Twelve angry men 1957 by sidney lumet an analysis by. In the end, the issue is not whether the defendant is innocent or guilty. Jury consultant marissa beyers talk about how jury selection has evolved since the 50s. Lumets fivedecade career as the definitive new york film director began with the classic 12 angry men, and was followed by such landmark films as serpico, dog day afternoon, network and find me guilty. Henry fonda stars in this classic courtroom drama, a startling exploration into the power of human persuasion and perspective. He made over 40 movies, often complex and emotional, but seldom overly sentimental. Cobb, ed begley and jack klugman lead in this tense, courtroom drama about one juror determined to sway the opinions of. This courtroom drama tells the story of a jury of 12 men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of an 18year old defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt, forcing the jurors to question their morals and values. We enter a courthouse and see twelve men sitting in a jury box. It dates back to 1957 and tells the story of a jury, the. Sidney lumet describes his motivations for making the movie 12 angry men, one of his first projects as a filmmaker. Read twelve angry men 1957 by sidney lumet an analysis by elisabeth kuster available from rakuten kobo.
Jonathan rose tells the story behind his fathers script, and pop culture writer. Buy 12 angry men directed by sidney lumet online at alibris. Throughout its deceptively short 1 12 hours, 12 angry men keeps the viewer captivated with the simple story of the deliberations from a young mans murder trial. June 25, 1924 april 9, 2011 was an american director, producer, and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. The story is based on a television play by reginald rose, later made into a movie by sidney lumet, with rose and henry fonda acting as. Apart from a brief setup and a briefer epilogue, the entire film takes place within a small new york city jury room, on the hottest day of the year, as 12 men debate the. The legacy of reginald rose and sidney lumets 12 angry men. Although his politics were somewhat leftleaning and he often. Sidney lumet is a tremendous director who has worked with some of hollywoods finest.
Thats how masterful the story, and the acting is here. A behindcloseddoors look at the american legal system that is as riveting as it is spare, this iconic adaptation of reginald roses teleplay stars henry fonda as the dissenting member on a jury of white men ready to pass judgment on a puerto rican teenager charged with murdering his father. Sidney lumet on directing the film 12 angry men after. Analysis of 12 angry men by sidney lumet 1868 words. Twelve whitemale jurors try to reach a verdict in a murder trial a case involving a puerto rican teenager from the slums who is accused of knifing his father to.
Sidney lumets thoughtful jury drama 12 angry men 1957 is a timeless display of empathetic writing that demonstrates the importance of a jury taking their time to come to a verdict together. Lumets origins as a director of teledrama may well be obvious here in his first film, but there is no denying the suitability of his style sweaty closeups. The accused is an eighteen yearold kid whos been charged with murdering his dad, and all of the jurors seem pretty convinced that he did it. The face best captured in a sidney lumet film is anguished, defeated, and. Classic courtroom drama about a teenage boy accused of killing his father and the jury that must decide his fate. Sidney lumet was a master of cinema, best known for his technical knowledge and his skill at getting firstrate performances from his actors and for shooting most of his films in his beloved new york. Its a high concept film that delivers beyond the unique hook to create compelling and flawed human characters. The following is an excerpt from making movies, by sidney lumet.
Without very talented actors, which 12 angry men abounds in, not even the best script in the world would be able to pull it off. Sidney lumet, a director who preferred the streets of new york to the back lots of hollywood and whose stories of conscience 12 angry men, serpico, dog day afternoon, the. A life is the firstever biography of this seminal american director whose remarkable life traces a line through american entertainment history. Acclaimed as the ultimate new york movie director, sidney lumet began his astonishing fivedecadeslong directing career with the now classic 12 angry men, followed by such landmark films as serpico, dog day afternoon, and network. A simple story of a jurys deliberations in a murder case, where tensions boil.
