Lessons from “12 Angry Men”: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same

In the middle of this holiday weekend, I had a rare few hours between get-togethers and necessary spring yardwork, so I decided to look for a movie to watch.

While scrolling through the offerings on Amazon Prime, I noticed they had 12 Angry Men, the acclaimed 1957 black-and-while film with a stellar ensemble cast of actors, including Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, and Jack Warden.

I knew of the film and probably saw part of it as a teenager on either afternoon or late-night television, but it didn’t have that much of an impact on me then. I was also interested in seeing it because a friend of mine has written the lyrics and music to a musical version of the play and film, which is now touring around the country.

Now I know for certain why this had to be remade and re-presented to modern audiences. The relevance to the story (then in the McCarthy era, now in the Trump era) could not be clearer. The 1957 film itself also holds up very well.

What’s interesting is that the film begins with the judge’s instructions to the jury. We never see any of the trial. Soon after, the twelve are sequestered in a hot, cramped room to begin their deliberations.