FILM · 1957 · USA
12 Angry Men
- Directed by
- Sidney Lumet
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Studio
- Orion-Nova Productions
319 archived facts 8 topics 1 source Last reviewed Nov 2026
The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.
319 Interesting Facts About 12 Angry Men
Interesting Facts (18)
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Only two jurors are ever identified by name throughout the film: Juror #8, named Mr. Davis, and Juror #9, named Mr. McCardle. All but two are identified by job or profession: Juror #1, called "High School Football Coach", Juror #2, called "Bank Teller", Juror #3, called "Beck & Call" and "Owns Messenger Service", Juror #4, called "Stock Broker", Juror #6, called "Painter", Juror #7, called "Salesman", Juror #8, called "Architect", Juror #10, called "Garage Owner", Juror #11, called "Watch Maker", and Juror #12, called "Advertising Exec".
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At the start of the film, all the cameras were placed above eye level and fitted with wide-angle lenses so that the subjects would appear to be farther apart. As the film progresses, the cameras move down toward eye level. By the end of the film, almost all of them are below eye level, in close-up, and shooting with telephoto lenses to heighten the feeling of claustrophobia.
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The jurors' entrance into the jury room is shot from above, and throughout the film the shots become progressively lower and tighter until the verdict is reached. The closing shot of the jurors leaving the courthouse is again filmed from a wide high angle. Sidney Lumet claimed the final scene was shot with the widest lens used in the film, emphasizing the sense of release from the jury room.
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Only two jurors are named at any point in the film: Juror #8, Mr. Davis, and Juror #9, Mr. McCardle. All but those two are identified by job or profession: Juror #1 is called "High School Football Coach," Juror #2 is called "Bank Teller," Juror #3 is called "Beck & Call" and "Owns Messenger Service," Juror #4 is called "Stock Broker," Juror #6 is called "Painter," Juror #7 is called "Salesman," Juror #8 is called "Architect," Juror #10 is called "Garage Owner," Juror #11 is called "Watch Maker," and Juror #12 is called "Advertising Exec."
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Production Story (27)
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When first broadcast as a teleplay on Studio One (1948) on 9/20/1954 (Twelve Angry Men (1954)), the jurors were Norman Fell, John Beal, Franchot Tone, Walter Abel, Lee Philips, Bart Burns, Paul Hartman, Robert Cummings, Joseph Sweeney, Edward Arnold, George Voskovec, and Larkin Ford (credited as Will West). Sweeney and Voskovec were the only two actors to reprise their roles for the film. The original television production was directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, who later won an Oscar for directing Patton (1970).
12 Angry Men (1957): A man in shirt, tie and suspenders with a serious expressionImage: Wikimedia Commons · Unknown (Trailer screenshot), Public domain - #026
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Joseph Sweeney (Juror #9) and George Voskovec (Juror #11) were the only actors to reprise their roles from the original 1954 teleplay.
12 Angry Men (1957): Juror 9 with a bewildered look, in a light-colored shirt and tieImage: Wikimedia Commons · Unknown (Trailer screenshot), Public domain - #029
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According to his autobiography, Henry Fonda was disappointed with United Artists' distribution strategy, and felt that the studio's approach had deprived the film of a chance at financial success. In particular, Fonda noted that UA placed it in theaters too large for a small film to fill, and in addition, did not re-release it after it won numerous awards.
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While John Calley was running United Artists from 1993-96, he gave an interview to "The New Yorker", in which he discussed United Artists' continuing rights to the project, and said he had looked into a possible remake that would have starred Michelle Pfeiffer, and been set around the 1992 Los Angeles riots in the aftermath of the Rodney King incident trial verdicts.
