12 Angry Men Overview:

12 Angry Men (1957) was a Drama - Black-and-white Film directed by Sidney Lumet and produced by Henry Fonda, Reginald Rose and George Justin.

SYNOPSIS

This is perhaps the most famous classic-movie courtroom drama. The jurors get their instructions in a murder case and enter a hot, close jury room to begin deliberating. The first count shows only Fonda holding out for acquittal. Then the fireworks begin, fueled by fatigue, heat, and the different personalities and experiences of the jurors. In Lumet's debut, he breaks every rule of cinema action, setting his story in one claustrophobic room and using multiple takes from different angles to provide movement. Originally a teleplay, this was Fonda's only experiment with producing. Remade for cable TV with Jack Lemmon.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

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12 Angry Men was inducted into the National Film Registry in 2007.

Academy Awards 1957 --- Ceremony Number 30 (source: AMPAS)

AwardRecipientResult
Best DirectorSidney LumetNominated
Best PictureHenry Fonda and Reginald Rose, ProducersNominated
Best WritingReginald RoseNominated
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BlogHub Articles:

12 Angry Men – Take 2 – Henry Fonda

By Virginie Pronovost on Feb 2, 2019 From The Wonderful World of Cinema

I had already written about 12 Angry Men (Sidney Lumet, 1957) on this blog when I wrote about Lee J. Cobb’s paternal roles in this film and in Golden Boy (Rouben Mamoulian, 1939). But there’s another 12 Angry Men’s actor that obviously deserves to be discussed: Henry Fonda, juror #... Read full article


DOUBLE BILL #13: Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and 12 Angry Men (1957)

By Carol Martinheira on Apr 12, 2018 From The Old Hollywood Garden

DOUBLE BILL #13: Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and 12 Angry Men (1957) On April 12, 2018 By CarolIn Uncategorized Courtroom dramas never disappoint. They?re tense, gripping, dramatic and emotional and, more often than not, they grab you by the throat and they don?... Read full article


What I Learned from 12 Angry Men

By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 16, 2016 From 4 Star Films

Recently I got the chance to sit down with a group of friends and watch 12 Angry Men together. Many of them had never seen it and hearing their reactions was immense fun for me. But as we talked for a few minutes afterward, I began to realize that really each of these characters represents something... Read full article


What I Learned from 12 Angry Men

By 4 Star Film Fan on Oct 16, 2016 From 4 Star Films

Recently I got the chance to sit down with a group of friends and watch 12 Angry Men together. Many of them had never seen it and hearing their reactions was immense fun for me. But as we talked for a few minutes afterward, I began to realize that really each of these characters represents something... Read full article


12 Angry Men (1957)

By Beatrice on Jun 1, 2016 From Flickers in Time

12 Angry Men Directed by Sidney Lumet Written by Reginald Rose 1957/USA Orion-Nova Pictures Repeat viewing/Netflix rental #333 of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Lumet gathered all the great character actors of the 50’s into one room with Henry Fonda and made a stage play work com... Read full article


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Quotes from

Juror #3: Look, you voted guilty. What side are you on?
Juror #11: I don't believe I have to be loyal to one side or the other. I'm simply asking questions.


Juror #3: That business before when that tall guy, what's-his-name, was trying to bait me? That doesn't prove anything. I'm a pretty excitable person. I mean, where does he come off calling me a public avenger, sadist and everything? Anyone in his right mind would blow his stack. He was just trying to bait me.
Juror #4: He did an excellent job.


Juror #5: Boy oh boy, it's really hot, huh? Pardon me, but don't you ever sweat?
Juror #4: No, I don't.


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Facts about

Shot in a total of 365 separate takes.
Though the final scene in the film primarily involves Juror #8 and #9, the other 10 jurors can all be seen descending the courthouse steps and going their own separate ways.
Henry Fonda, who symbolically wears white throughout the film, personally asked Sidney Lumet to direct the movie adaptation, having been impressed with his work on the TV version, Twelve Angry Men.
read more facts about 12 Angry Men...
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Best Picture Oscar 1957






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National Film Registry

12 Angry Men

Released 1957
Inducted 2007
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Also directed by Sidney Lumet




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