Status Changes and 12 Angry Men

I watched 12 Angry Men not long after we spoke about status changes in screenwriting.  I think it really is a brilliant example of status transactions in action, and I really wanted to watch it again before reviewing to try and pick up on more of the subtleties.  Unfortunately I haven't had the chance so here goes.

12 Angry Men. 1957

Despite the large cast I found that I didn't really identify with one character over the others.  I felt quite removed from the characters and found myself being fascinated with the different personalities and their dynamic.  This is probably due to a few things.

1) The age of the film may have caused some barrier in terms of the way people would act then and now.  I definitely noticed that despite the age of the film the way in which people interact and the techniques used in conversations remain the same.

2) The gender and age of the characters: All the characters were men, and they seemed to mostly middle aged or older.  This could limit my ability to identify.

3) The ensemble style of the film.  Because of the nature of the film I identified with different characters at different points in the film, rather than making a connection with a single character.

Despite being an ensemble film there is a clear main character amongst the Jurors (Was his name Davis? I can't recall), but each of the characters have their own arcs.  These were mostly brought upon by the changes in status between the characters.

The status changes in 12 Angry Men varied in subtlety across different characters.   For example the young bank clerk is quickly established as a low status character but has gained higher status during the film, almost without me noticing when it happened.  Other status transactions were more obvious- characters often proved themselves wrong while trying to argue a point etc.  I think the combination of the two works really well, especially as it takes the characters personalities into account.