:
- 11 men sitting at a table and 1 man standing behind them cf The Last Supper, a late 15th century mural painting by Italian artist Leonardo Da Vinci (Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan, Italy) = decide the fate of someone. It conveys the idea of betrayal.
- That one man standing seems to act as a figure of authority, hierarchy, a leader of some sort.
- The man seems to have the upper hand, to be more important or to be against all the others Idea of justice / God
- Blue can represent loneliness, fear, tension. It's historically associted to the power of kings. The notion of power is at stake.
MIDDLE:
- Bright yellow which attracts the eye. This colour symbolizes power, knowledge but also hatred, treason, madness
. A symbol of faith / God (sun rays).
- The name of the movie + actor in the centre, the adjective « angry » shows the men may want to take their revenge on someone.
- We seem to be part of the intrigue as we are facing the scene.
- Divided into 2 by a knife / blade coming from the top
It introduces the idea of separation / division / being torn between 2 feelings // Two ideas opposing one another (conceptions of Justice?)
Life is in their hands
Probably jurors who must decide whether someone is guilty or innocent of a crime The accused may be sentenced to death (USA) an important decision to be taken.
Death is on their minds
They may send someone to death and it will be on their minds forever
it explodes like 12 sticks of dynamite
→ seems to suggest it is an action film therefore full of action and thrilling the idea of violence/ death / life / risk is introduced. But what will actually explode?
BOTTOM:
- The main actor being the odd one out once again + 11 other men in the background. The main actor has made his voice heard.
- We see the same scene that's at the top of the poster, but from a different point of view. We see them from above, introducing the idea of tension: we get the feeling that the movie is a huis-clos = the plot takes place behind closed doors.
THE KNIFE: symbolism
- Both a weapon and a tool. Has the crime been committed using a knife? is it the weapon?
Does it represent justice? cf scales
- Once again the idea of betrayal = was someone stabbed in the back? Is justice itself the liar in the story?
- an eye for an eye principle / the law of retaliation (Law of Tallion)? = the principle that a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree (death / death
penalty)
- Poiting at the number 12, therefore the 12 men as if the core of their anger acted as a sword of Damocles? = thing or situation which causes a prolonged state of impending doom or misfortune
- The blade is not straight = it's difficult to make one’s mind / the right decision
- Just like in a trail = the 12 men have to reach a verdict / decide upon the fate of someone.
- 2 sides can represent a Manichean vision of the word. It's a binary conception of Justice.
WHAT ARE THE TWO IDEALS / IDEAS OF JUSTICE CONVEYED IN THE POSTER?
- that of human / open to debates but also to mistakes / flawed justice (there are some miscarriages of justice) / place of the individual and of the group in societies
- an institutionalised one, normalised by laws, a godly heritage
