I believe the ideological message this film conveys is that our criminal justice system needs to do a better job instilling fairness and justice in the court system. Therefore, social status or social conditions will not be the determining factor for conviction based on inequality beliefs. I think this film being made in the early 50’s, is still in line with the issue of race relations as we encounter discrimination even today.
5. Using concepts developed by Rafter, was there a justice figure in “12 Angry Men”? How did the plot focus on a typical courtroom film theme: the difficulty of achieving justice?
Viewing the concepts developed by Rafter, I believe the first member of the jury that voted not guilty in favor of the young boy was the first justice figure that appeared in the film. The difficulty of achieving justice was a factor because many men were voting but not fully giving the defendant a chance. Eleven out of the twelve mainly voted on inequality beliefs that obscured their ability to fairly convict the young man. But throughout the film, you see the role of the justice figure try to influence each member of the jury to dismantle the guilty pleading members of the jury.
7. Did the defendant have a jury of his peers? (Contrast this to the short story “A Jury of Her Peers”
Unlike the defendant in the short story “A Jury of Her Peers”, the young boy did not have a jury of his peers. In the short story, the defendant had women equal to her and on her side doing things in their best hopes to save their peer. But in the film “12 Angry Men” it was the opposite, a younger man with his life in the hands of much older “angrier” men. But regardless of the jury not being his peers, they still were able to remove social conditions and other inequality beliefs off the table to give a fair decision.
10. Think about how racism, gender bias, and other kinds of discrimination surface and occur as one has contact with the criminal justice system. Be able to discuss several of these points and their implications for carrying out the principle of equal justice under law. Where have some of these issues surfaced in films we have viewed? (e.g., “Do the Right Thing,” “Boys Don’t Cry,” “12 Angry Men” etc.).
The
The rest of the jury realized the boy’s race was not a fact of the matter. The condition the boy was raised was not completely certain but as the jury even walked through every witness’s perspective; they were attempting to be as realistic as possible. The 10th juror was a racist but his perspective was useful nonetheless by teaching a lesson. This responsible approach resulted from an impartial jury with different perspectives and in law reviews such as, “Diversity and the Civil Jury”; it is made clear just how legal and important impartial juries can be. “The right to an impartial jury drawn from a fair cross section of the community has mostly been expounded upon in the context of the Sixth Amendment's right to a jury trial in criminal cases, but has been applied to civil cases as well.’ In order to ensure that juries serve “as instruments of public justice,” this requirement is designed to create “a body truly representative of the community” (Carbone 840). America is very diverse so it makes sense that a jury should reflect such a mixed society and leave racism at the door.
In the play “Twelve Angry men”, the story line presents a variety of perspectives and opinions between twelve very different men. Some are more likely to be pointed out as prejudice, and others are more focused on reaching fair justice. Clearly, it is quite difficult for different people to vote ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty’ in unity when coming to a fair decision. In all of the twelve jurors, I have chosen Juror 3 and Juror 8 for contrast and comparison. I believe that Juror number 3 is a very opinionated man, with more differences than similarities comparing with Juror number 8.
Twelve Angry Men, a play by Reginald Rose, was written in 1955 at a time when America was involved in a cold war with communist countries. It shows the strength of a deliberative process that enables individuals, who have “nothing to gain or lose,” to reach a verdict. In the American jury system “everybody deserves a fair trial” and in Twelve Angry Men the defendant gets a very fair trial. All the jurors have their own opinions on the case but in the end a decision is made. The jury, and the audience, never discovers if in fact the defendant did murder his father. His guilt or innocence seems to be almost
In the movie, Twelve Angry Men, all of the characters have their own specific personalities. Jurors 1 through 12 all have gone through different life situations and come from different beginnings. On a certain level, the jurors are all connected to each other in one way or another. That would be the strength of the justice system. It brings people together that no one would have ever thought were compatible to work with each other.
Twelve Angry Men, is a play written by Reginald Rose. The play is about the process of individuals and a court case, which is determining the fate of a teenager. It presents the themes of justice, independence and ignorance. Rose emphasises these three themes through the characters and the dialogue. Justice is the principle of moral rightness or equity. This is shown through juror number eight who isn’t sure whether or not the boy is actually innocent or guilty, but he persists to ask questions and convinces the other jurors to think about the facts first. Independence is shown through both juror number three and ten. They both believe that the defendant is guilty until they both realise that they can not relate there past experiences with
The classic 1957 movie 12 Angry Men delves in to a panel of twelve jurors who are deciding the life or death fate of an eighteen year old italian boy accused of stabbing his father to death. The twelve men selected as jurors are a diverse group, each coming to the table with their own socioeconomic backgrounds, personal experiences, prejudice’s, and all of this plays a role in the jurors attitudes and/or misconceptions of the accused young man. How each of the jurors, all but Juror Eight played by Henry Fonda, experiences and personalities impact their original vote of guilty is clear at the beginning of the movie with the first vote. However, from the start, Juror Eight displays confidence, and demonstrates leadership abilities utilizing
What drove juror nine and eight judgement’s of other is not to judge a person solely by their pass actions or where they come from, but with their current character. Juror eight was able change the other juror’s vote to not guilty. Juror nine made sure that vote was based off of stereotypes.The play “Twelve Angry Men” holds relevance for today, because there are negative stereotypes that can impact people's lives and result in not being judged fairly.