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For many years, only the first half of the kinescope of the television version of the play that had been broadcast live on September 20, 1954 (Twelve Angry Men (1954)) was thought to survive, and had been in the possession of the Museum of Television and Radio since 1976. In 2003 a complete 16mm kinescope was discovered in the collection of Samuel Leibowitz (former defense attorney and judge) and was also acquired by the museum.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
In 1973 the Spanish television network RTVE broadcast a version of this production, Doce hombres sin piedad (1973), which followed this film very closely, down to having an American flag in the room and jurors talking about the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles baseball teams. However since it was made during the time of the dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco it was not allowed to be shown, as it was considered to be critical of the justice system under Franco. It was finally broadcast in 1995, many years after Franco's death.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
It can be said that many parts of the story are based in a 1928's Broadway play "Ladies of the Jury" and in the film Ladies of the Jury (1932), a comedy mystery. Edna May Oliver's role is that at the beginning of the discussion she is the only one to believe in the woman is not guilty. Prejudice is also disclosed.
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Behind the Scenes (151)
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Henry Fonda immediately complained to director Sidney Lumet about the cheap backdrops outside the jury room windows when he walked on-set. "They look like shit. Hitch had great backdrops, you could walk right in them," said Fonda, referring to the previous film he made with Sir Alfred Hitchcock, The Wrong Man (1956). Lumet assured him that Director of Photography Boris Kaufman had a plan to make them work. Even so, it is quite noticeable that the backdrop was designed from a lower perspective than the window, as one of the large buildings was clearly skewed, as if it were viewed from a point much lower down.
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Because of the demands of the film's low budget, if the lighting was set up for a shot that took place from one particular angle, all the shots from that same angle had to be filmed then and there. This meant that different sides of the same conversation were sometimes shot several weeks apart.
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At the beginning of the film, the cameras are all positioned above eye level and mounted with wide-angle lenses to give the appearance of greater distance between the subjects. As the film progresses, the cameras slip down to eye level. By the end of the film, nearly all of it is shot below eye level, in close-up and with telephoto lenses to increase the encroaching sense of claustrophobia.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
After the deliberation has finished, the jurors who stand up from the table are (in order): #1 (The Foreman) (Martin Balsam), #12 (Robert Webber), #7 (Jack Warden), #5 (Jack Klugman), #9 (Joseph Sweeney), #4 (E.G. Marshall), #6 (Edward Binns), #2 (John Fiedler), #11 (George Voskovec), #10 (Ed Begley), #8 (Henry Fonda), and finally #3 (Lee J. Cobb).
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Sidney Lumet put the actors through two weeks of rehearsals so they could feel that claustrophobic jury-room atmosphere down to their bones. Spending hours on end in the same room without a camera, the cast and crew completed the film in what can be considered a record 21 days thanks to this meticulous preparation.
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Cinematography was used like an instrument to reflect the jurors' moods. As the debate deepened, the film moved from wide and high-angle shots to eye level, and in the finale to close-ups and telephoto lenses that escalated the claustrophobia; for the scene of leaving the courthouse, the widest angle was chosen to symbolize freedom.
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The limited budget forced the production into a technical discipline: once the lighting was set, all scenes at that angle were shot in one go. This meant that different sides of the same dialogue were recorded weeks apart, and that each actor's rain sound had to be processed separately in the edit.
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Henry Fonda found the background scenery visible through the jury-room windows inadequate and compared it with the realism of 'The Wrong Man', on which he had worked with Alfred Hitchcock. Although Lumet and cinematographer Boris Kaufman insisted the scenery was sufficient, that slight distortion in the background perspective still escapes no attentive eye today.
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Excluding the extras in the prologue, there are no female characters in the film; behind the camera, the only woman credited is script supervisor Faith Hubley. Even so, the 'women's restroom' sign hanging on the wall as part of the set stands out as a small detail adding to the realism of the location.
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Sidney Lumet forced his actors to rehearse for hours in the same room for two weeks before shooting, so that they would feel the claustrophobic tension of the jury room down to their bones. This meticulous preparation allowed the film to be completed in what could be considered a record time of 21 days.
