GR synopsis: A blistering character study and an examination of the American melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check, Twelve Angry Men holds at its core a deeply patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play centers on Juror Eight, who is at first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight sets his sights not on proving the other jurors wrong but rather on getting them to look at the situation in a clear-eyed way not affected by their personal prejudices or biases. Reginald Rose deliberately and carefully peels away the layers of artifice from the men and allows a fuller picture to form of them—and of America, at its best and worst.
I read this for my 2016 Topic Discard Challenge, a title with a number in it. It's a pretty quick read (a play format), and it is absolutely lovely. This is probably my favorite live performance show, and the movie is even better. I think I fell in love with Henry Fonda after watching the movie as a tween. The play booklet is awesome, but I don't feel like I get as much emotion reading play formats, though I know it's seething with major emotions.
GR synopsis:
A blistering character study and an examination of the American melting pot and the judicial system that keeps it in check, Twelve Angry Men holds at its core a deeply patriotic faith in the U.S. legal system. The play centers on Juror Eight, who is at first the sole holdout in an 11-1 guilty vote. Eight sets his sights not on proving the other jurors wrong but rather on getting them to look at the situation in a clear-eyed way not affected by their personal prejudices or biases. Reginald Rose deliberately and carefully peels away the layers of artifice from the men and allows a fuller picture to form of them—and of America, at its best and worst.
I read this for my 2016 Topic Discard Challenge, a title with a number in it. It's a pretty quick read (a play format), and it is absolutely lovely. This is probably my favorite live performance show, and the movie is even better. I think I fell in love with Henry Fonda after watching the movie as a tween. The play booklet is awesome, but I don't feel like I get as much emotion reading play formats, though I know it's seething with major emotions.
4/5