Only different upbringings and understandings would enable that understanding. 2) There were numerous examples of bias in the film. One example is when the defendant got labelled a ‘delinquent’,
We are presented in both ‘Twelve Angry Men’ and ‘On The Waterfront’ with environments that represent the tensions between characters and their ability to overcome conflict and prove justice. In ‘Twelve Angry Men’ the jury room is described as “a large, drab, bare room in need of painting, with three windows in the back wall through which can be seen the New York skyline.” The way, in which the jurors are seated facing each other, on the long scarred table that represents the previous troubles and journeys of the jury room, inspires truth and transparency and allows for confrontation between the jurors. In contrast to when Terry Malloy stands in front of the foggy church elaborating he is unclear and still on the pathway to finding himself,
The 1957 movie version of 12 Angry Men, brings twelve people together with different personalities and experiences to discuss the fate of a young boy that allegedly killed his father. At the very beginning, many agree that the boy is guilty except for one man. Juror #8 votes not guilty and pushes to have the evidence talked through. After reviewing all the evidence carefully, the tables turned from guilty to not guilty. Each juror brought different experiences and personalities to the jury room. The two that were forceful with their opinions and their reasonings to decide either way we're jurors #8 and #3.
The movie 12 Angry Men, directed by Sidney Lumet, introduces twelve jury members each one coming from a different background. The experiences and personalities of these men play a critical element in the first majority vote in deciding the verdict of guilty or not guilty. Juror #3, #10, and #11 were very influential in that their opinions and thoughts on the case were determined by their own personal bias. Therefore, a person’s behavior, opinions, and thoughts are reflected on how that person feels on the inside. Juror #3 is against the boy that is being tried and very biased towards him; this results in how he acts during the meeting and what his thoughts are regarding the case.
When looking at the film, “12 Angry men”, conformity plays a big role in the jury room. The film demonstrates the tremendous amount of power social influence can have on individuals to conform because they believe that by adjusting their own behaviour to align to the norms of the group, will lead to an increased level of acceptance. Conformity due to social influence can be identified within the jury room, some Juror members conformed due to
According the five Methods for Influencing Other Group Members - use of reason, assertiveness, coalition building, higher values, and bargaining - when Juror Eight said: “we are talking about somebody life here, we can’t just decide within five minutes, suppose we are wrong”, he used the youth human-being life’s important and the danger of a false decision as good reasons to force other jurors in analyzing the facts carefully. He then talks about the boy’s backgrounds for appealing to logic and rational thinking of other jurors. Juror Three was overt prejudice, hostility, and used “assertiveness” to influence the other ten jurors of jury provided an antagonist for juror Eight. Juror eight used “coalition building” method to seek alignment with other group members. He never says that he believes the defendant is innocent but his mantra throughout the movie was “it’s possible!” referring to the reasonable doubt, which he convinced others’ thought. Juror Eight continued to appeal other eleven juror’s higher values by repeatedly reinforcing their moral and judicial obligation to convict only if there was no reasonable doubt. He challenged each juror to look at the facts more thoughtfully. “Bargaining” is offering an instrument exchange. Juror 8 used this method when he said: “I want to call for another vote… If there are 11 votes for guilty, I won’t stand alone… But if anyone votes not guilty, we stay here and talk it out.”
This essay will explore the Oscar-winning United artist film 12 Angry Men directed by Sydney Lumet; with a thorough evaluation of how successfully the narrative reflects tensions in 1950s America. 12 Angry Men is renowned for its strong linear narrative and the ability to obtain the attention of the audience with the use of only one mise-en-scene. The 1957 courtroom drama was established around the key theme of Politics and the battle between communism and capitalism in 1950s America; with a traditional Hollywood Narrative being sustained throughout, enabling a powerful and persuasive style. 12 angry men initiate with an introductory scene, displaying external architecture of the New York County Courthouse which sets the scene for the rest of the film by highlighting the importance of the location. When brought inside, the audience is introduced to the 12 jurors, through a camera ‘pan’ from right to left, to show their importance as they remain the key focus for the entirety of the film. With a high camera angle introduction of the main suspect, a young underprivileged Hispanic boy, whose life depends on the white men who sit before him.
The right to a trial by jury is a core element of the United States Criminal Justice System. This right is guaranteed to all citizens by the highest law of the land: The United States Constitution. But are juries truly an effective means of securing justice? The movie 12 Angry Men provides commentary on this question with its portrayal of twelve jurors deliberating over a murder case. The jury initially seems bound to condemn the defendant, a young man of nineteen years, to the electric chair, but a single man, Juror no. 8 descents against the majority. Over the course of the film, tensions rise, and after much debate Juror no. 8 manages to convince the other eleven jurors to eventually vote not guilty. Through their debates and casual side conversations, we are shown the role of personal biases and group manipulation tactics that can impede with objective analysis and ultimately the attainment of justice. Thus, the Movie 12 Angry Men mostly serves to challenge the jury system as a means of securing justice by demonstrating the harmful effects of personal biases, the lack of dedication to the system, and the potential for manipulative tactics.