Sidney Lumet

 Sidney Lumet




12 Angry Men (1957)




RANKED:


1. 12 Angry Men (1957)


Despite being an all-time classic, Sidney Lumet's 1957 debut feature film "12 Angry Men" was a box office disappointment at the time of its release. Perhaps the main reason for this was the variety of color pictures that engulfed the market at the time, rendering American audiences spoiled to these visual spectacles. A black-and-white picture like "12 Angry Men," in which the entirety of the film's plot takes place in a single room, perhaps did not seem very attractive to commercial audiences. The film's plot centers around 12 men deciding whether or not to condemn an 18-year-old boy to death for possibly killing his father. When 11 of the men vote guilty, one single juror decides to take a stand and convince the other jurors that there's room for reasonable doubt. At a time when McCarthyism was running rampant in American politics and the justice system, "12 Angry Men" implores empathy, criticizes reactionary finger-pointing, and lays bare the truth of human bias and folly. It is a captivating film that transcends its time period and encapsulates the true spirit of what it means to offer true justice in an American democratic justice system.  

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La Dolce Vita (1960)

Image
  Federico Fellini's "La Dolce Vita" The famed Italian poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini once said that Federico Fellini's 1960 masterpiece " La Dolce Vita " was too important to be discussed in the usual way one discusses a film. I absolutely agree. " La Dolce Vita " is not only a monolith in cinematic history - it set a new precedent for how films could be constructed. Its DNA lies in the very components of modern cinematic convention. The themes and narrative beats remain as relevant today as they were in 1960, lending the film a remarkable sense of timelessness. To call " La Dolce Vita " a masterpiece almost feels like an understatement.  The film departs from traditional narrative structure, unfolding instead through a series of interconnected episodes. Marcello Mastroianni stars as Marcello Rubini, a tabloid journalist who aspires to write literature. Navigating the glamorous yet hollow world of Rome's café society, he spend...
Read more

Oliver Twist (1948)

Image
  David Lean's "Oliver Twist" After the success of David Lean's 1946 adaption of Charles Dickens classic 1861 novel " Great Expectations ," Lean decided once again to adapt a classic work by Dickens. This time, his focus was on the 1837 novel, " Oliver Twist ." His 1948 adaptation once again proved that Lean was able to take Dicken's classic work and visualize it for the big screen.  Centering on a young orphan boy in 19th century England, " Oliver Twist " details the boy's plight as he is hired out as an apprentice after asking a cruel taskmaster for a second serving of gruel. Falling in with a street urchin and a criminal, the boy's fate between wealth and poverty hangs in the balance when his kindly benefactor decides to take him in. From all of the Charles Dickens adaptations I have seen, I have come to the conclusion that I am not a fan of Dicken's work. I know, blasphemous. From " Great Expectations " to ...
Read more

The Browning Version (1951)

Image
  Anthony Asquith's "The Browning Version" I was very caught off guard by Anthony Asquith's 1951 British film " The Browning Version ." Going into it, I wasn't sure what to expect. Regardless, what I received was something far more emotionally complex than anticipated.  The film centers on Andrew Crocker-Harris, an embittered, middle-aged schoolmaster. He is resigning from his post due to his poor health, his wife is cheating on him, and the person she's cheating on him with is the one replacing him at his post. This sets off a series of emotional and existential reflections on whether his hardnose and authoritarian teaching methods made any difference with the students throughout his teaching career. However, one grateful student forces Crocker-Harris into an emotional reckoning. The film forces reflection on one's life and the difference we make in the lives of those around us. Perhaps you hold too tightly to your ideals and perhaps you've ...
Read more