12 Angry Men (1957) and 12 Angry Men (1997) Comparison.

1. Farid 10Z Mr Christodoulou
12 Angry Men Comparison
Introduction:
The 12 angry men is American crime-drama. The film produced by Reginald Rose.
The first film was released in 1957. The 18 year-old boy is on trial for allegedly killing
his father. The Judge instructs the jury to decide whether the boy is guilty or not. The
12 juror should stand on the same decision. Except juror 8 everyone voted as guilty.
The reason he says is the decision should not be taken without talking since it is a life
matter of 18 year old boy. The remaining of the story is that the jurors talking about
the facts and then making the decision as not guilty.
Essay:
Both films have a different life stories for each of the jurors. Juror 1 is an assistant
football coach outside the court. Juror 3 is a small business owner. Juror 4 is a stock
broker. Juror 5 works in a Harlem hospital. Juror 6 is a house painter. Juror 7 sells
marmalade. Juror 8 is an architect. Juror 11 is a German immigrant. Juror 12 works
for a marketing agency.
The main difference of the two films is that the old version is black and white, but the
new version is colourful. Because in the 1957 year time all the films were black and
white, they didn’t have good equipment for shooting. In the new film time most
producing films was colourful.
There is a different start to the two films. The old film
starts with them showing the outside of the
Courthouse using the low angle shot. Inside the
building we can see some people that are laughing
and making noises, and the police officer which said
to them to be quiet because there is a court session
next door. While the new film starts straight from that
door. After that we can see that in the old film the
Judge presiding the case is a man. He is telling the
jurors instructions with a more formal language. We
can sense tiredness in his voice. After the instructions
are given by him, the secretary is told that the jurors
can leave and start the discussions about the case. In
the second film we can see that the Judge is a
woman. In the second film, the judge tells the Jurors to leave herself.
Another difference is that first it was a different time, people in general were more
restrained, more private about their thoughts, and there was the presence and
manners of behaviour that contained some of that emotion. The time is now changed,
and society became more outspoken- so the new film had modern characters that
were used to shout to each other, speaking their mind.
In the old film, when the judge is talking, they used the over the shoulder shoot to
concentrate the attention on the jurors, because they will decide the fate of the boy.

2. Then they showed the over the boy’s shoulder shoot where we can see that as the
jurors leaving the room they turning around and looking at the defendant. After that
there is a close up shot to show the emotions of the
boy. In the new film they showing the Judge with the
medium close up shot. While she is talking they
showing by turn the defendant with a close up shot,
the Jurors with a medium shot to show all the 12
jurors.
In the old film, when the judge is talking, they used the
over the shoulder shoot to concentrate the attention on the jurors, because they will
decide the fate of the boy. Then they showed the over the boy’s shoulder shoot where
we can see that as the jurors leaving the room they turning around and looking at the
defendant. After that there is a close up shot to
show the emotions of the boy. In the new film
they showed the Judge with the medium close
up shot. As she was talking they showed the
defendant with a close up shot, the Jurors with
a medium shot to show all the 12 jurors. When
the jurors entered the room for their
discussions we straight can see that they are
talking in the new film. While in the old film as they entered to the room, there is a non-
diegetic sound, the classical music.
The other difference is that in the old film there wasn't any other race person as the
juror, maybe because in that time there was a bad attitude to the other race people,
while in the new film there are mixed race people. Also in the old film the jurors are
smoking too much, and they was smoking in the room a front of each other, because
in that time everyone the doctors was saying that the smoking is good for you. There
are ashtrays on the table. In the new film they were smoking only in the toilet. In the
new film time everyone knew that the smoking is bad for you and it can cause cancer.
In the new film there are some papers and cups on the table. Both in two films it was
the hottest day in the year, and it was making the jurors angrier and wanting the
discussions to be finished. The air condition is not working, and it's hard to open the
windows. There was a low angle shot to show that the room is very small. There is a
raining in the middle of the both films. While the raining is started in both films we can
hear that there is a diegetic sound.

