PrintMarch 31, 2007
12 Angry Men Turns 50
This March marked the 50th anniversary of one of Hollywood's most revered, indeed sacrosanct films, 1957's 12 Angry Men, an icon of liberal judicial reform. The film served as a classic plea for defendants' rights, depicting a jury deciding the fate of an 18 year old boy on trial for murder. Through the efforts of the film's hero, juror #8, portrayed by Henry Fonda, the eleven other members are swayed from a quick vote to convict in a death penalty case to an eventual acquittal.At the time of its release and since, 12 Angry Men was considered a parable about McCarthyism, reflecting a supposedly callous society's indifference to the less fortunate and willingness to unjustly sustain false accusations. But go beneath the surface and the emotional manipulation of the audience and characters on screen, and one discovers that from the judge's charge to the jury's verdict, we are witness to a fraud, a set-up from beginning to end, a piece of agitprop designed to fool the audience into...(Read Full Article)
