Last night we watched a Play at the Spring Lake High School called "12 Angry Jurors". If I had been asleep half the time I would have said that it was about some kid who had supposedly murdered his father. But, I WASN'T asleep half the time and the Play was too interesting to fall asleep during anyway.
The Play was about (Want to guess?) 12 very angry Jurors. Or maybe it should have been called 7 angry Jurors because not all of the Jurors were angry.
Anyway the Play was Incredible. This Play is a classic. It has been reintroduced many times. The Movie was made after the Play was first Introduced. Both were hits.
I suppose you might want me to REALLY tell you about this Play. Here we go: There are 12 Jurors. No wait, You already know that. Let me try again. There is this kid. His mom died when he was 9. His dad beat him up on a regular basis. He had been caught several times during knife fights. He had been sent to reformed school for stabbing someone. The kid is now the age of 19 and Is arrested with the charge of killing his father with a knife. One witness claims to have seen him do it, the other claims to have heard it all and then seen the boy run down the stairs of their apartment building. The knife that was found in the fathers chest was identical to the one that the boy had bought that very morning.
Now, if the kid's found guilty he'll die in the electric chair. His life lies in the balance of what 12 Jurors decide. The Play is not about the decision, as much of the deciding. The movie is not about the kid, but the jurors.
One reason that this play is obviously a made up story is that nobody in their right minds would have picked some of these people for the jury. One man has a son who went through much of the same things the kid had. He had beat up his son. Later the son ran away. The man hates the kid because he reminds him of his son. He simply wants the kid to die, guilty or not.
Another hates all people from bad towns like where the kids from. She doesn't care if he's guilty for this crime, but is sure he will do something else. Another still just wants it to be over so he could go watch sports. And one more just goes with whatever most people think.
This here is why jury selection is important. Thinking about this wretched Jury selection made me think of another doomed Jury. It was a class project. One of my teachers picked out our jury. This jury consisted of: the accused brother, friends of the accused, friends of the defense attorney, and a couple of kindergartners. Can you guess how that turned out?
Anyway this is a Play/Movie that makes you think. I would suggest bringing your brain to the place you are going to watch this movie. I'm not going to point any fingers, but for those of you who keep your brains in your bed room drawers when you go to school- Keep them in your head during this movie. You know who you are.
This play is no longer showing at the high school, but if you want to see it rent the movie at your local Family Video, Block Buster, Etc.
Does the kid even have a hope? Find out! Seriously. Find out.
[Illustration by XMG]
Anyway the Play was Incredible. This Play is a classic. It has been reintroduced many times. The Movie was made after the Play was first Introduced. Both were hits.
I suppose you might want me to REALLY tell you about this Play. Here we go: There are 12 Jurors. No wait, You already know that. Let me try again. There is this kid. His mom died when he was 9. His dad beat him up on a regular basis. He had been caught several times during knife fights. He had been sent to reformed school for stabbing someone. The kid is now the age of 19 and Is arrested with the charge of killing his father with a knife. One witness claims to have seen him do it, the other claims to have heard it all and then seen the boy run down the stairs of their apartment building. The knife that was found in the fathers chest was identical to the one that the boy had bought that very morning.
Now, if the kid's found guilty he'll die in the electric chair. His life lies in the balance of what 12 Jurors decide. The Play is not about the decision, as much of the deciding. The movie is not about the kid, but the jurors.
One reason that this play is obviously a made up story is that nobody in their right minds would have picked some of these people for the jury. One man has a son who went through much of the same things the kid had. He had beat up his son. Later the son ran away. The man hates the kid because he reminds him of his son. He simply wants the kid to die, guilty or not.
Another hates all people from bad towns like where the kids from. She doesn't care if he's guilty for this crime, but is sure he will do something else. Another still just wants it to be over so he could go watch sports. And one more just goes with whatever most people think.
This here is why jury selection is important. Thinking about this wretched Jury selection made me think of another doomed Jury. It was a class project. One of my teachers picked out our jury. This jury consisted of: the accused brother, friends of the accused, friends of the defense attorney, and a couple of kindergartners. Can you guess how that turned out?
Anyway this is a Play/Movie that makes you think. I would suggest bringing your brain to the place you are going to watch this movie. I'm not going to point any fingers, but for those of you who keep your brains in your bed room drawers when you go to school- Keep them in your head during this movie. You know who you are.
This play is no longer showing at the high school, but if you want to see it rent the movie at your local Family Video, Block Buster, Etc.
Does the kid even have a hope? Find out! Seriously. Find out.
[Illustration by XMG]
