There are millions of movies produced. Even though we have the modern cinematography and films of different genres that can satisfy every spectator, some old movies remain popular to this day. And one of them is 12 angry men.
A lot of movies were based on this one because the 12 angry men is very worthwhile. Deep and very exciting story. This is a brilliant film with a great idea and execution, very realistic characters, the actors’ work and the internal logic of the story. This film deservedly considered a masterpiece of world cinema.
The film was premiered in the United States on April 10, 1957. The budget of the film 12 Angry Men was 340 thousand dollars. The direction of the film was made by Cindy Lumet. This movie was his debut, and very successful one, that brought him a fame of a great movie director. To make a movie from the play of Reginald Rose was a good idea. We can see its proof in the quality and popularity of the film and its rating, this movie is in the middle of the list of the best films in the history of cinematography.
The drama develops in a small room where the protagonist of the film 12 Angry Men is being judged. This young man was blamed for the murder of his own father. At that time, there was a very popular type of death penalty as the electric chair, and this case was no exception. 12 men gathered in one room to make a verdict. The main issue on the agenda is: “Guilty or not?” It’s amazing how in such a small film, each character was revealed, it was shown that everybody has their own skeletons in the closet, experiences. The tense atmosphere was kept throughout the movie. Each of the men stood up and accused the main character in his actions, bringing some arguments, personal statement of facts showing hostility to the accused.
The plot of the film – at the beginning of the meeting all agreed that the protagonist is the one to guilty, and only one of the twelve has doubts about it. When counting the votes, it was revealed that the count is 11:1. But at the end of their meeting, we see that opinions have changed dramatically, and the defendant is innocent. It is highlighting the fact that It is very difficult to decide someone’s fate, like God. And as awareness of their responsibility, to the extent of dispersion of evidence seemed irrefutable at the beginning of the meeting, the jury came to the right decision, moving away their personal interests on the back burner. And that it removes a stone from the soul, not only Davis. The film is a concise, logical and transmitting all the nuances of the characters of the heroes. Miraculously scene silence after another replica of one of the 12 jurors. Each pose expresses something. Even a thunderstorm and rain are important for the main idea and appeared at the right time of the film.
This film has its own atmosphere. The action takes place in a single room, but it is enough for the film to be intense from start to finish. The defendant almost was not shown, so it is impossible to have some own point of view on the situation, and we find ourselves in the role of the viewer, in the position when we are watching the movie not defending our own position from the first minutes of narration.
I think it is wrong to say that the main character played by Henry Fond went against the crowd – the crowd is crazy, evil, and does not control itself, and here we can see 12, though angry, but smart men. Judging by the film, the dignity of the American democratic system is not in the opportunity to speak for everyone, and then collectively come to a common decision, but that it makes possible correctly selecting the jury. In fact, we see people of all ages and beliefs, and to some extent, different social status, but they mostly have a standard of living not lower than the average, not bitter life, these are people with an education, sufficient to think. These people are not only pleasant to look at, but only in a circle of such people, this story could take place.
Thanks to the excellent acting game, the smooth development of the events and topical subject, the picture does not lose its value ever.