When Steve and I found out that Sidney Lumet, director of Before the Devil Knows You're Dead, started his movie directing career with 12 Angry Men, we simply had to watch it. I'd seen it a few months ago when Steve was away on a trip but he'd remembered how much I enjoyed it, and I was very happy to watch it again.
Some of my favorite movies (Stalag 17, The Philadelphia Story, Arsenic and Old Lace, etc.) take place in only a few rooms, and are adapted from plays (12 Angry Men takes place in only one room for 95% of the movie). What you get is extremely strong character development and interesting performances because the actors can't do much else to sell the movie in such confined space. Now dial back the years and make the film black and white where you have to depend on lighting, angles and close-ups to make the movie more interesting along with the actor's performances. If this is done well, you end up with a movie like 12 Angry Men.
This movie is about 12 jurors who have to agree one way or another, whether or not to find the defendant guilty of a murder. That may not seem like an movie worth watching, but it's really good! Since I'd seen it before, I got to see how Steve reacted to each scene which was fun for me, and I got to study performances differently now that I knew how everything would turn out. 12 Angry Men is one of the very best classic movies out there and if you haven't seen it, check it out!
My takeaway from this classic was that the bigoted people had other underlying issues that made them hateful. (If I remember right; it's been awhile.) If I recall correctly, one of the last holdouts was a man who finally confessed he had a very bad relationship with his son. The anger from that ongoing wound turned into anger towards other, innocent people. It did make reevaluate prejudice, and I've noticed that the racist people I know are usually bitter about life in general. Racism seems to be just one of avenues for the bitterness to escape. I hadn't noticed that until I saw this movie, which was a pretty daring and unique production.
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Yes, it was daring, and you're right about your recollections. I agree with you too that people with racism problems are looking for something to lash out at--why not another race? Grr. I really liked the thought-provoking aspects of this film, and how you were able to see each person's point of view, whether or not you agreed with it.
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