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.!!!

36 people found this 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.

25 people found this 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!

22 people found this 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 !!

17 people found this helpful

A Work of Art

I'm a civil trial attorney. Every once in a while, I am privileged to get to help select a dozen complete strangers who are going to decide one of my cases. It's the most challenging thing I do, and sometimes quite scary. Once, I was lucky enough to serve as a juror on a criminal case.

Reginald Rose's "Twelve Angry Men" (1954, CBS teleplay; 1957, film; etc.; 2007, LA Theatre Works; etc.) comes the closest to the feel of serving on a jury. "Twelve Angry Men" is only about 90 minutes and compresses what would take place over hours or even days for a jury that's deliberating. Rose makes a reason some of the jurors need to done and go elsewhere and it makes things faster. The claustrophobia of a rainstorm; the insight of a naturalized citizen; the bigotry of a man with always diminished horizons; and the despair of a failed father combine to a compelling play.

Rose shows that the most important part of the American judicial system isn't law enforcement, no matter how strong willed the police chief (think LAPD Chief Charlie Beck); how progressive the policing (the NYPD starts, tries and discards trends like "zero tolerance" before the rest of the country even hears about them); no matter how seemingly omniscient and omnipotent (the FBI). It's not 'The Nine', the group of (presumably) brilliant and carefully reasoned lawyers hand picked by the president and confirmed by the senate to decide the most important cases in the country. The Jury - an ephemeral group of 12 people whose only qualifications are that each is a United States citizen, 18 or older, and not a felon - is the foundation for the legal system, and for American democracy as a whole.

This Audible edition is the 2007 LATW version, with prolific and often comedic actors/voice artists Dan Castellaneta, Hector Elizondo (as usual), and Richard Kind in serious roles. LATW productions are always first class, and "Twelve Angry Men" doesn't disappoint.

There's an Easter egg at the end: an interview of Rose's widow, Ellen McLaughlin Rose.

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10 people found this 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.

8 people found this 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.

5 people found this 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 people found this helpful

Never put someone's life at stake on an assumption

A great study on assumtions. As one writer put it, when you assume something you make an "ass" of "u" and "me." That is what this book is all about, assuming something to be true because you want it to be true. Thank goodness there are those who are willing to put forth the effort to look deeper into things to find the real truth. Sadly, it doesn't work that way for everyone who is falsely accused, but when it does, it has to be deeply rewarding for the innocent.

Presented in a dramatized fashion, this is a great listen.

4 people found this 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 people found this helpful