12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men
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1h 36m
Directed by Sidney Lumet • 1957 • United States
Starring Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb
12 ANGRY MEN, by Sidney Lumet, may be the most radical courtroom drama in cinema history. A behind-closed-doors look at the American legal system that is as riveting as it is spare, this iconic adaptation of Reginald Rose’s teleplay stars Henry Fonda as the dissenting member on a jury of white men ready to pass judgment on a Puerto Rican teenager charged with murdering his father. The result is a saga of epic proportions that plays out over a tense afternoon in one sweltering room. Lumet’s electrifying snapshot of 1950s America on the verge of change is one of the great feature film debuts.
Up Next in 12 Angry Men
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12 ANGRY MEN Edition Intro
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Ron Simon on 12 ANGRY MEN
In this piece, filmed in August 2011, Ron Simon, curator at the Paley Center for Media in New York City, looks at the importance of the Franklin J. Schaffner–directed teleplay of 12 ANGRY MEN, its key actors, and its impact on live television at the time.
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12 ANGRY MEN: The Television Version
The television version of 12 ANGRY MEN was written for the series “Westinghouse Presents Studio One” by Reginald Rose and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner. It first aired on September 26, 1954.