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The film's cinematography undergoes an evolution parallel to the psychological state of the jurors. Wide and high-angle shots that initially emphasize distance give way to eye level as the process progresses; in the finale, close-ups and telephoto lenses take over to escalate the claustrophobia. The wide lens used in the scene exiting the courthouse emphasizes the feeling of freedom.
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Due to the limited budget, the production had to set up the lighting for a single angle and shoot all the scenes from that angle in one go. This technical necessity led to different sides of the same dialogue being recorded weeks apart and each actor dubbing the sound of the rain separately.
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Henry Fonda took on producing as well as the lead role, but he disliked the experience so much that he swore never to produce again. Although he never received his deferred salary because the film did not make a profit, he regarded the work as one of the three best of his career, alongside 'The Grapes of Wrath' and 'The Ox-Bow Incident'.
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Juror No. 1 (the Foreman) is the only character who never explains the reason for his vote. This offers a metaphorical expression for the leader figure whose authority is unquestioned but who does not rest on a justified basis either; the moment he changes his vote, his leadership also comes to an end.
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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor states that this film played a large part in her turning to a legal career. However, as a judge, she emphasizes that the film should not be seen as a legal guide, reminding that jurors relying on outside research and personal assumptions would get a real case overturned.
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Throughout the film, the number '3' appears with subtle symbolism: the digits of the courtroom number, 228, add up to 12, and the digits of 12 add up to 3. Details such as Juror 8 having three children, Juror 7's $3 salary bet and the three days Juror 6 spent on a paint job also support this pattern.
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Characters & Cast (36)
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In 12 Angry Men (1997), Lee J. Cobb's character was played by George C. Scott, making it the second time Scott played a character on film that had been originated by Cobb. The first was the character of "Lt. Kinderman" in The Exorcist III (1990), the same character Cobb played in The Exorcist (1973), and on stage, Scott portrayed Willy Loman in a 1975 revival of "Death of a Salesman", the role originated by Cobb.
12 Angry Men (1957): Juror 3 in a suit and a man in a light-colored shirtImage: Wikimedia Commons · Movie directed by Sidney Lumet, adapted from a teleplay of the same n…, Public domain - #199
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According to Jack Klugman (Juror #5) in the "making-of" documentary on the Special Edition DVD, his character was supposed to be about 20-21 years old with an olive complexion (possibly Mediterranean), thereby giving more weight to his speech about being a slum kid, and having a knowledge of switchblade knives. Klugman wasn't sure he was right for the part, given that he was 35 at the time, and Jewish, but he was reassured by Sidney Lumet that it would still work.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Juror #10 goes on a racist diatribe about the defendant. As he does this, each juror begins to turn his back to him. The only one who doesn't is Juror #4. He tells juror 10 to sit down and not speak again (In the source play, he says, "If you open your mouth again, I'm going to split your skull") and Juror 10 does just that. He seats himself at a smaller, different table (which may be a metaphor for the other jurors exiling him over his views) and does not speak for the rest of the film. His only communication is when Juror #8 asks him if he still thinks the defendant is guilty. Juror #10 merely shakes his head.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The background of Juror 4, who has a rigidly self-controlled and emotionless personality, is that he is a workaholic, admitting that he leaves work late in the evening and then follows amusements, leaving little quality time for his family. His lack of sympathy is the result.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The jurors who believe the boy to be not guilty in order are: Juror #8 (Henry Fonda), Juror #9 (Joseph Sweeney), Juror #5 (Jack Klugman), Juror #11 (George Voskovec), Juror #2 (John Fiedler), Juror #6 (Edward Binns), Juror #7 (Jack Warden), Juror #12 (Robert Webber), The Foreman (Martin Balsam), Juror #10 (Ed Begley), Juror #4 (E.G. Marshall), and finally Juror #3 (Lee J. Cobb).
