"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Weekly Movie Recommendations : 9th August 2008 - 15th August 2008

May be off the net for some days. More on that as a separate post soon. So this time getting in the Weekly Movie Recommendations early.


12 Angry Men(1957)



Genre - Drama

Cast - Henry Fonda, Lee J.Cobb

Director - Sidney Lumet

Whats It About - A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court.

Why To Watch It - his film is superb, in fact as Shakespeare once said "Its the bees' knees". The film captivates the audience from the beginning. Each of the twelve jurors are introduced to us as they are introduced to themselves. The characters are well draw out and individual, each with his own personality.

The tension of the characters draws the audience in from the start. We imagine that the case is open and shut, 11 me saying guilty and 1 not. We feel the discomfort of Henry Fonda as the other characters belittle and mock how he can see any reasonable doubt in the case. But we also share his victories and the enthusiasm as he proceeds to refute or add doubt to the arguments for guilty and are captivated and draw in as other jurors begin to see doubt in the proceedings.

The audience can also see the arguments for guilty and wonder if Fonda's character is correct in saying that he doubts. Yet they also feel the shame of the characters as he disproves that a previously sound theory is iron tight, joining his side as members of the jury do.

On top of this they are wonderfully woven in human elements such as the misconceptions that influence people and the growing tension between different characters. This is brought to life even more by the amazing performances, Fonda, Lee J Cobb and Joseph Sweeney are of particular note.

Have a look right here -




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