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| "We're angry, dammit" 12 Angry Men (1957), MGM Studios |
I'm kind of in awe at how good this film is- really good. I've always seen it at the top of "Greatest Films of All Time" lists, but I never felt a strong urge to watch it myself. 12 angry white men in a room, so what?
There are many, many brilliant moments and lines in this film (too many to list), and you just need to see it for yourself.
Notes:
Opening scene-
Beautiful upward sweeping shot of a tall-pillared stone courthouse, courtesy of cinematographer Boris Kaufman.
"Administration of Justice is the Firmest Pillar of Good,"
is carved high above into the front of the building.
A judge speaks to his courtroom jury:
"You've listened to a long and complex case. Murder in the first degree. A premeditated murder is the most serious charge tried in our criminal court. One man is dead, another man's life is at stake. If there is a reasonable doubt in your mind as to the guilt of the accused, then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty. However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous. In the event that you find the accused guilty, the death sentence is mandatory in this case." He then adds,
"You are faced with a grave responsibility."
As the 12 men on the jury leave the courtroom, a few of them shoot an apprehensive glance back at the accused: an 18-year-old Spanish-American boy, who is still seated at a table with his hands clasped together in front of him. Once the jurors are gone, the camera rests on the defendant's young, scared face for a few beats.
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| "This doesn't look good for me" |
As the jurors file into the room where they will make their decision, the opening credits play. There's constant movement in the room, men pacing and smoking and looking around. It gives the impression of bees buzzing around inside a glass jar.
Many of the men are wiping perspiration off their faces with handkerchiefs and remarking about the lack of air conditioning. One of the men manages to open the window, as another man informs the rest of them that, according to the weather bureau, it will be the hottest day of the year. The guard leaves and one of the men remarks,
"I never knew they locked the door."
All of these details help to emphasize a feeling of confinement, tension, and discomfort.
The men must wait to deliberate until one of them returns from the restroom, so they mill about the small space impatiently, making small talk with one another. The comments of the various men offer up a picture of how many different personalities and opinions are in the room. One man remarks offhandedly to another man that "it's an open and shut case." Another of the jurors comments on how lucky they were to get a murder case because most court cases are dull. Juror #8 (Henry Fonda) remains contemplative, keeping silently to himself.
When they finally sit down to deliberate, with Juror #1 (Martin Balsam) acting as a kind of overseer, they decide to take a preliminary vote of guilty or not guilty by a show of hands. Eleven hands raise for a verdict of guilty.
And one hand raises for a verdict of not guilty.
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| Hi, guys |
The tension is palpable as all the men stare at Juror #8 (Fonda), and one of them blurts out, "what do we do now?"
Fonda, clearly nervous but determined, responds,
"Well, we talk."
Juror #3 (Lee J. Cobb) immediately asks Fonda what he saw that was different from the rest of them. He reiterates that the accused stabbed his father, and the prosecution proved it a dozen different ways. Fonda responds that he just wants to talk. He tells the group that he doesn't feel like they should come back with a guilty vote within the space of five minutes, with a man's life on the line. He asks, "what if we're wrong?"
Fonda proposes that they take at least an hour to discuss the case before they make a decision. Juror #12 (Robert Webber) then suggests they go around the table and take turns explaining why they think the accused is guilty. Juror #2 (John Fielder) starts out with a brilliant,
"Well... it's hard to put into words. I just think he's guilty."
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| "He's guilty, y'all" |
After much arguing back and forth and going around the table and hearing from most of the jurors, it appears that the same eleven men still want to vote guilty and Fonda is still on the fence. The men ask him, "What about it? You're the only one."
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| "You guys suck the big one" |
Fonda announces he has another proposition: They all vote again, with the exception of himself, and do it anonymously on pieces of paper. He says that if eleven votes come back guilty, he will concede and they can put in a guilty verdict to the judge. But, if anyone votes not guilty, they stay and talk it out.
Juror #1 reads off the results and there is a not guilty vote in the pile, which angers many of the men. Juror #3 jumps up and demands to know who changed their vote, accusing Juror #5 (Jack Klugman) of flip-flopping.
Juror #9 (Joseph Sweeney) suddenly comes forward in the midst of the argument and admits that he put in the non-guilty vote. He explains that,
"it's not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others,"
and he wanted to give Fonda his support because he respects his motives, even if the accused is probably guilty.
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| Juror #9 : "Hold up bitches" |
Slowly but surely, Fonda is able to show how there is reasonable doubt in regards to the eye-witnesses, the murder weapon, and the boy's alibi being in question. This includes a heated debate on the correct way to stab someone with a switchblade.
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| "Well, that escalated quickly" |
One by one, the jurors start to vote not guilty, as they themselves start to come up with reasonable doubts as well. Soon, only Jurors #3, #4, and #10 are left with guilty votes.
In an utterly brilliant and moving scene, the men leave the table, one by one, in silent disapproval as Juror #10 (Ed Begley) goes on a racist rant about the accused. When he finally realizes that no one agrees with him and shuts up, Fonda remarks
"Prejudice always obscures the truth."
Fonda then asks Jurors #3 and #4 to make an argument as to why they think the accused is guilty and to convince the rest of them. Juror #4 (E.G. Marshall) quickly points to the testimony of the eyewitness, a woman who saw the boy stabbing his father through her bedroom window as she was trying to fall asleep. He says that you can't doubt an eyewitness to the murder.
Juror #9 suddenly brings up the eyeglass marks on Juror #4's nose, and how he saw those same marks on the eyewitness' nose, even though she was not wearing eyeglasses in court during her testimony. Some of the other men remember seeing the marks on her nose as well, as does Juror #4. Fonda jumps in and argues that she would not have worn her glasses to bed, right? And she was in bed when she witnessed the murder, so how could they be sure that she had her glasses on and was able to see the killer accurately?
Juror #9 suddenly brings up the eyeglass marks on Juror #4's nose, and how he saw those same marks on the eyewitness' nose, even though she was not wearing eyeglasses in court during her testimony. Some of the other men remember seeing the marks on her nose as well, as does Juror #4. Fonda jumps in and argues that she would not have worn her glasses to bed, right? And she was in bed when she witnessed the murder, so how could they be sure that she had her glasses on and was able to see the killer accurately?
After this reasonable doubt comes to light, Juror #4 caves and so does Juror #10. The only guilty vote left is Juror #3, aka "crazy angry guy."
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| "I'm crazy and angry. Watch it." |
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| "I'm crazy and angry because I miss my son." |
The 12 men send back a verdict of not guilty to the judge, and they all leave the courthouse. The defendant's reaction is never shown and the truth about who really murdered the father is never brought to light. The point is, for this story, it doesn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that the prosecution was unable to make a case against the boy without reasonable doubt.
12 Angry Men was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay at the 1958 Academy Awards.
12 Angry Men (1957)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Producers: Henry Fonda, George Justin, Reginald Rose
Cinematography: Boris Kaufman
Story and Screenplay: Reginald Rose
Cast:
Henry Fonda- Juror #8
Lee J. Cobb- Juror #3
Martin Balsam- Juror #1
Jack Warden- Juror #7
John Fiedler- Juror #2
E.G. Marshall- Juror #4
Jack Klugman- Juror #5
Edward Binns- Juror #6
Joesph Sweeney- Juror #9
Ed Begley- Juror #10
George Voskovec- Juror #11
Robert Weber- Juror #12
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