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According to Jack Klugman (Juror #5) in the "making-of" documentary on the DVD Special Edition, his character was supposed to be about 20-21 years old and olive-skinned (probably Mediterranean), so more weight was given to his speech about being a slum kid and knowing about switchblades. Given that he was 35 at the time and Jewish, Klugman was not sure he was right for the role, but Sidney Lumet assured him it would still work.
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Jack Klugman noted that his character was originally conceived as a young man in his twenties of Mediterranean origin; this background explained the character's slum upbringing and his familiarity with switchblades. Although Klugman was 35 at the time and Jewish, Lumet convinced him that he was the right person for the role.
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Only two jurors are named explicitly in the film: Juror 8, Mr. Davis, and Juror 9, Mr. McCardle. The other members are defined by their professions, such as high school football coach, bank clerk, stockbroker, painter, sales representative, architect, garage owner, watchmaker and advertising man.
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Easter Eggs & References (27)
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During the course of the movie, the number "3" appears several times. The first three minutes are the only ones not set in the jury room; the courtroom where the trial happens is the 228 (2+2+8=12; 1+2=3); Juror #8 states that he has three children; at one point Juror #7 orders the others to shut up, since, as jurors, they are receiving a salary of $3.00s per day; at another point Juror #6 comments that he spent three days painting a house; Juror #4 explains that the crime happened three months before the trial; Juror #3 is the one who confronts Juror #8 about the innocence of the accused; and finally, Juror #10 also mentions he has 3 garages going to waste.
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It is clear the murder trial occurs in Manhattan. (The only exterior shots reveal Manhattan.) If so, then the film is set in the wrong building: In the final scenes, the jurors emerge from the Federal Court in Foley Square, whereas murder is a state crime; the trial would have been held in the Criminal Courts Building at 100 Centre Street, one block north of Foley Square. Additionally, the last elevated rail line - the elevated line is crucial to the story's narrative - in Manhattan was the 3rd Ave. El., and its deconstruction commenced in June 1955, so the crime would have to have been committed before that date. (The three other Manhattan elevated lines were torn down by 1942.)
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A 1970 U. S. Commercial for Right Guard deodorant winked at this film in a humorous way. A deadlocked jury, working in an overheated jury room, is given Right Guard deodorant by the bailiff. At the end of the ad, he tells the foreman that six jurors opted for the spray variety, while the other six chose the traditional stick version.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The only time Juror #4 perspires is when he's been proven wrong on the fact he mentions (the defendant's lawyer having 3 months to remember what his client did), and some questions regarding the movie he allegedly watched when the incident occurred, by Juror #8, even though he wears his jacket throughout the movie.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
An observant viewer will know which juror changed his vote in the secret ballot before it is revealed. As the votes are being gathered, Juror #9 clearly places his slip of paper underneath Juror #7's and as the papers get passed down the table, the other jurors place their papers on top of the pile; then Juror #1 places that particular pile on top of his paper and then places the other pile on top of that. Meaning Juror #9's paper is now second from the bottom and that is the one that reads "not guilty".
