A young man is accused of killing his own father and faces the electric chair. Twelve jurors gather to reach a verdict: guilty or not guilty. From the beginning of the trial, almost everyone thinks the defendant is guilty, and only one of the twelve has allowed himself to doubt. And he decides to convince the others that he is right.
4k movies reviews
I. Mr. Lumet’s unremitting debut:
Exactly fifty years ago, American director Sidney Lumet made his film debut with a courtroom drama, 12 Angry Men. At the time, Lumet had reached the age of thirty-three – the average age for any aspiring director, as a rule.
Lumet’s debut received several nominations at the national awards – Golden Globe, Oscar – but won none. 1958, the year of both awards ceremonies, was a bad year for Lumet; nevertheless, for the rest of his life, Lumet delighted audiences with this timeless debut – which became the best model for forensic films.
At the time, the 1950s, Lumet sparkled like lightning with his brilliant debut. All the awards then won a war movie Jonathan Lynn′s Bridge over the River Kwai, but Lumet has opened an era of a new genre – the trial, and this with the curious circumstance that the film takes place outside the courtroom – the judge himself only appears in the introduction to the main plot, and then disappears altogether.
Lumet began work on Twelve Angry Men with as many debutants as he had, except that cinematographer Boris Kaufman [1897 – 1980] had some experience in filmmaking, such as the one he made with Marlon Brando, At the Port.
Screenwriter Reginald Rose [1920 – 2002] was a major part of the success of Lumet’s debut – he wrote a sparkling screenplay, the foundation of which was an ordinary court story about a young man accused of murdering his father. The jury must reach its verdict – either he is guilty, in which case he is sentenced to death, or innocent, in which case he is released from the courtroom.
It was the suspense that became the hallmark of Lumet’s films, and in that year, screenwriter Rose correctly anticipated the direction of the plot. Most court stories are really boring, incomprehensible to the average person. That’s why Rose put the jury in the center, drawing the image of everyone – these people had to look simple, realistic, plausible, they don’t need any terms to find out the truth, they measure everything with honesty and common sense. Rose has also decisively “molded” the image of the accused – an eighteen-year-old boy who, perhaps purely humanly, does not want to be sentenced to death, one wants to understand why this boy could do such a thing, and whether he did so? And to heighten the tension of the situation described in the script, Rose intentionally made all the jurors men in order to show the fierce struggle of one against all, the emphasis should be kept on the constant tension – the viewer is interested in watching the battle of characters, the relationship of characters. In addition, the jury is more suitable for this than ever – all the action of the film takes place in one room for the discussion of the court case by the jurors.
But Rose was not a screenwriter for nothing, he didn’t forget about the plot’s richness in meaning, the jury shouldn’t seem to be some faceless marionettes, so Rose worked out the images of each of them in details, thus illuminating the social side of American life – you will find an advertising agent, an architect, a pensioner, a former slum-dweller and a bank clerk among the jury – people of different social status, age, established habits and opinions.
Rose was ironic about his characters, and endowed them with a kind of sarcasm, depending on their mindset. That’s why it’s still so interesting to watch the unfolding argument of the 12 jurors, each sure of being right and about to sneak off home as soon as possible.
Composer Kenyon Hopkins [1912 – 1983] was himself a newcomer to filmmaking when he began composing the music for Lumet’s debut, with 12 Angry Men being his third film. A little sentimental, a little lyrical, but invariably touching some heartstrings in the viewer, Hopkins’ music struck a chord in the triumphant march of the brilliant “12 Angry Men” around the world.
The world, unlike the prestigious Hollywood film awards, appreciated the film on its own merits.
At the 1957 Berlin Film Festival, Sidney Lumet received the coveted Golden Bear, the top prize in the director’s category. In 1958, the American Writers Guild recognized Reginald Rose’s excellent screenplay and also awarded its prizes. Finally, in 1958, the British BAFTA Award honored the play of a foreign actor for Britain – Henry Fonda, who played the main role in Lumet’s debut, and acted in it as a producer.
It wasn’t just any Lumet film. It was Lumet’s stunning debut. A whole opening in cinematic history. Lumet is now 83 years old. He has a right to make bad movies. “12 Angry Men” is an excuse for that.
II. Lumet’s 12 friends:
There were twelve jurors. Twelve wonderful actors. They are remembered and will not be forgotten.
1. Martin Balsam [1919 – 1996] was chairman of the jury, juror #1, and athlete. Played in such films as: “At the Port”; “Psycho”; “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”; “A Thousand Clowns” (for which he won an Oscar in 1966); “Catch 22”; “Tora! Tora! Tora!”; “Little Big Man”; “Murder on the Orient Express”; “All the President’s Men” (1976); “Cape Fear” (1991); and the parody “Silence of the Ham,” where the actor played detective Martin Balsam. Lumet’s film was the fifth for Balsam.
2. John Fiedler [1925 – 2005] was Juror No. 2, a bank clerk. Played in such films as: “Midnight Madness”; “Cannonball Races”. He has voiced many cartoons. Lumet’s film was the fifth for Fiedler.
