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November - '12 Angry Men'

2/12/2016

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This month we watched 12 Angry Men, based on a play by Reginald Rose.  It was wonderful to have members from the Play Reading Group join us as this is the play planned for the February Play Reading.  This added extra richness to the discussion after the movie.
 
At the end of a murder trial in New York City, the twelve jurors retire to consider the verdict. The man in the dock is a young Puerto Rican accused of killing his abusive father.  The opening scene shows the judge instructing the jury about their responsibilities, looking bored and perhaps assuming the jury would quickly find the young man guilty.  Eleven of the twelve jurors do not hesitate in finding him guilty.  The twelfth, played by Henry Fonda, is reluctant to condemn the young man to death without debate.  No names were shared – they were known only by their number. 
 
This is not an action movie.  The setting is predominantly the jury room.  There is some dramatic music as the jury left the courtroom, but no music at any other stage in the movie.   It is hot and stifling in the jury room – reflecting the heat of the arguments to come.  Representative of the era in which the movie was filmed, the jury members are all male; the majority are smoking.  Gradually the split moves towards not guilty.  When the count moves to equal guilty/not guilty, a change in the weather heralds a change in the room – rain starts, the light is switched on, the fan starts working, the atmosphere starts to cool down. 
 
Our discussion noted how easy it could be to convict or acquit based on prejudice, or interpretation of evidence, even though the role of the jury is to decide on guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt”.  Everyone agreed that the movie was riveting. 
 
It was interesting to see the development of the various characters and relationships.  Many points were brought up showing that the claims of innocence by the young man could possibly be correct, and that the statements from the witnesses were possible flawed.  All the characters brought different perspective to the discussion, but the standout characters apart from juror 8, the part played by Henry Fonda, were jurors 3, 9 and 10.  Juror 9, Joseph Sweeney, was observant and logical, not getting caught up in the “heat” of the arguments.  Juror 10, Ed Begley, displayed his prejudice against the Puerto Ricans, calling them all liars, not caring about lives, killing recklessly when they felt like it.  Eventually after a rant about this, all the other jurors turned their backs on him – symbolic of the realisation that possible his guilty judgement was based on his prejudice.  It took Juror 3, Lee J Cobb, longer to realise his prejudice – not based on race, but on his experience with his own son.  It was only as he tore up a photo of his son he perhaps realised he was judging on the age of the accused, and failed father/son relationships.
 
I am in the process of planning our early sessions for 2017.  Ideas include some of the classics which are shorter than some of the more recent films, and fit comfortably in the time we have available while we are meeting in W4.  I hope some confirmed ideas will be available at registration in January.

​Joy Shirley
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    About our Film Discussion Group

    Do you enjoy watching films?  Do you find discussing films adds to your enjoyment?   Do you find that you can better understand a movie by hearing and sharing thoughts about the film?  We certainly do.  At our Film Discussion  classes we discuss a film we have watched during the month. In 2023:
    • We will select a film screening at BPACC
    • Participants will attend the film at a time that works with their individual commitments
    • We will meet in the Library on the 2nd Wednesday at 2 pm to discuss the film
    If a participant cannot attend a specific film, they can come along to learn about the film, or add to the discussion by talking about another film they have seen.

    BPACC sell books of ten tickets for $100.00 (Meaning the films only cost $10 each) or I will have individual tickets available for $10 from a book prepurchased.  ​

    Convenor 

    Picture
    Joy Shirley 0417065351​

    Meeting times

    2nd Wednesday
    2 pm to 3.30 pm
    Benalla Library 

    Guide

    The things we will watch for in viewing the film include:

    Did you enjoy the film?  What in particular did you like?
    Was there anything that you did not like?
    What did you think about the cinematography?
    What did you think of the performances?  Any strong performances that stand out? Any weak performances that spoilt the film?
    Overall rating out of 5.

    Films over time:

    All
    A Call To Spy
    'A Man Called Otto'
    'Buckley's Chance'
    COVID 19 Virus
    Cruella
    'Death On The Nile'
    'Downton Abbey - A New Era'
    'Dream Horse'
    'Falling For Figaro'
    'From The Vine'
    'Good Luck To You
    'House Of Gucci'
    June Again
    'King Richard'
    Leo Grande'
    'Marry Me'
    'Mothering Sunday'
    'No Time To Die'
    'Off The Rails'
    'Operation Mincemeat'
    Penguin Bloom
    'Please Murder Me'
    'Rams'
    'Six Minutes To Midnight'
    'Spencer'
    'The Dry'
    'The Duke'
    'The Father'
    'The Last Duel'
    'The Railway Children'
    'Ticket To Paradise'
    'To Olivia'
    'Where The Crawdads Sing'

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We acknowledge the traditional owners of the land on which we meet and pay our respects to their elders - past, present and emerging.
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