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Contains a major spoiler — show
As Juror 8 is pacing the distance, Juror 7 makes fun of the way he is pacing by whistling. The tune he whistles is called "Dance of the Cuckoos", which was the theme song for Laurel & Hardy Hardy comedies. Then, after being chastised by Juror 2, Juror 7 responds with an impersonation of James Cagney.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
On a The Dick Van Dyke Show (1961) episode, One Angry Man (1962) was a take-off of the film. There, Rob Petrie was the lone "not guilty" vote among the jurors in a trial involving a stripper (Sue Ane Langdon) who was accused of diamond smuggling. The episode also took a poke at Perry Mason (1957) through a prosecutor named Mason and a defense attorney named Berger, just the opposite from the Perry Mason series.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
It's not established exactly at what time deliberations started, but it's implied they started no later than noon, through a rainstorm that started late in the afternoon, and finally winding down sometime after 6 pm, of the same day. The editing makes it feel like it's happening in Real Time, but the outside lighting and weather reminds us that it's actually taking a bit longer.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Once the jurors are sequestered the film proceeds in real time. About halfway through they establish that it's 6 o'clock. They reach their verdict in another 45 minutes. This would leave plenty of time for Jack Warden's character to still make the 8 o'clock ball game.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
At 1:36 as the credits are rolling, there's an overhead shot of the jury room showing the jurors seated at the table - but only eleven jurors are there. Juror #10 (Ed Begley) is missing. The difference between them is that the eleven were able to face themselves and grow from the experience. The one remaining did not.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
In it, a jury of 12 men (including one played by Jeff Goldblum) are deciding whether to convict Amy Schumer of not being sexy and attractive enough to have her own television show. Ultimately, the men vote to acquit Schumer of crimes against television viewers.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
A full ten years after this film was released, it inspired a plot on The Andy Griffith Show (1960), Aunt Bee, the Juror (1967), in which Aunt Bee Taylor plays the lone holdout juror (exactly like Henry Fonda's character) who steadfastly votes "not guilty". She repeatedly holds her vote even while up against the anger of the 11 other jurors (all men). In the end, Andy himself pieces together who really committed the crime based on his interactions with another courtroom observer. The criminal on trial was played by a young Jack Nicholson.
Deeper Meaning (31)
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Juror #1, The Foreman, is the only one who never explains why he considers the defendant guilty or, later, not guilty. In fact, there is a very interesting psychological metaphor on the meta-level of this film, and particularly concerning this character. Like a foreman, he leads and is not asked why he does what he does and how he does it; one simply assumes that he knows what he's doing. Later on, after he changes his mind, he still does not explain his decision, although from then on he does not lead anymore but follows. This is expressed via facial expression when he raises his hand to conclude that he now considers the defendant not guilty.
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The jurors' entrance into the jury room is filmed in an overhead establishing shot, and the shots become progressively lower and tighter throughout the film, until the verdict is reached. For the closing shot of the jurors leaving the courthouse, they are again filmed from a wide, overhead angle. Sidney Lumet claimed that the final shot was filmed through with the widest lens used in the picture, emphasizing the sense of release from the jury room.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The story could have been set in any large city; although it's not mentioned by name, the city is obviously New York City, as evidenced by the sighting of the Woolworth Building, the Yankee tickets held by Juror #7 and the steps of the County Courthouse shown in the opening and closing scenes.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
The movie makes an unwittingly and accurate portrait of the classicism existent of those times: while the most part of the jury reveal their work as part of their life and personality (in order from 1 to 12: assistant high school football coach, bank clerk, courier business, stock broker, house painter, salesman, architect, garage owner, watchmaker and advertising executive), jurors 5 and 9 are omitted since that Juror 5 comes from a slum (a lower-class conflicting neighborhood) and Juror 9 is an aging man, implying that he is retired and therefore his work and past life doesn't matter.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Both this film and its source material are often used in teaching mid-to-upper levels of English in overseas schools and courses, and excerpts from the play are included in some textbooks. Language courses often require exercises in which the students can practice explaining, comparing and discussing a variety of qualities on any subject, and this film presents them amply: A multitude of varying characters (polite 11, thoughtful 9, biased 10, etc) varying approaches (stubborn 3, open-minded 2, uninterested 7, methodical 4, etc) varying personalities (weak 1, meek 2, aggressive 10, annoying 12, etc) all kinds of reactions, facial expressions, etc. The language used by certain characters is also the subject of discussion points in classes about how to express oneself in certain situations, such as 4's diplomatic expression of "It's no secret that children from slum backgrounds are potential menaces to society" versus 10's very rude "The kids who crawl out of these places are real trash" while they are essentially trying to say the same thing.
