Twelve Angry Men

OMG....I loved this dramatization!

I had seen the movie years ago in black and white. So when I saw that this was a dramatization of the book I wanted to get it. It did not disappoint. I was glued to my seat. I didn't want to stop listening to it. I just really enjoyed this book. You get so into it and it makes you think about how we judge one another based really on nothing really at all but; impressions, stereotypes, life experience with someone similar but rarely on fact. This was excellent it, listen to it and then share it.!!!

33 of 36 people found this review helpful

Excellent court room drama

Twelve men, jurors in a court case, gather to discuss the guilt or innocence of a young man accused of murder. What happens in the jury room is an incisive look at the jury system and American justice system. This audiobook is brilliantly cast and makes the transition from a stage play very well. It's engaging and entertaining, dramatic and moving. Well worth listening to, and will not disappoint on repeated listenings.

23 of 25 people found this review helpful

DRAMATIZED AND EXCELLENT !!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is a short dramatized program, I purchased this offering earlier this morning, and have listened to most of this with my wife; who does not often listen to this type of program, and we BOTH loved it. I have recommended this to friends via email, and will be purchasing as a gift for family later this date.

What did you like best about this story?

Dramatized very well. Excellent exchanges between members on jury. Very well acted.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

This Dramatized presentation is excellent, Makes it easy to close your eyes and become a member of the jury, present in the same room. Very interesting how I can become a part of the experience with this format.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

This presentation clearly highlights, How One person can make a significant difference. How most of us are so involved in our own experiences that we take very little time to truly consider the status of others. Moral: We need each other, and thank God for those who stand against the majority and raise a hand to promote discussion and interaction.

Any additional comments?

Thanks to AUDIBLE !!

14 of 16 people found this review helpful

Brings the text to life

Students at our school are studying the play script of Twelve Angry Men, but this performance really brought it to life. I started listening to it myself to see whether it was OK for the students. I listened all the way to the end without realising the time had passed. Bravo! Encore!

21 of 26 people found this review helpful

A Must-Listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Normally listening to a story with multiple narrators is .. odd, but this was amazing. Such a great, memorable (and quick) story! Awesome narration.

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Eerily Relevant to Current Election Rhetoric

Having previously seen the movie, read the script, and directed a high school production of this play (using its alternative title Twelve Angry Citizens), I thought I knew Reginald Rose's masterpiece too well to discover anything new. So it came as a huge surprise to discover that this LA TheatreWorks production felt as fresh as if the script had been written yesterday, rather than in 1954 shortly after Rose himself sat on a jury in a manslaughter trial. Jurors 3, 7 and 10 stand out as obvious Trump supporters; their rhetoric in favor of a quick guilty verdict sounds very like recent "Man on the street" commentary we've all heard in media interviews conducted with attendees at Make America Great Again rallies. Juror #10, in particular, gives an impassioned speech toward the end of the play that is a near-duplicate of Trump's "They're murderers and they're rapists" speech (See "They're violent and they're vicious," Act Two). My husband and I were both riveted listening to this audiobook, and now want to play it over again so the kids can hear it. It also inspired us to order a DVD of the powerful 1957 film.

There was only one drawback to listening, apart from the fact that the visual impact of switchblade knives being brandished and stabbed into tabletops was lost. While this production is excellent, it wasn't always easy to get a sense of the jurors as individuals or to always know which one was talking at any given time. For example, I could tell which voice was Hector Elizondo, but was unable to determine whether protagonist Juror #8 was the one being portrayed by vocal chameleon Dan Castellaneta. I'm looking forward to listening again so I can figure it out!

11 of 16 people found this review helpful

Terrific play, great voices

I've seen the wonderful movie adaptation of this play (1957), and that helped bring this audio dramatization to life - I'm not sure it's quite as powerful without having a true feeling of the setting and behaviours. Plays are written to be performed, and without exposition (describing the setting, movements, expressions, etc) there is something always missing from only hearing the dialogue, unless you're already aware of those elements (or unless you're reading the set direction, etc.)

However, if you've seen this play on stage or in one of the film versions, this is a wonderfully performed version that will take shape in your mind quite easily.

As a disclosure, the actual performance is about 20 minutes shorter than the production time of this audiobook, which includes at the end an interview with the playwright's widow about the play.

5 of 7 people found this review helpful

Intense, disturbing and dramatic. Very well acted.

This is definitely probably the most intense audio book (well, it's more like a radio play for those of you who remember what a radio play is) I've listened to.

I watched the movie many eons ago and it was great and intense as well. But this was on a par -- probably better in the way a book is almost invariably better than its movie. The voice acting in this production was really phenomenal.

I found this story as disturbing today as I did all those years ago when I first encountered it. (Remind me never to be accused of murder and place my fate in the hands of a jury of my peers!)

Highly recommended.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

12, 11, 10 .... Angry Men

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes, would enthusiastically recommend. Loved the narrators and recounting of the trial testimony.

Which scene was your favorite?

The juror who comments, more or less, "THERE IS ALWAYS ONE." Loved the sarcasm.

4 of 6 people found this review helpful

I enjoyed this drama!

That was interesting and fun. The lessons are as valid today as they were when the script was first written by Reginald Rose.

7 of 11 people found this review helpful