12 Angry Men

Since my stint in the Hennepin County Courthouse this month as a jury member, I have been thinking about this movie.  I first saw it back in high school.  We had read the play in English class, and our teacher decided to let us watch the movie.  The movie is a wonderful piece of inspirational manipulation.  It makes the viewer proud of the American justice system, but alarmed by the notion that a guilty man could get off without the right kind of evidence.

The story focuses on 12 men who are deliberating on a murder trial.  As the jury moves into the deliberation room, 11 of the men on the jury believe the defendant to be guilty, while one man questions that: juror number 8 (Henry Fonda).  Henry Fonda's character is costumed to look like an angelic beacon of equal justice under the law.  He is dressed in white, and while many of the other jurors are hardened and bitter, he is calm and reasoned.  The film takes on a great deal of substance as the deliberation goes on.  As juror number 8 makes his case to the other 11 jurors, he slowly begins to turn the tide in the room.  A few of the jurors jump to his side very quickly.  As his argument makes more sense, other jurors follow suit.  When the count stands at 9-3, it is fascinating to watch what motivates the final 3 jurors to still feel that a guilty verdict is in order.  One of them is motivated almost totally by racism.  One of them is motivated by the cold facts of the case.  He even admits that juror number 8 has made some great points.  However, since one of the pieces of evidence is an eye witness of the murder, he remains convinced of the young man's guilt.  The third man is the most complex.  He is motivated by anger, and the more the plot goes on, the more sympathetic and the more sad he becomes.

The movie is a masterful work of dialogue.  It basically only has one setting, so the strength of the dialogue and the acting has to carry the film.  It does.  Every actor in the film is stunning, the way the director builds the tension is very effective.  It does get a tad didactic, but I would imagine that when the movie came out, it was probably somewhat avant garde.  This is not a cookie cutter movie with a Hollywood ending, but a movie mean to challenge the viewer and to make them think a second time.  It is a classic, and for good reason.

Princess Bride Stuff...

The "Princess Bride" has graduated to being another language in our culture.  Here's a great example:
http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/lines-from-the-princess-bride-that-double-as-comments-on-freshman-composition-papers

Subtitle Saturday: M

I have never seen "The Silence of the Lambs."  That may surprise some of you, while it may come as a relief to others.  I have never seen it mainly because I don't like being frightened out of my mind.  However, having said that, I do love a good thriller.  Where the line is between horror and thriller is hard to say.  Someday, I may have to see "Silence of the Lambs," just due to its notoriety.  I bring that film up in this essay because the content of this film (though not the depiction of it) is similar.  The plot and central character are both very disturbing.  However, the skill of director Fritz Lang is to be found in how well he evokes dread without showing us one second of the crimes that the murderer commits.

Anyone who appreciates the work of Shymalan, Hitchcock or even a director like John Carpenter can find some of the templates of their best work here in this film.  The movie follows the horror in a German city who has begun to see little girls kidnapped and murdered.  The murderer has left not clues (as of yet), so the police are dumbfounded.  As the body count rises, the panic of the people of the city has reached a frenzy.  Then, a plot twist occurs which is genius storytelling.  With all of the danger in the city, the police presence has been increased.  All of this murder has increased police presence and begun to affect the lucrative organized crime circuit in the city.  As a result, the underworld in the city begins its own manhunt.  There are some remarkable moments wherein the cops and the crime lords are both shown making their plans.  The effect of these scenes is almost like a German Psychological Thriller version of dueling banjos. 

This movie has a lot going for it, so I can see why it is regarded as a classic (it was  made in 1931).  First, the whodunit is seen in a different light because the viewer has seen the killer in the opening scenes of the movie.  We know what he looks like, so there is an almost omniscient feeling that the viewer has.  Second, as I mentioned, how the plot unfolds with the criminals and the police is entertaining, and leads to some big laughs.  Third, the way that the character is realized is downright courageous.  The murderer commits unspeakable acts, but it becomes clear as the story unfolds that he is compulsive in his actions.  He seems to be a truly sick man committing evil deeds.  The movie is substantial enough to become philosophical regarding these very deep matters.  Clearly, anyone person who attacks and harms children has no place in normal society.  This movie asks some deep questions about the nature of crime, and how we should respond to it.  At the same time, it does not tell us what to feel, but leaves it up to us to decide.  Finally, Fritz Lang's camera tells the story of this film.  This was the first sound picture that Lang made (there are still many scenes with no audible dialogue), and it is clear that he still sees this film medium as more visual than audible.  Having said that, one of the things that will resonate with any viewer of this film is not visual, but audible.  The murderer has a curious habit of whistling...once you hear him whistle, the tune he whistles may be forever tainted for you.  If it is, than Lang is proving that he embraced the audible element of this film medium, and made this movie a complete experience-both visual and aural. 

Peter Lorre deserves much credit.  The character actor known for so many roles later in his career (Casablanca, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Maltese Falcon and many parodies in Loony Tunes shorts) got his start right here.  His face tells the story of this character.  But his posture, body language and tone of voice do a lot as well.  His character is truly haunted by his compulsion, and he is a prisoner of his own evil sickness. 

