CLASSIC MOVIES: 12 ANGRY MEN (1957)

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Brief Movie Synopsis [courtesy of Turner Classic Movies]:

A jury holdout tries to convince
his colleagues to vote not guilty.

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REVIEWS:

"12 Angry Men...is a penetrating, sensitive and sometimes
shocking dissection of the hearts and minds of men who obviously
are something less than gods. It makes for taut, absorbing and
compelling drama that reaches far beyond the
close confines of its jury room setting."

-- Excerpt from The New York Times; April 15, 1957

"['12 Angry Men'] is a masterpiece of stylized realism--the
style coming in the way the photography and editing comment on
the bare bones of the content. .... In its ingenuity, in the way
it balances one piece of evidence against another that seems
contradictory, '12 Angry Men' is as meticulous as the summation
of an Agatha Christie thriller. .... The movie plays like a textbook
for directors interested in how lens choices affect mood. By gradually
lowering his camera, [Sidney] Lumet illustrates another principle
of composition: A higher camera tends to dominate, a lower camera
tends to be dominated. As the film begins we look down on the characters,
and the angle suggests they can be comprehended and mastered. By the
end, they loom over us, and we feel overwhelmed by the force of
their passion. .... If Lumet is not among the most famous of
American directors, that is only because he ranges so widely he
cannot be categorized. Few filmmakers have been so consistently
respectful of the audience's intelligence."

-- Roger Ebert; September 29, 2002

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