Gateway Cinephiles

3-Minute Intro: 12 Angry Men

Screened: November 12, 2007
Format: DVD - MGM (2001)
Selected by: Roland

Sidney Lumet was no novice when he directed his 1957 feature film debut, 12 Angry Men. He had already made his mark as a performer in Yiddish theater, on Broadway, as a cinematographer, and as a television film director. However, his skill is on stunning display here, especially given the risky source material. Consider that in an era when epic color films were ascendant, 12 Angry Men is a taut, black-and-white legal drama featuring twelve detailed characters, filmed almost entirely on one set and in real time. Although the film was a box-office disappointment, the fact that it stands as one of the great dramas of American cinema five decades later is a credit to Lumet, the script by Reginald Rose, and an ensemble cast of uncommon talent and energy.

On the surface, Rose has crafted an unconventional whodunit. Save for its brief bookend scenes, the entirety of 12 Angry Men takes place in one sweltering New York City jury room. We learn everything about the alleged crime, and the events of the trial, through the jurors’ deliberations. The jurors simultaneously reveal details about themselves—their personalities, backgrounds, traumas, and prejudices. The conflict enters in the form of Henry Fonda’s Juror Number #8. Rational, serious, and selfless, he begins to chip away at the supposedly “open-and-shut” case. From this simple premise a more complex film begins to emerge: a socially conscious work of art, an ambitious character study, and a sobering morality play tinged with American idealism and cynicism.

Tapping his cinematographer instincts, Lumet demonstrates the power film can exert over even the leanest of stories. Watch for how he gradually tilts the camera’s angle from high to low and increases its focal length, resulting in a creeping sense of claustrophobia. Lumet’s filmography is packed with finely-wrought dramas that tackle controversial subjects: Long Day’s Journey Into Night, The Pawnbroker, Fail-Safe, Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon, and Network. His bold technical leadership has not faded, and at 83 he recently stated that all his future projects will be shot on high-definition video. It is therefore remarkable that his first film still stands alone, inspiring and defying every director who would make the next Great American Drama.