Tag: 04/13

Calendar: April 13

A Year: Day to Day Men: 13th of April

Parallel Bands of Teal

April 13, 1957 was the release date of the courtroom drama “12 Angry Men”.

The American film and television writer Reginald Rose’s screenplay for “12 Angry Men” was initially produced for television with Robert Cummings as Juror 8, the only one not voting with the majority. This teleplay was broadcast live on the CBS program Studio One in September of 1954. The success of this production resulted in a film adaption. Sidney Lumet, who produced dramatic productions for The Alcoa Hour and Studio One, was recruited by the producers Henry Fonda and Reginald Rose to direct. “12 Angry Men” was Sidney Lumet’s first feature film.

This trial film tells the story of a jury made up of 12 men as they deliberate the guilt or acquittal of a defendant on the basis of reasonable doubt, forcing the jurors to question their morals and values. In the United States, a verdict in most criminal trials by jury must be unanimous. The film is notable for its almost exclusive use of one set: out of 96 minutes of run time, only three minutes take place outside of the jury room.

The film explores many techniques of consensus-building and the difficulties encountered in the process among a group of men whose range of personalities adds intensity and conflict. It also explores the power one man has to elicit change. No names are used in the film; the jury members are identified by number. The defendant is referred to as “the boy” and the witnesses as “the old man” and “the lady across the street”. The film forces the characters and audience to evaluate their own self-image through observing the personality, experiences, and actions of the jurors.

At the beginning of the film, the cameras are positioned above eye level and mounted with wide-angle lens, to give the appearance of greater depth between subjects, but as the film progresses the focal length of the lenses is gradually increased. By the end of the film, nearly everyone is shown in closeup, using telephoto lenses from a lower angle, which decreases or “shortens” depth of field. Sidney Lumet stated that his intention in using these techniques with cinematographer Boris Kaufman was to create a nearly palpable claustrophobia.

In 2007 the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. The American Film Institute selected it as the second-best courtroom drama ever in their Top 10 List. The AFI also named Juror 8, played by Henry Fonda, in their list of 50 greatest movie heroes of the 20th century.

Calendar: April 12

 

A Year: Day to Day Men: 12th of April

Bruno in the Half-Light

April 12, 1484 was the birthdate of the Italian architect, Antonio de Sangallo the Younger.

Antonio Sangallo was born into a family of artists; his grandfather Vrancesco Giamberti was a woodworker, and his uncles Giuliano and Antonnio de Sangallo were noted architects of the time. The young Sangallo followed his uncles to Rome to pursue a career in architecture; he quickly became an apprentice under Donato Bramante, who introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance style to Rome.

Sangallo eventually drew the attention of the Cardinal Alessandro Farnese (who would later become the Pope Paul III), from whom he received a number of commissions. He designed for the Farnese family the Palace on the Piazza Farnese and the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena in the town of Gradoli. He also designed fortifications for Capo di Monte and Caprarola, which became the Farnese’s country estate.

He was one of several artists hired to design the Villa Madama by Cardinal Giulio de’ Medici, the future Pope Clement VII, becoming personally responsible for the final design of the building itself. Through these projects, Sangallo acquired the reputation of a master architect in the city of Rome. When his teacher Bramante died in 1514, Sangallo, along with Raphael and Giovanni Giocondo, was appointed to oversee the construction of Saint Peter’s Basilica by Pope Leo X. Sangallo was hired extensively by Leo X, not only as an architect, but also as an engineer tasked to restore and save a number of buildings.

Sangallo had maintained a good relationship with the popes, and thus was constantly involved in the designing and building process of Saint Peter’s Basilica from 1513 until at least 1536. As “capomaestro”, he was in charge of the day-to-day construction on the basilica for many years. He also created a design for the basilica, of which a wooden model exists today.

Sangallo was also a noted military architect, working on the fortifications of numerous cities such as Parma, Placenza and Ancona. In Orvieto, he was also tasked by Pope Clement VII with building a well, called Saint Patrick’s Well, noted as a marvel of engineering. Its double helix ramps around a central open shaft allowed oxen carrying water to go down via one of the ramps and up via the other without having to turn around; despite its 175-foot depth, the ramps are well lit through windows cut into the center section.