12 Angry Men (1957)

Fonda and the Jury

'12 Angry Men' is a dramatic movie made in 1957 starring Henry Fonda and directed by Sidney Lumet. Adapted from a stage play by Reginald Rose, the film tells the story of a twelve man jury as they discuss a seemingly open-and-shut murder case. At the first vote, only one juror (Fonda, as Juror number eight) votes Not Guilty, then as the deliberations begin, the individual personalities, strengths, weaknesses and prejudices of each juror become apparent.

On release the movie was well received by the critics but did poorly at the box-office. It is now regarded as a classic. Although nominated for Academy Awards in three categories: Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Writing of Adapted Screenplay, it lost in all three to 'The Bridge on the River Kwai'. The film won the Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival.

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'12 Angry Men' enjoys enduring popularity because it is a hothouse for smart performances, sudden twists, and impassioned monologues. Uniquely, the brilliantly economical and riveting drama of 12 Angry Men does not actually take place in the courtroom-except for a brief prologue as the jury is sent out with the judge's instructions-but during a single, sweltering afternoon in the jury room. Henry Fonda plays Juror Number 8, the holdout whose reasonable doubt and well-reasoned resistance gradually bring eleven other jury members around from their first swift verdict of guilty in the case of a youth prosecuted for the murder of his father.

Fonda was impressed by the power in Reginald Rose's ingeniousy contrived teleplay, broadcast live on CBS in 1954 and believed lost until 2003, when a tape was discovered). Recognizing a role that perfectly suited his calm sincerity and seeing the opportunity for a gripping feature he put his own money into producing the film. He gave the assignment to Lumet, a dynamic veteran of live TV drama whose experise enabled him and director of photography Boris Kaufman - another expert at working in restricted spaces and in black and white - to mine the mounting tension from Rose's tightly structured script and to wrap the film in under twenty days.

Lumet's much loved, engrossing debut film makes no apologies for its theatricality but makes a virtue of its claustrophobic, sweaty intensity. And each actor makes his mark in this showcase of superb characterizations and ensemble dynamics, from Martin Balsam's insecure foreman to a leonine Lee J. Cobb's belligerent, embittered juror No. 3. Interestingly, two of the men, Joseph Sweeney as elderly, insightful juror No. 9 and George Voskovic as methodically minded juror No. 11, had been in the original television production.

Class and ethnic prejudices, private assumptions, and personalities all come out in a colossal struggle for unclouded judgment. The film won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival but its greatest accolade is that after seeing this picture no one ever enters into jury duty without fantasizing about becoming a dogged champion of justice a la Fonda, whatever the case at hand.