12 Angry Men (1957 film)

12 Angry Men
Poster depicting 12 jurors and an enlarged switchknife
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySidney Lumet
Screenplay byReginald Rose
Based onTwelve Angry Men
(1954 teleplay on Studio One)
by Reginald Rose
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyBoris Kaufman
Edited byCarl Lerner
Music byKenyon Hopkins
Production
company
Orion-Nova Productions
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
Running time
96 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$337,000[3][4]
Box office$2 million (rentals)[5]

12 Angry Men is a 1957 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet in his feature directorial debut, adapted from a 1954 teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose.[6][7] The film tells the story of a jury of twelve men as they deliberate the conviction or acquittal of a teenager charged with murder on the basis of reasonable doubt; disagreement and conflict among the jurors forces them to question their morals and values. It stars an ensemble cast, featuring Henry Fonda (who also produced the film with Rose), Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, and Jack Warden.

An independent production[8][9] distributed by United Artists, 12 Angry Men received acclaim from critics, despite a lukewarm box-office performance. At the 30th Academy Awards, it was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It is regarded by many as one of the greatest films ever made.

In 2007, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".[10] Additionally, it was selected as the second-best courtroom drama ever (after 1962's To Kill a Mockingbird) by the American Film Institute for their AFI's 10 Top 10 list.[11]

  1. ^ "12 Angry Men – Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  2. ^ "New Acting Trio Gains Prominence". Los Angeles Times. April 9, 1957. p. 23.
  3. ^ Hollinger, Hy (December 24, 1958). "Telecast and Theatre Film, Looks As If '12 Angry Men' May Reap Most Dough As Legit Play". Variety. p. 5. Retrieved May 21, 2019 – via archive.org.
  4. ^ Parsons, Louella, "Anita Ekberg Chosen for 'Mimi' Role", The Washington Post and Times-Herald, Washington, D.C., April 8, 1957: A18.
  5. ^ "Top Grosses of 1957", Variety, January 8, 1958: 30
  6. ^ Hollinger, Hy (February 27, 1957). "Film reviews: 12 Angry Men". Variety. p. 6. Retrieved June 7, 2019 – via archive.org.
  7. ^ "12 Angry Men". Harrison's Reports. March 2, 1957. p. 35. Retrieved June 7, 2019 – via archive.org.
  8. ^ The Top 10 Indie Movies of All Time | A Cinefix Movie List - IGN
  9. ^ 12 Angry Men 4K - Trailers From Hell
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference 12AngryMen1957film-r1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "AFI's 10 Top 10 Courtroom Drama". American Film Institute. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2014.