12 Angry Men

Last night I went to see 12 Angry Men at the Castro Theatre with my friend Shawn. I think I saw it on TV as a kid, but this was my first time seeing it on the big screen. Here's the somewhat campy movie poster from the original 1957 release:

This is a magnificent film. The black & white cinematography is very cool and creative, which is all the more impressive because almost the entire movie takes place in a single room. At the beginning of jury deliberations, we see the characters from a distance, as if the camera were mounted where the wall met the ceiling. But as the movie progresses and as we learn more about the backgrounds, thoughts and prejudices of each juror, the camera gradually moves down to the level of the table and shows the individual actors in close-up.

The acting is uniformly strong, with each of the twelve characters being fairly well-developed. While a few of the references in the script are obviously dated, many of the themes are very much applicable today. I appreciated the focus on the mechanics of jury deliberations. This would be a great training film for citizens selected for jury duty!

Network

Last night I saw "Network" at the Castro Theatre with my friend Jon and his fabulous gay-married buddies Christopher and Paolo. I've seen "Network" several times, and I love it more each time!

The performances are excellent, but the best thing about this 1976 masterpiece is the sizzling-hot, ultra-brainy script written by Paddy Chayefsky. For example, take this soliloquy, delivered rapid-fire by the ravishing Faye Dunaway as morality-free TV producer Diana Christiansen:

I was married for four years, and pretended to be happy; and I had six years of analysis, and pretended to be sane. My husband ran off with his boyfriend, and I had an affair with my analyst, who told me I was the worst lay he'd ever had. I can't tell you how many men have told me what a lousy lay I am. I apparently have a masculine temperament. I arouse quickly, consummate prematurely, and can't wait to get my clothes back on and get out of that bedroom. I seem to be inept at everything except my work. I'm goddamn good at my work and so I confine myself to that. All I want out of life is a 30 share and a 20 rating.

Dunaway richly deserved the Oscar that she received for her performance in "Network," as did Peter Finch, whose newscaster-turned-nutty-prophet Howard Beale is frighteningly believable. This film received ten Oscar nominations in total, winning four: Dunaway and Finch for lead acting, Chayefsky for original screenplay and, oddly, Beatrice Straight for her not-even-six-minutes-long supporting performance. Straight does a fine job in her one main scene, but had I been an Academy voter that year (unlikely since I would have been 4 years old), I would have picked Piper Laurie for "Carrie."

"Network" is available from Netflix, and I don't think it loses much going from the big screen to the small; in fact, TV might be the ideal medium for this movie.