There are a select few films which I am sure to view at least once a year. One of them is Sidney Lumet’s classic jury room drama “12 Angry Men.” So when the Criterion Collection released a newly restored version I was sure to pick it up for myself (after making sure noone had purchased it for me over the holidays).
I saw it for the first time when I was a junior in high school. In fact, I saw it at high school in my “Government” class. Some others have probably had a similar course, under a different name. “Civics” maybe? As long as we are standardizing our educational requirements nationwide, I would support the screening of “12 Angry Men” for every American student. In fact, it seems downright necessary, considering what little understanding our citizens show regarding our legal system at times.
“12 Angry Men” shows the deliberations of a jury on a murder case. It all unfolds in a single room, with only very short scenes outside the jury room at the beginning and ending of the film. It is the hottest day of the summer in New York City, and in 1957 there is no air conditioning to offer relief to the tense situation.
Of the twelve men on the jury (we go through the entire body of the film without learning the characters’ names), only Henry Fonda’s “Juror #8″ is holding out against a “guilty” finding and the death sentence for the 18-year-old defendant. The evidence of the case initially seems to weigh against acquittal, and many members of the jury are looking forward to an expedient completion of their duties. They react with annoyance when Juror #8 holds up the swift justice they are anticipating.
Despite the simple conceit and lack of showy sets, costumes, and special effects, “12 Angry Men” is an engrossing firecracker of a movie, shot brilliantly by Oscar winning cinematographer Boris Kaufman, and featuring a well-cast group of actors who are on top of their game. It began in a different form as a teleplay, performed live in a television studio. When Henry Fonda was looking for pieces to produce, he struck upon the idea of developing it as a feature film.
Sidney Lumet was tabbed to direct the film, based on Reginald Rose’s adaptation of his own original teleplay. It would be an auspicious debut for Lumet, winning him a nomination for an Oscar for best director. Lumet went on to direct a stunning series of hard-hitting films, including “The Fugitive Kind” (1960), “Fail-Safe” (1964), “Serpico” (1973), “Murder On the Orient Express” (1974), “Dog Day Afternoon” (1975), “Network” (1976), “Deathtrap” (1982), “The Verdict” (1982), and most recently “Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead” in 2007. He was widely known as a director who actors wanted to work with, and “12 Angry Men” went a long way towards creating that reputation. Lumet died in April of 2011, leaving an amazing legacy.
“12 Angry Men” has itself become a long-lasting favorite among serious male actors. Jack Lemmon and George C Scott headlined a modernized version back in 1997. Every guy I’ve ever done a show with would love to do a production of the stage play. This fact was gently referenced in Weird Al’s paen to a failed actor turned theme park employee, “Skipper Dan.”
The new release has several advantages over any previous version.
The most readily evident upon running across it in the store is the cover art.
This is what older editions of “12 Angry Men” tended to look like.
Why it would seem like a good idea to colorize stills from the film for the cover art is a mystery to me. Yes, I know that young people tend to avoid black and white films when renting and buying, but do you really want to trick them into getting one? Anyway, the colorizing job on the cover cannot hide the fact that this is an older movie. It looks sepia-toned. The characters’ costumes are not extraordinarily modern. Also, the stars of the movie are Henry Fonda, Lee J Cobb, and Jack Warden. Isn’t that sort of a tip-off?
The new Criterion Collection edition replaces these boring stills and titles with an exciting retro block print design (at top) showing the twelve jurors, with only Henry Fonda inside a yellow box instead of the red ones inhabited by the other cast members. This design not only solves the “problem” of the film being in black and white, but simultaneously reflects the era being depicted and suggests that Fonda is somehow on his own.
This new two disc edition also comes packed with all kinds of new bonus features, whereas previous releases had topped out at offering a theatrical trailer.
Disc one includes not only a new high-definition restoration of the 1957 film, but also the original television version, a documentary on the transition of the production from teleplay to feature film, and, of course, the theatrical trailer. The second disc features interviews with director Sidney Lumet, a series of experts on Lumet, writer Reginald Rose, and cinematographer Boris Kaufman, and a seperate teleplay call “Tragedy In A Temporary Town” also directed by Lumet and written by Rose.
This new two disc set is a treasure trove for fans of “12 Angry Men.”
Okay, now that I’m dangerously close to sounding like a sales rep for The Criterion Collection, let me expose what my real intentions are here. I’m going to honor “12 Angry Men” by doing a short write-up featuring each of the actors who populated one of my favorite movies. Some are well known. Some will surprise you. Hopefully each will be entertaining and informative.
Use the links below to read about each juror!
Martin Balsam
John Fiedler
Lee J Cobb
E G Marshall
Jack Klugman
Edward Binns
Jack Warden
Henry Fonda 1
Henry Fonda 2
Joseph Sweeney
Ed Begley
George Voskovec
Robert Webber