Justly, 12 angry men is celebrated for its uniformly terrific cast, chiefly henry fondas softspoken advocate and lee j. In this paper i will look at the film twelve angry men 1957 by sidney lumet. In purpose, its a crash course in those passages of the constitution that promise defendants a fair trial and the presumption of innocence. Twelve angry men 1957 directed by sidney lumet talking. A jury holdout attempts to prevent a miscarriage of justice by forcing his. Making movies by sidney lumet goodreads share book. A look back at sidney lumets great cop films washington. Based on the bestselling novel by robert traver the pseudonym for michigan supreme court justice. Lumet began his directing career with the now classic 12 angry men, and there followed such landmark new york films as. They ask if allmale juries were ever common, compare lumets version to william friedkins remake, and praise the powerful performances in this everrelevant film, plus.
If you remember fondly movies such as network, 12 angry men and murder on the orient express, this is your book, because the late sidney lumet, the director who helped create those movies and many others, is the author. Cobbs resistant blowhard, racked with daddy issues and not about to. Harboring just as much compulsive energy and momentum as most modern hollywood action films, 12 angry men makes every shot and line of dialogue count. The script cleverly uses the passing of time for additional visual drama. Directed by sidney lumet, the film tells the story of a. Sidney lumet on directing the film 12 angry men after only working in television foundationinterviews. In short the film is about a criminal case in america in which a young. Directed by sidney lumet, 12 angry men sees 12 jurors convene after hearing a murder case.
After the initial airing of the tv play in early 1954 on studio one cbstv, coproducerstar henry fonda asked rose in 1956 if the teleplay could be. This 1957 film has been remade and reworked several times, but none of the subsequent versions has ever approached the original. Sidney lumet posted on september 21, 2017 september 20, 2017 by marcy webb adapted from reginald roses 1954 teleplay, broadcast on cbs studio one 194858 and directed by franklin j schaffner, 12 angry men has transcended its origins to become a. With 12 angry men, sidney lumet brought to the screen the same kind of closing in feeling that he brought to movies like network. On a hot summer day in new york city, twelve men are called to sit on the jury of a murder trial. The firstever biography of the seminal american director whose remarkable life traces a line through american entertainment history. He tells his tales of moviemaking agony and ecstasy in a wonderful way, combining information and entertainment.
Lumet allows the reader into his mind and method answering any question one might ever think to ask. Get your team aligned with all the tools you need on one secure, reliable video platform. Once a chair was lit, everything that took place in that chair was shot. I will say, the performances from all involved are powerful yet measured and each character has their own personality that is built in very little screen time, something that eludes modern film makers. John savoca, bill nelson, boris kaufman, kenyon hopkins, sidney lumet. I wont spoil it because it will be treat for those who have not yet seen it.
Few movie buffs would argue that sidney lumet whose output included such classics as 12 angry men, serpico, dog day afternoon, network, and. Needless to say, this book is a mustread for any filmmaker. The directorial career of sidney lumet coincides neatly with the growth of movies as a fundamental cornerstone of the entertainment industry. The performances are sensational from henry fonda empathetic and unwavering attempting to change the minds of the other jurors, to the rest of the cast led by lee j. Sidney lumet was an academy awardwinning american film director, with over 50 films to his name, including the critically acclaimed 12 angry men 1957, serpico 1973, dog day afternoon 1975, network 1976 and the verdict 1982, all of which earned him academy award. Sidney lumet maura spiegel 9781250030153 netgalley. Twelve angry men is a courtroom drama written by reginald rose concerning the jury of a. The defendant, an eighteenyearold boy, is on trial for killing his. Written and coproduced by rose himself and directed by sidney lumet, this trial film tells the story of a jury made up. Director sidney lumet does a fantastic job of keeping us involved in what amounts to a filmed play, held in the confines of a mediumsized room. It dates back to 1957 and tells the story of a jury, the twelve angry men of the title, and how they decide on the innocence or guilt of a young boy accused of murder. This courtroom drama tells the story of a jury of 12 men as they deliberate the. The film shows us in our humanness and demonstrates why we need the jury system, rather than just leaving matters to lawyers and judges.