2. 12 Angry Men
12 Angry Men is a 1957 American drama film adapted from a teleplay of the same name by Reginald Rose. Written and produced by Rose himself and directed by Sidney Lumet, this trial film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt. In the United States, a verdict in most criminal trials by jury must be unanimous. The film is notable for its almost exclusive use of one set: with the exception of the film's opening, which begins outside on the steps of the courthouse followed by the judge's final instructions to the jury before retiring, a brief final scene on the courthouse steps, and two short scenes in an adjoining washroom, the entire movie takes place in the jury room. The total time spent outside of the jury room is three minutes out of the full 96 minutes of the movie.
12 Angry Men explores many techniques of consensus-building, and the difficulties encountered in the process, among a group of men whose range of personalities adds intensity and conflict. Apart from two of the jurors swapping names while leaving the courthouse, no names are used in the film: the defendant is referred to as "the boy" and the witnesses as the "old man" and "the lady across the street".
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_Angry_Men_%281957_film%29
Reflexión
If you have watched the film, you can answer some questions.
- Which characters base their decisions on prejudice?
- Should this trial have been a hung jury? Why / why not?
- What are the most persuasive pieces of evidence in favor of the defense? Or the prosecution?
- Describe the communication style of each juror. Who comes closest to your own style of communication?
- How would you have voted if you were on the jury?
Objetivos
"Twelve Angry Pigs" by Wade Bradford is a play that can be read in 10 minutes.
Wade Bradford, born in 1972, is an American playwright, freelance writer, and an English professor. He has loved writing since he was a child. He has written 16 plays and they have been published and performed in schools and theatres throughout the United States and England. They are free of charge for educational purpose. His plays include an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s “Thumbelina” and a comic take on fantasy tales titled “CSI : Neverland”. His script “Conflict” won East Repertory Playhouse’s “page to stage” playwriting competition.
The inspiration for his play “Twelve angry pigs” came from the children tale about the three little pigs and the film Twelve Angry Men written by Reginald Rose. The play is a wacky spoof on human nature. Like the “Twelve Angry Men”, the twelve pigs were played as the juries who had to decide whether the wolf accused of blowing the three little pigs’ house and trying to eat them was guilty or innocent. Their only problem was that their verdict had to be unanimous but after their deliberation, the vote was eleven to one in favour of a guilty verdict from juror 8. The juror 8 insisted that they spend more time discussing and eventually he made the other jurors agree with him. The wolf was set free but lately was arrested by the claim from the Little Red Riding Hood.
Though the original play, “Twelve Angry Men”, is very serious, this comedic parody is totally hilarious. The play is not only a spoof of “12 Angry Men”,but also alludes to the all-time famous Aesop stories, “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood”. Therefore, the characters and content in the play are considered fun and understandable to all readers. In addition to its simple allusions, the play uses simple words which make it very easy to read. So the work is simple and entertaining at the same time. However, not only its simplicity and entertainment that attract me, the theme of the play is also impressive. This play gives the idea that we should not judge anyone or anything only because we think it is the way they always behave, generalizing, in other words. In this story, all the pigs (except pig#8) think that the wolf is guilty because it is a wolf! Everyone has their bias, however, pig#8 finally succeeds in showing other pig jurors how prejudice can prevent them from judging others fairly, so they change to vote “not guilty” in the end.
Read 12 Angry Pigs
Here you have another retelling of the classic tale. Roal Dahl adds a good twist to the original.
Click to read the poem.