shut at first: the defendant is a 18 year old youth from a poor neighborhood, charged with the murder of his father. Of the 12 jurors, 11 are pretty sure he’s guilty. But not all: 1 of the jurors (Henry Fonda) is not at all sure the case is such a simple one. However, as the youth is tried for murder in the 1st degree, the decision of the jury must be unanimous. As a young man’s life hangs in the balance, how will his fate be decided?

This little gem by master director Sidney Lumet is truly a film of a different era. First of all, the whole film is confined to the “jury room”. There are no fade outs and reconstructions of the events discussed for instance. The entire thing is left to the imagination of the observers. In fact, the film is very, very similar to a theatre play in many ways. Not an easy feat to pull off; a film purely based on dialogue – not least in today’s “fast paced” times where we all need to have things broken up into little chunks for us and plenty of variation mixed in… But don’t let this worry you in any way – anyone who enjoys a witty conversation will undoubtedly love this movie… Because, although we don’t see the events, the murder or the suspects; this is basically a “whodunit”. And it focuses on what is to me the best part of whodunits : following clues, comparing evidence discussing, reconstructing… The work done by the “little grey cells”. It is also a very good snapshot of the prejudices of the day and of people from different strata of American society… Last of all, I cannot forget to comment on the acting – as it was absolutely BRILLIANT. I personally didn’t recognize any of the other actors but maybe older viewers will… In this type of film, naturally a lot of weight rests on the actors and an interesting piece of trivia is that apparently Sidney Lumet had the actors sit in a room and go over their lines for hours to give them an authentic feeling of claustrophobia…
The film went as far as being nominated for three Oscars in the day (Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay) but lost in all three categories to “The Bridge on River Kwai – admittedly another classic.
In short, 12 Angry Men is a classic that fully deserves its place among the classics. Do not miss…