3. Lee Jay Cobb [1911 – 1976] was Juror No. 3, a loving father. Played in such films as: “At the Port”; “The Brothers Karamazov”; “Green Estates”; “Exodus”; “War in the Wild West”; “McKenna’s Gold”; “The Devil’s Exorcist” (1973). Coming into Lumet’s film, Cobb was already an accomplished actor. His role cannot be overstated-it is good to the smallest of nuances.
4. E. G. Marshall [1914 – 1998] was Juror No. 4, a vigilant citizen with glasses. Played in such films as: “On Fire”; “Ruthless City”; “The Chase”; “Is Paris Burning?”; “Tora! Tora! Tora!”; “Interiors”; “Superman 2”; “Power”; “Consensual”; “Nixon”; “Absolute Power.” By the time Lumet came to film, he already had some acting experience.
5. Jack Klugman [born 1922] – Juror No. 5, former slum dweller. Played in such films as: “Days of Wine and Roses”; “Goodbye, Columbus”; “Two Minute Warning.” The only actor from a Lumet film alive today. Lumet’s film was the seventh for Klugman.
6. Ed Binns [1916 – 1990] was Juror No. 6, a laborer. Played in such films as: “Theresa”; “North by Northwest”; “The Nuremberg Trials”; “The Americanization of Emily”; “Patton”; “The Verdict”; “After School”. Lumet’s film was the thirteenth for Binns.
7. Jack Warden [1920 – 2006] was Juror No. 7, a basketball fan. Played in such films as: “From Now and Forever”; “Donovan’s Reef”; “Who is Harry Kellerman and Why Does He Say Terrible Things About Me?”; “Heaven Can Wait” (1978); “Death on the Nile”; “The Verdict”; “Difficult Child”; “Toys”; “Bullets Over Broadway”; “Bullwhip”. Lumet’s film was the twelfth for Warden.
8. Henry Fonda [1905 – 1982] – Juror No. 8, Mr. Davis, architect. Legendary actor. Played in such films as: “Grapes of Wrath”; “Fort Apache”; “War and Peace”; “The Sheriff”; “The Longest Day”; “War in the Wild West”; “Once Upon a Time in the Wild West”; “Roy”; “On Golden Pond” (for which Fonda won his first Oscar, in 1982). The image of the usually terse but timely eloquent Mr. Davis, impeccably played by Fonda, bears similarities to Humphrey Bogart’s characters, and the actors themselves bear a visual resemblance in facial expressions. Mr. Davis is the very embodiment of equanimity and justice. One can even say that this image has an embodiment of the goddess Themis, the patroness of justice.
9. Joseph Swinney [1884 – 1963] was Juror No. 9, Mr. McCardle, a pensioner. He played a total of 13 roles in his life, including seven in movies and six in soap operas, with Lumet’s film giving a fitting end to Swinney’s film career.
10. Ed Begley [1901 – 1970] was Juror No. 10, a grumpy sicko. Played in such films as: “Untitled Street”; “Sorry, You’ve Got the Wrong Number!”; “The Great Gatsby”; “City of Darkness”; “Lone Star”; “The Sweet-Haired Bird of Youth” (“Oscar” – 1963); “Oscar” (1966). Had experience in film by the time Lumet came to film.
11. George Voskovec [1905 – 1981] – Juror No. 11, assistant prosecutor. Played in such films as: “The Trinidad Affair”; “Uncle Vanya” (1958); “Butterfield 8”; “The Boston Strangler”; “Somewhere in Time”; “Barbarossa”. Lumet’s film was the ninth for Waxman.
12. Robert Webber [1924 – 1989] was Juror No. 12, an advertising agent. Played in such films as: “Midway”; “Madame Claude”; “Revenge of the Pink Panther”; “Dare to Run”; “Private Benjamin”; “Injustice Is True”; “Crazy”. Lumet’s film was Webber’s fifth.
Well, it was a glorious cast. A glorious one.
III. Lumet’s star:
Sidney Lumet has made many good films in his fifty years as a director, of which the most noteworthy are: “A Long Day Goes Into Night”; “The Hill”; “Stumbling Stone”; “Serpico”; “Murder on the Orient Express”; “Doggy Noon”; “The Teleset”; “The Verdict”; “Power”; “Family Business”; “Questions and Answers”; “Gloria”.
Throughout his life, Lumet had 14 nominations for various prestigious awards, including four from the Cannes Film Festival, five from the Golden Globe Awards, and five from the Academy Awards. It was only in 1977 that the Golden Globe went to Lumet – for directing the film “TV Network.
Lumet has never been alone, but he has never been alone. He was loved by audiences, the same ones who had once seen 12 Angry Men, and could no longer remain indifferent to him. Every day, perhaps, some viewer in the world discovers this Lumet film and grasps the old, half-century-old truth: Sidney Lumet is the bright shining star of world cinema.
Info Blu-ray
Video
Codec: HEVC / H.265 (79.5 Mb/s)
Resolution: Native 4K (2160p)
HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 2.0
Subtitles
English, English SDH.