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Juror #1, the Foreman, is the only one who never explains why he found the defendant guilty or later found him not guilty. In fact, at the meta level of this film there is a very interesting psychological metaphor, especially regarding this character. He leads like a foreman, and he is never asked why he does what he does or how he does it; it is simply assumed that he knows what he is doing. After he later changes his mind, he still does not explain his decision, but from that moment on he no longer leads, he follows. This is expressed by his facial expression when he raises his hand to conclude that he now believes the defendant is not guilty.
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Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor states that the film influenced her to pursue a legal career, yet she stresses that in a real courtroom, speculation and outside research such as that in the film would cause the case to be thrown out, and advises law students not to take this method as an example.
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Sidney Lumet skillfully works the number '3' throughout the film like a leitmotif. From the digit sums of courtroom number 228 to the jurors' personal accounts and Juror 3's transformation into the main antagonist, every detail is woven with this numerical symbolism and serves the tension of the narrative.
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The cultural impact of 12 Angry Men continues to live on in popular culture despite the decades that have passed. The film has been reinterpreted with an ironic tone in many productions, from a 1996 episode of the series 'Hey Arnold!' to Amy Schumer's famous sketches questioning television aesthetics.
Career & Awards (27)
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The State Bar Associations of all (at that time) 48 states were given preview showings of the picture prior to its press previews. Subsequent to the film's release, the American Bar Association honored the film for "contributing to greater public understanding and appreciation of the American system of justice."
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Although all of the actors were talented, the twelve jurors were not an "ensemble cast" at the time. But by the end of the century almost every one of them would become well-known through the various roles that would set them apart from the average character actor, some in famous films and television shows, and others as stars of their own films or television shows.
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Speaking at a screening of the film during the 2010 Fordham University Law School Film festival, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that seeing the film while she was in college influenced her decision to pursue a career in law. She was particularly inspired by immigrant Juror #11's monologue on his reverence for the American justice system. She also told the audience of law students that, as a lower-court judge, she would sometimes instruct juries to not follow the film's example, because most of the jurors' conclusions are based on speculation, not fact. Sotomayor noted that events such as Juror #8 entering a similar knife into the proceedings, doing outside research into the case matter in the first place and ultimately the jury as a whole making broad, wide-ranging assumptions far beyond the scope of reasonable doubt (such as the inferences regarding the "Old Woman" wearing glasses) would never be allowed to occur in a real-life jury situation, and would, in fact, have resulted in a mistrial (assuming, of course, that applicable law permitted the content of jury deliberations to be revealed).
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Contains a major spoiler — show
Ironically, E.G. Marshal, who plays one of the jurors so intent on conviction, will himself be a famous defense attorney in his own television series: The Defenders (1961), which ran from 1961 to 1965. The show was created by Reginald Rose, who wrote the screenplay for this film.
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According to his autobiography, Henry Fonda was frustrated by United Artists' distribution strategy and felt the studio's approach deprived the film of any chance of financial success. Fonda noted in particular that UA placed the film in theaters too large for a small film to fill, and that it was not re-released after winning numerous awards.
Life & Family (2)
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9 out of the 12 cast members who played the jurors were military veterans. 8 of whom served during World War II: Henry Fonda (Juror #8) and John Fiedler (Juror #2) served in the Navy, while Robert Webber (Juror #12) was in the Marine Corps. Jack Klugman (Juror #5) served in the Army, while Martin Balsam (Juror #1), Lee J. Cobb (Juror #3) and Edward Binns (Juror #6) were in the U.S. Army Air Forces. Jack Warden (Juror #7) was in the Navy prior to the war and then served in the U.S. Merchant Marines and in the Army during WWII. Ed Begley (Juror #10) was in the Navy during World War I. Director Sidney Lumet, writer-producer Reginald Rose, associate producer George Justin and actor Rudy Bond, who played the judge, were also WWII veterans, all serving in the Army, while cinematographer Boris Kaufman served in the European theatre in the French Army.
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Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- Wikipedia
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work