But as I mentioned earlier, the camera and the visuals are really the star of this movie.  There are several reasons this is true.  The camera at times reminds us of a stalker.  And then there is the stark final scene of the movie.  The climactic scene gives us truly unforgettable image that I will not spoil.  Suffice to say, Lang's camera is able to catch so much of the despair of the situation, even after the murderer is discovered.  This is truly a landmark piece of work.

Family Film Friday: The Empire Strikes Back

One of the things that seems to have happened among Star Wars fans is that many of us have arrived at what we consider to be the "best" Star Wars film.  "The Empire Strikes Back" is that film for many fans.  To me, it is a very effective piece of drama.  It puts the characters in some very difficult positions, and expects the audience to know that they will find a way out.  The closing moments of this movie are, to me, some of the greatest moments put on film.  The John Williams score coupled with the closing images and dialogue give us a feeling of poignance that must be felt after what the characters have been through.  But somehow, these same elements also give us a feeling of hope.  They convey that the story is not over, and that the characters and the audience have a reason to hope.  Of the 5 Star Wars films my kids have seen (we have not yet let them watch "Revenge of the Sith"), "The Empire Strikes Back" remains the film they have watched the least.  I asked for their opinions on this movie, and they gave me some interesting ideas.  Here is what they had to say:

Joel:  "Stephanie is brushing Corrie's hair, and I want to do something to distract Corrie.  So I am going to ask my kids about a movie that they seem to have different opinions about.  It's called the 'Empire Strikes Back'.  Corrie has one opinion about it and Jack has another one.  Now, Daddy thinks that 'Empire Strikes Back' is the best of all 6 Star Wars movies..."
Jack: "Why?"
Joel: "Because I think it has the best character development, the best plot, story and the most interesting of all 6 movies...because...Han and Leia start to fall in love, and that's kind of interesting."
Stephanie: "Ooo la la"
Joel: "Yes, thank you Steph.  And...um...you start to learn more about Luke.  You learn something really important about Luke and Darth Vader.  What do you learn about them?"
Jack: "That Luke gets his hand 'ksh" (motions at his wrist)
Joel: "Right after he gets his hand cut off....this was a big deal when I was a little boy!"
Corrie: "Darth Vader is his father."
Joel: "YEAH! That was huge!   When I was a kid nobody knew that!  Nobody knew Darth Vader was Luke's father.  When that was revealed, that was like WHAT?!?  So Corrie why don't you like this movie as much?"
Corrie: "It's just sad.  It's really an interesting movie...there are lots of parts I wish I could see, and lots of parts I wish I didn't see."
Joel:  "Well, which parts do you like about it."
Corrie: "There's a lot of different reasons why I like it...Luke uses the force a lot."
Joel:  "He starts to learn doesn't he?"
Corrie:  "And he meets Yoda."
Joel: "Yeah...Yoda gets introduced...that's the first movie that Yoda is in...and he's so cool because he's a puppet!  Whose voice does he have the same of?"
Corrie:  "Grover."
Joel:  "And Fozzie too..."
Stephanie: "And Miss Piggy..."
Joel:  "Jack, what do you like?''
Jack:  "I like how Yoda starts teaching Luke really well."
Joel:  "I always thought that the 2nd movie had the best light saber fight.  It's way longer than the one in Episode 4."
Jack:  "It's way longer."
Corrie:  "In New Hope, it's a few minutes...it's longer than the one in Return of the Jedi."
Joel:  "What did you think of the scene with the big walkers?"
Jack:  "I love that scene...at first, me and Wesley had no idea what the snow troopers were, than I saw a snow trooper standing there...and I knew what they were."
Joel:  "What makes you sad about the movie?"
Corrie:  "It's sad.  I hate it when Darth Vader surprises them in the feast room, and when they capture and Han gets frozen."
Jack:  "Han gets frozen that whole time between that an 'Return of the Jedi'."
Corrie:  "The worst thing is that it leaves you hanging...it leaves you with Han in prison, and I don't like to watch it very much."
Joel:  "It doesn't matter to you that you know there's another act and that you know what will happen in 'Return of the Jedi'?"
Corrie:  "But I know I won't be able to see 'Return of the Jedi' right after that! It makes me feel like..."
Joel:  "When Daddy was a kiddo, we had to wait 3 years!  But even with all the sad things, you still think 'Empire Strikes Back' is a good movie right?  It's just not your favorite?"
Corrie:  "If all the sad stuff was taken out, I think it would be good."
Joel:  "But if all the sad stuff was taken out, what would the story be for 'Return of the Jedi'?"

Pause-Silence...

Joel:  "It would be like...'Let's continue being happy!"
Corrie:  "Daddy stop it..."
Joel:  "Anything else?"
Jack:   "Wellll...."
Joel:  "There's so much action,...my favorite scene is the one in the asteroid field, where 3PO is all scared  'OH...NO...' "
Corrie: "Chewy, take the professor here and plug him into the hyperdrive"

All of us laugh together

Jack:  "Take the professor here and plug him into the hyperdrive!!!"
Joel:  "You guys have given me some good stuff...we'll talk some other time about a different movie."

Great picture...

Funny picture of Peter Meyhew and Kenny Baker (Chewbacca and R2D2):

Trailer Tuesday: The Hobbit

I need to read this book again before the movie comes out...

Ned Ryerson

If you're at all a fan of the movie "Groundhog Day", you'll appreciate this group of clips that feature all of the scenes of Ned Ryerson...insurance nuisance :)...