What did you guys think of the movies? After watching 12 Angry Men, I can't imagine Sidney Lumet ever following it up. What a fantastic first film. Do you think that movie could be made today?
As I mentioned before, I hadn't seen the film since high school and I'm very glad I revisited it. Stellar story telling and filmmaking, especially given the era it was made in.
What do you guys think? Was it anyones first time watching it? If you haven't yet done so, here is a link to it in full on youtube sourced by steve.
What about Before the Devil Knows You're Dead? What did you guys think of it?
That being said, I was completely enthralled and enjoyed every moment of the film. The acting, while classical, and a little staged, and a little sterile, was powerful, direct, and clean. The fact that I could watch twelve men in a room - the SAME room for 90 minutes and be interested the whole time - is saying something. BtDKYD - I need more time to reflect on it. I watched it a few months ago, and frankly, I love me som Philip Seymour Hoffman. I will watch laundry detergent commercials if he is in them. I think he is amazing. He's a completely despicable scumbag in this film - but he nails it. More on this film later.
Good observation Steve, I just think it's what actually makes this film work more than its contemporaries.
Initially mundane circumstances suddenly run out of control and characters are pushed beyond their limits. Lumet seemed to be able to get actors to trust him enough that they would take the normal, naturalistic portrayals they've been trained to give, and go over the top, believing Lumet when he told them the material required it. This sort of thing is most obvious in my favorite Lumet film, "Network," where he gets Peter Finch and Faye Dunaway to go way over the top, to great effect.
The writer that adapted it for the screenplay Reginald Rose was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Pierre Boulle, Carl Foreman and Michael Wilson for the Film "Bridge on the River Kwai". I've never seen that movie, have you?
When you get around to it, perhaps you could create a new post about it?
That opening sequence you can see the directors thought process black and white films are so good for telling stories colour distracts you Henry Fonder what else can i say. I have done jury service myself it's not like that everyone just wanted to go home so they all agreed he was guilty i was the only one that thought he wasn't.
- black and white films are so good for telling stories colour distracts you Henry Fonder what else can i say.
What I found compelling is that nearly the entire movie takes place in the jurors room and as you are watching you actually feel a bit confined and trapped. It's so well made that I actually felt uncomfortable. Can you fix that damn fan, it's hot as hell in here! I was reading on wikipedia that Lumet intentionally made the shots tighter as the film progressed and by the end they are all near closeups. His reasoning was to make the audience feel the claustrophobia of the jurors stuck in that room. -It worked. The script and the actors do a great job bringing the outside world in to that room. In fact, it's as though each character represents an aspect of the outside world. From left to right in the photo here: 1. The middle class fast talking salesman 2. The well-to-do financier 3. Blue Collar 4. Meek family man 5. Henry Fonda (everyman) 6. Bitterness of generations past 7. Madison Ave materialism 8. The thoughtful immigrant 9. the Coach 10. Wisdom of generations past 11. The poor 12. This is what makes this image/scene so strong. They are all staring at the camera looking at the "Angry" juror. He has so much contempt in his heart, anger and bitterness from something unrelated to this trial but he projects it in to all aspects of his life. In this scene we, for a moment are made to be him. They're all looking at me. Pretty strong stuff. I have never been on a jury. When I was 18 I was dismissed for whatever reason but haven't been asked since. I'd welcome the responsibility though, knowing it would likely be nothing like this. As for Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, it's hard for me to even write about it in the same comment. Just no where near as good of a film. I may be old fashioned in this sense, but I like a film to have at least one redeemable character and I can't find one in BtDKYD.
- Initially mundane circumstances suddenly run out of control and characters are pushed beyond their limits.