12 Angry Men (50th Anniversary Edition) with Special Features

It is the absolute antithesis of everything the Hollywood studios are releasing today. There is no senseless violence, no special effects of any kind, practically no music and not a woman cannot be seen during the entire film. Heck, "12 Angry Men" was a box office flop when it was first released back in 1957. But to those who study and appreciate the fine art of movie-making "12 Angry Men" remains a shining example of how a motion picture should be crafted. It is a film that will grab your attention in the opening scene and simply never let go."12 Angry Men" first appeared on television on CBS's "Studio One" program in the early 1950's. Actor Henry Fonda was so taken with the play that he immediately launched a campaign to bring it to the big screen. When all of the major studios declined Fonda and the author of the play Reginald Rose decided to do it themselves. They recruited highly respected director Sidney Lumet and inked a deal with United Artists. Remarkably, this film was made for less than $350,000 and was shot in less than three weeks. Save for the opening and closing scenes the entire 95 minute movie was shot on one set consisting of the jury room and the adjoining bathroom. Moreover, this film was shot in glorious black and white which proved to be remarkably effective.The matter at hand is the deliberation of a 12 man jury who must determine the guilt or innocence of a young Puerto Rican teenager who has been charged with the murder of this father. The remarkable 6 and 1/2 minute opening scene sets the tone for the entire film. As we watch these 12 men assemble in the jury room we immediately begin to get a psychological insight into each one of them. And when the foreman of the jury (Martin Balsam) decides to take an initial vote to see where things stand we learn that only juror #8 (Henry Fonda) believes tthat he young man is innocent. Thus the stage is set for a rock-em, sock-em debate as Fonda attempts to convince the other 11 jurors that they are wrong. This is courtroom drama at it's absolute best. I must tell you that the writing is nothing short of extraordinary and the acting is superb. There are truly remarkable performances by E.G. Marshall, a very young Jack Klugman, Ed Begley, Jack Warden and most especially Lee J. Cobb who plays juror #3, a highly opinionated and prejudiced man who for his own personal reasons is determined to see the defendant fry. And of course as one might expect Henry Fonda is unforgettable in the role of juror #8. During the course of the deliberations these 12 ordinary men must confront their own personal prejudices and shortcomings and make a series of moral choices. It is positively spellbinding! Meanwhile, the imaginative camera work conveys to the audience the sense of what it must be like to have to operate in such closed quarters for an extended period of time.Although a disappointment at the box office "12 Angry Men" was nominated for three Academy Awards. The play continues to be performed by theater companies and high school groups all around the country. These days for rather obvious reasons the name has been changed to "12 Angry Jurors". If you have never seen this film I urge you to make it a point to see it. You will definitely not be disappointed and you just might discover that there is more to good film-making than special effects. Very highly recommended!

Great edition to an amazing film that still holds up after nearly 70 years! Worth owning and watching many, many times. Bonus features are good and informative.

This movie is rated as one of the best and it shows. It is intelligent and thought provoking and keeps you interested throughout the movie.Now let me clear up one point. I have been on jury duty many times. You can't do anything you see here. No outside evidence, no shouting and no threatening people. It is a formula for a mistrial. Things would be far different if you could act like this movie.

The movie was amazing, I do go into spoilers be aware. There was only one downside and the movie doesn't go into depth of what happens after the move, what are the ramifications of their choice of not guilty. What happened to the boy after? what happened to the man and his son? did he go try to reach out after the event? I also wished they showed more of the trial, I wanted to know how the kids lawyer was and how he didn't make a strong case, like they could have shown those specific details about the witnesses or the two police officers who had arrested the boy. Overall it was an amazing move and would recommend it to anyone there were just some left out pieces of information that would have made it more complete.

Loved this movie, still watch it every now & then. Great actors!

Timeless & powerful.

My four star rating is based on the DVD with extras, not the film itself which I consider to be a big five stars. The DVD comes in a basic plastic keepsake case. The DVD does have artwork on it via an image of Henry Fonda and the title of the movie. It played perfectly for me with no issues with audio or visual.I'm very much into DVD extras. I was excited to hear the commentary that is provided by Drew Casper, a film historian. Unfortunately, I was more frustrated by the commentary than happy with it. Casper spoke in an odd rapid fire hushed tone that annoyed me greatly. In fact, I felt aggravated by it. He was calmer in certain sections as the movie progressed, but on the whole, it was not a pleasure to listen. He did have some interesting things to say here and there, however.What I absolutely loved was a featurette on the making of the movie. This was full of interesting info and it felt complete as it discussed each of the jurors. It talked a lot about Fonda's efforts to get the movie made, too. Another shorter featurette talked about how it was inside the jury room. These two extras are worth the price of the DVD in my view.

A classic "must have" for a proper video collection. Saw it years ago and have seen it several times now that I own a copy. It's a masterpiece! 12 actors, one set, excellent talent, writing and acting! Well worth watching! (Played it for my wife a couple of days before she had to report for jury duty! She had never seen it! Was an eye opener! LOL!)