3. There was a same court scenario in the both films. Juror 8 is the only juror who votes
not guilty at the first vote. He said that he voted not guilty, because 11 jurors vote guilty
and he wanted to discuss it first than send to the prison the person who is “not guilty”.
At the end of the both films the last who vote “not guilty” was juror 3. He changed his
mind once he realizes that he is only projecting his feelings about his own son onto a
defendant.
In both films there was used a close up shots to shows the emotions of the
characters, to meet the audience with the all jurors. Most time they were using the
close up shot on the juror who is talking, to concentrate the attention of the audience
on his face, his emotions.
Juror number 10 was the most different in the new film and old one. In the new film his
skin colour is different comparing to the old film. He is like an extreme Muslim in the
new one. There is more aggression by him in the new film, because in the new film
the society is changed, and the violence, swearing in the films become the usual things
while in 1957 time that films wasn’t been allowed. When the jurors said to him sit down
and be quiet, he was moving around the room raising his voice. In the old film he is a
white guy and when most of the jurors said to him sit down he did and was quiet.
In the old film the jurors are wearing more suits, “upper class clothes”. In new film they
wear more casual clothes, “new style clothes”. In the old film time (1957) to the events
or to the meetings they were wearing more the formal clothes, such as the suits, shirts.
While in the new film time (1997) the society is changed. Some of them are wearing
more casual clothes: such as: shirts, normal pants, no ties, no suits.

4. In the old film they used more still shots. While in the new one them different camera
movements such as: panning, tracking. Because in the old film time they had
different cameras compared with the new film. . While in the new film they had better
cameras and they knew about different types of camera movements. The camera
angle gets lower and lower as a film progressing to show that the room is very small,
and to show that the jurors feel uncomfortable in such a small room in the hottest day
in the year. In both films they only understand how to turn air condition on in the middle
of the movie. Both films have the same life stories for the each juror. The both films
were written by Reginald Rose. The most things are similar, but there are some
differences in them. The differences are in camerawork, lighting, mise-en-scene and
sound. The old film is black and white, while the new film is colourful.
A lot of conversations are same, because in both films the scenario is same, and there
are same life stories for each juror. The same scenario as an 18 years guy is the
defendant. In both films the juror 8 was the first to say that the defendant can be “not
guilty” and we can’t decide his faith in 5 minutes, but most of them were angry at him
because all the 11 person things that boy is guilty, and he only one who said not guilty.
They was angry at him because they wanted to finish all the discussions as soon as
possible.
In both films they was using high key lighting, we can see it because of the shadows
in them. Actually it is difficult to see if there is a high key lighting used in the old film
because it is black and white, but because of the shadow, and the sun light that we
see in the old version we can say that high key lighting was used.
There is another similarity in mise-en-scene. It’s the same switch-blade knife. In both
films juror 4 stabbed the knife in the table.

5. In both films juror 7 has the tickets to the baseball game. He doesn't really care about
the decision and the fate of the boy. He only agrees with the other juror’s decisions,
trying to leave the court as soon as possible. This is shown where he agrees with most
of the jurors when they think that the boy is guilty, and in does the same when jurors
find his innocent at the end of the film.
In the new twelve angry men they were using more the tracking shoot. They were
walking with the camera all around the table, following the characters, showing us all
the jurors. While in the old film there are more still shots. In both films there was used
close up shots, but in the new film there was more close up shots.
In the new film when the jurors came in the room, when they sit-down, the camera
been on juror’s 1 eye level. To show that in this room he is powerful, and everyone will
do what he will say. In the first film (old one) juror 1 doesn't feel very comfortable with
the power he has. He just follows everyone. While in the new film he has more power
and he isn't following others to everyone. He is making his own decisions, and
everyone doing what he is saying.
In the new film in the one of the scenes there was used point of view shot to make us
imagine that we are in jurors 8 place. The camera is in his eye level, and we can't see
him. This is used to show that he is a main character in this scene, and to make us
imagine that we are on his place.
In the old film there was more old characters than in the new film. In the new film most
characters was younger, because in the old film time(1957) in society if you are aged,
that is means that you know more than those who is younger than you. In the new film
characters was younger because in this time they preferred more young people.
Terms:

6. 1. Non-diegetic sound: the sound that only the audience can hear. It can be
the mood music, sound effect, narrator’s commentary.
2. Diegetic sound: the sound from inside of the text’s World.
3. Close up shot: a photograph taken from a short distance that gives a very
detailed picture.
4. Tracking: following someone with the camera.
5. Panning: moving the camera horizontally from a fixed position.
6. High Key Lighting and Low Key Lighting: high key lighting means an
overall brighter picture, while low key lighting means an overall darker
picture.
7. Mise-en-scene: The arrangement of everything that appears in the
framing- actors, lighting, costume.
WWW: you explained very good and used many screenshots
EBI: some spelling mistakes