Deliberate mistake: When Henry Fonda decides to recreate the old witness' ability to get to the door in 15 seconds, he asks another juror to time his walk. The scene never cuts away, but the juror who times it says it took 41 seconds when in reality it takes exactly 31 seconds, you can time it.
12 Angry Men (1957)
1 deliberate mistake - chronological order
Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Henry Fonda, Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, E.G. Marshall
Visible crew/equipment: When Juror 8 is approaching Juror 4 following the revelation of the witness across the street's eyesight being put under question, as the camera moves in, its shadow is seen moving across the back of Juror 3. (01:28:55)
Juror #6: You think he's not guilty, huh?
Juror #8: I don't know. It's possible.
Trivia: This was the only film ever produced by Henry Fonda. The work of both acting and producing was so demanding that he said afterwards that he would never produce another film.
Question: Am I correct that when Henry Fonda is questioning the E.G. Marshall character about his recent activities Marshall says that the night before he worked until 8:30 then went home? The trial was every day for the past several days.
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Answer: He was actually talking about the night before the last one. Trials, especially longer ones for serious crimes such as murder, are not usually on consecutive days...often there is a recess after the prosecution rests, and another after the defense, before closing arguments and the jury's deliberation. During those recesses, unless they are sequestered, the jury members would return to their normal lives (including work), and report back to the court when summoned.