Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.5
Overall		4.5

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 16, 2011

Nominated for three Oscar Awards and winner of Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Sidney Lumet's "12 Angry Men" (1957) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the film's original theatrical trailer; Franklin J. Schaffner's television play; gallery of interviews with Sidney Lumet; video interview with film scholar Vance Kepley; video essay by curator Ron Simon; video interview with cinematographer John Bailey; and more. The disc also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring Thane Rosenbaum's essay "Lumet's Faces". In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The men

Sidney Lumet’s 12 Angry Men may well be the simplest yet most effective courtroom drama ever filmed. It takes place in a small room, on a hot summer day, and follows twelve jurors as they attempt to determine the fate of a young Puerto Rican man charged with the killing of his father. The focus of attention is entirely on the interpretations of the evidence the jurors have been presented with.

The names of the jurors are not revealed before they enter the room. They are also not mentioned after they enter the room. When the men address each other they use their numbers.

The foreman, Juror No.1 (Martin Balsam, Tora! Tora! Tora!), is an energetic and accommodating football coach. Juror No. 2 (John Fiedler, The Odd Couple) is a quiet but curious bank clerk. Juror No.3 (Lee J. Cobb, On the Waterfront) is an energetic and stubborn businessman. Juror No. 4 (E.G. Marshall, The Chase) is a respected and critical broker. Juror No. 5 (Jack Klugman, Days of Wine & Roses) is a young Baltimore Orioles fan. Juror No. 6 (Edward Binns, The Verdict) is a tough house painter. Juror No.7 (Jack Warden, All the President's Men) is a loud and fast-talking salesman. Juror No.8 (Henry Fonda, Once Upon a Time in the West) is a quiet architect. Juror No. 9 (Joseph Sweeney, The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit) is an intelligent and observant old man. Juror No. 10 (Ed Begley, Hang 'Em High) is a loud and obnoxious garage owner. Juror No. 11 (George Voskovec, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold) is an East European watchmaker. And Juror No. 12 (Robert Webber, 10) is an energetic advertising agent who loves to crack jokes.

The first vote reveals that only one of the jurors, No. 8, is unsure whether the young man is indeed guilty. His uncertainty triggers a series of passionate discussions during which each juror reevaluates the evidence presented by the prosecution. Then a series of new votes follow.

The story that is told has two simple goals: to explain the jury process and the principle of reasonable doubt. Through the various discussions that follow the initial vote, the story tackles familiar social and cultural prejudices that could reshape the "truth". The ones highlighted after Juror No. 11 sides with Juror No. 8 are particularly interesting as they are very much alive and well today.

The resolution of the drama is reassuring yet quite sobering. Because of the mistakes made by the defense, it is up to the jurors to uphold justice. Naturally, there are two different trials underway -- one for the young man who is accused of killing his father, and another that judges the American legal system.

12 Angry Men is based on a television play by Reginald Rose and was director Lumet’s first feature film. It was released in 1957, three years after the television play directed by Franklin J. Schaffner had aired as part of the CBS series Westinghouse Presents Studio One.

Except for Fonda, at the time the only true star, and Begley, none of the other actors that played the jurors were particularly well-known in Hollywood. They were all stage actors that had done some TV work.

The acting, however, is uniformly superb. Fonda is incredible as the liberal architect who asks the majority of the difficult questions. Voskovec is very convincing as the naturalized American citizen as well. Cobb’s character transformation is absolutely breathtaking.

*In 1958, 12 Angry Men won Golden Bear Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2007, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.67:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit 2K from a 35mm fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, warps, jitter, and flicker were manually removed using MTI's DRS and Pixel Farm's PFClean, while Image Systems' DVNR was used for small dirt, grain, and noise correction.

Telecine colorist: Russell Bishop/Deluxe Digital Media, Los Angeles.
Original audio restoration: Brian San Marco/Chace Audio, Los Angeles."

Director Lumet's legendary film has never looked this good before. Not only are detail and clarity dramatically improved, but the color-scheme is very impressively balanced, giving the film a fresh and notably crisp look. The blacks appear to have been slightly elevated, but the adjustment is indeed most appropriate as they blend very well with the variety of whites and grays (see screencapture #9). The various close-ups throughout the film also look impressive - textures are well defined and there are no signs of overzealous sharpening. A layer of light and well resolved grain is also present from start to finish. Additionally, excessive noise or edge flicker do not plague the high-definition transfer. There are no serious (frame) transition issues either. The high-definition transfer is also free of large damage marks, cuts, stains, or warps. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free Blu-ray player in order to access its content).

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 1.0. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray disc:

"The monaural soundtrack was remastered at 24-bit from a restored 35mm magnetic print. Clicks, thumps, hiss, and hum were manually removed using Pro Tools HD. Crackle was attenuated using AudioCube's integrated workstation."

12 Angry Men is primarily a dialog-driven film. Naturally, the English LPCM 1.0 track has a rather limited dynamic amplitude. However, the dialog has an excellent depth and very good fluidity. Occasionally some light background hiss is easy to detect, but its presence is never distracting. There are no distortions or serious sync issues to report in this review.

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for 12 Angry Men. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• 12 Angry Men: From TV to the Big Screen - in this video interview, film scholar Vance Kepley discusses the history of 12 Angry Men, and specifically its evolution from teleplay to feature film. The interview was recorded exclusively for Criterion in 2011 at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison. In English, not subtitled. (26 min, 1080p).

• Sidney Lumet - a gallery of interviews with Sidney Lumet conducted throughout his career. Also included is a new interview with the director's close friend and collaborator Walter Bernstein. In English, not subtitled.
  
  -- Sidney Lumet (23 min, 1080i).
  -- Reflections on Sidney (10 min, 1080p).

• On Reginald Rose - Ron Simon, curator at the Paley Center for Media, takes a look at the legacy and importance of Reginald Rose, the writer of 12 Angry Men. Also included is Sidney Lumet's "Tragedy in a Temporary Town", which was written by Reginald Rose and first aired as part of The Alcoa Hour on NBC on February 19, 1956. In English, not subtitled. (15 min, 1080p).
  
  -- "Tragedy in a Temporary Town". In English, not subtitled. (56 min, 1080i).

• On Boris Kaufman - cinematographer John Bailey discusses the legacy and visual style of cinematographer Boris Kaufman (12 Angry Men, On the Waterfront), filmmaker Dziga Vertov's younger brother. In English, not subtitled. (39 min, 1080p).

• 12 Angry Men - this is the television version of 12 Angry Men written for the series Westinghouse Presents Studio One by Reginald Rose and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, which first aired on September 26, 1954. In English, not subtitled. (51 min, 1080i).
  
  -- Introduction by Ron Simon. Recorded exclusively for Criterion in August 2011. (15 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring Thane Rosenbaum's essay "Lumet's Faces" (the author is a novelist, essayist, and law professor. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Los Angeles Times, among other publications.

12 Angry Men Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Sidney Lumet's 12 Angry Men is one of the greatest American films of all time. Superbly executed, it offers a fascinating look at the strengths and weaknesses of the American legal system that remains unmatched. As expected, Criterion's presentation of the film is of exceptionally high quality. The Blu-ray also features a wealth of insightful supplemental programs, as well as Franklin J. Schaffner's television play that inspired the film. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.