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April 13, 2011 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

Video Pick: 12 Angry Men (1957)

In memory of the life and work of Sidney Lumet who passed away last week, I decided to make my next video recommendation one of my favorites from his filmography. My reason for selecting this film is, that for me, it brings me back to a wonderful and equally frightening time in my life – my senior year in high school.

The time of my life was wonderful because I was actively partaking in the “rite of passage” of transitioning from being my parents’ daughter and yet, it was daunting and a little frightening because that meant I was taking a major first step into the wider world known as adulthood.

 


12 Angry Men | Movie Trailer | Review

 

What spoke to me above all else about 12 Angry Men was how the story unfolded and ultimately culminated in the triumph of the human conscience and the defeat of bias, prejudice and preconceptions. The film achieved this in a somewhat realistic and evenhanded way. It showed me in a way that we are all constantly in a battle with the angels of our better selves and that sometimes, they will prevail.

For an 17-18 year old who is about to enter this generally cynical world wishing to retain some level of “goodness” (or even to be able to define what that truly means), this message really spoke to me.  Ironically, this film was shown as part of our school’s “religious studies” curriculum; yet in spite of this, I feel like 12 Angry Men strips the notion of morality bare to an essential fundamental coda – in this hectic world, you still can listen to and act on that better part of yourself. A true life lesson indeed.

Filed Under: dvd, Readers' Recs, Recommendation Tagged With: 12 angry men, film recommendation, henry fonda, sidney lumet

September 1, 2010 By iluvcinema 5 Comments

A Western Perspective (The Ox Bow Incident)

Yesterday I tweeted about the Ox Bow Incident. A couple of days prior I had been on the phone with my brother – we started out by discussing our reactions to the latest installment of True Blood. At some point, the conversation moved to Clint Eastwood’s Unforgiven (1992); how we got there I cannot tell you. My brother was marvelling at the allegory conveyed in this modern masterpiece. In his estimation this was a film that broke the standard conventions of what people traditionally think about the “wild” West; especially its mythic standing portrayed over the years on the silver screen.

It was at this moment that I took the opportunity to tell him, that while I am no expert on the genre, throughout cinematic history, turning the myth of the American West on its head is not totally a new idea. I first started talking about The Searchers (1956), but soon moved on to my favorite Western, 1943’s The Ox Bow Incident. It is a very intimate film, not something one finds in a traditional Western. Based on a novel of the same name, it is a moving story of what happens when one’s conscience yields to mob rule and the actions that mob (posse) fly in the face of reason, logic and justice.

I do not want to reveal the details of the plot because I want you to experience the film as I did – a lovely wonderful surprise on a random weekend afternoon. I assure you if you have not seen it, it will leave you thoroughly satisfied.

*The Ox Bow Incident is playing Sunday, September 5, 2010 (12:00 Noon) at the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: conscience, dana andrews, henry fonda, ox bow incident, posse, western

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