Why Is 12 Angry Men considered to be best pre 1970 movie of all time?

abc3643

Master Age: 61

2.3K opinions shared on Entertainment & Arts topic.

It's not.

Google "Citizen Kane".

abc3643

+1 y
www.bfi.org.uk/.../greatest-films-all-time

The 100 Greatest Films of All Time
Once a decade Sight & Sound asks critics to select the Greatest Films of All Time. In our biggest ever poll, conducted in 2012, 846 critics, programmers and curators from around the world nominated ten best movies ever made – and the results gave us a new top film, ending the 50-year reign of Citizen Kane.

Updated: 28 June 2021

Reply
Vivaldi

+1 y
Check Imdb Raiting.

Reply
abc3643

+1 y
IMDB rating?
You are kidding me, right?

IMDB rating is based on member voting.
I am a member.
Chances are you are a member.
Chances are my 10-year old granddaughter is a member.

People are going to vote mostly because of two reasons:
1. They've seen the movie.
2. They will just echo what the consensus is.

I want to focus on that #1 right now...
Few people have seen most films made before they were in school, so they really aren't aware of them. And with every passing year, the number of movies made before someone was in school increases meaning there are even more movies that they are unaware of.
So, they will vote on what they are aware of and what they are aware of are the movies that they grew up with or watched as an adult.
This will cause the top-rated movies to be skewed toward recent movies.

Take a look at this chart that I have just made.
It is a histogram of the IMDB Top 250 Movies.
The earliest movie on the Top 250 was made in 1921 and the latest in 2021 so that's a 101 year timespan.
I made the histogram bins have 20-year widths.
https://ibb.co/9stLtNc

Of those 250 movies, 87 of them have been made in 21st Century! That's over 1/3rd, yet that's only 1/5th of the timespan!

Of those 250 movies, 159 of them have been made in the last 40 years. That's over 63%, yet that's only 2/5th of the timespan!

If you break the data bins down into 10-year intervals, you will see that 1991-2001 has 47, 2001-2011 has 48, and 2011-now has 39. No other decade had more than 25.

https://ibb.co/GQ9LWZn

So, why is that? Was there an enormous leap in the quality of movies?
No. GOD, NO! Since 1975, movies have generally gone downhill and are formulaic and cookie-cutter..
No, that distribution of rankings is due to the fact that the median age in the United States is about 38 so most people who are IMDB voters will be at most that age and likely younger.

(more)

Reply
abc3643

+1 y
Meanwhile, seriously, two Spider-Man movies made in the last 4 years are in the IMDB Top 100 list?
"Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021) is #41
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018) is #71
Yet, "Citizen Kane" is #93?
That's embarrassing and completely illustrates why IMDB ratings are a farce; It is either a popularity contest of recent movies seen by young people or just echoing what they believe others think is important.

This is why the Sight & Sound Top 100 list is more prestigious. Every decade, they solicit the opinions from critics and directors the world over - these are people who get paid to study and see and make movies. And, if you see the movies they recommend, you'll generally understand why they made those recommendations.

===
OK, as for 12 Angry Men released in 1957 but filmed in 1956, it is a great movie and should be seen and should be on a Top 250 list. It really is a great movie and should be seen just for the cast alone!

Sight & Sound, in their 2012 list (the last so far, but they will do a new list this year), this is how that movie ranked:
www2.bfi.org.uk/.../sightandsoundpoll2012
The Greatest Films of All Time 2012
Critics’ poll 894th
Directors’ poll 322nd
1 critic voted for this film
Richard Sowada
2 directors voted for this film
David Leland
Akin Omotoso

Reply
abc3643

+1 y
The two histograms again:

20-Year Bins

10-Year Bins

Reply
Vivaldi

+1 y
So you think imdb rating of 9 is over-rated?

Did I get you right?

Reply
abc3643

+1 y
I can't claim an IMDB rating of 9 is overrated.
I am simply saying that, at IMDB, other movies are underrated and should at least be at or above the rating that "12 Angry Men" got. And "Citizen Kane" is one of them.

But, again, 2 Spider-Man movies in the last 4 years are above "Citizen Kane". One, which only came out last year, is in the Top 50! That's fucking ridiculous!

Taking an IMDB rating seriously is like...
1. A kindergarten teacher taking seriously being called a "poopyhead!" by a disgruntled 5-year old because she said it's nap time.
2. Taking seriously the medical and weather prognostications of Donald Trump.
3. Taking seriously the criticism by Stevie Wonder of a painting.

========
... which, bottom line, means that your question can't be taken seriously because you based it off of IMDB reviews as illustrated by my and the rest of us here disagreeing with the very premise of the question - that "12 Angry Men" is the best pre-1970 movie.

Reply
abc3643

+1 y
@Vivaldi
You may want to know that, right now, "12 Angry Men" is a Free YouTube Movie.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwIxcEvRq0g

Reply
Vivaldi

+1 y
I dowload movies from tor**** for free.

Reply

AviatorTom

Master Age: 57

1.3K opinions shared on Entertainment & Arts topic.

I didn't know it was. There are several movies in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s that would be considered better... Gone With the Wind, Citizen Kane, Cleopstra for example.

Anonymous

(25-29)

It's a great movie, but I don't think I've ever heard anyone claim it is the best pre 1970 movie.

What Girls & Guys Said

Opinion

abc3643 Follow
Master Age: 61 , mho 37%

+1 y
2.3K opinions shared on Entertainment & Arts topic.

It's not.

Google "Citizen Kane".

0

9 Reply
- abc3643
  
  +1 y
  www.bfi.org.uk/.../greatest-films-all-time
  
  The 100 Greatest Films of All Time
  Once a decade Sight & Sound asks critics to select the Greatest Films of All Time. In our biggest ever poll, conducted in 2012, 846 critics, programmers and curators from around the world nominated ten best movies ever made – and the results gave us a new top film, ending the 50-year reign of Citizen Kane.
  
  Updated: 28 June 2021
  
- Vivaldi
  
  +1 y
  Check Imdb Raiting.
  
- abc3643
  
  +1 y
  IMDB rating?
  You are kidding me, right?
  
  IMDB rating is based on member voting.
  I am a member.
  Chances are you are a member.
  Chances are my 10-year old granddaughter is a member.
  
  People are going to vote mostly because of two reasons:
  1. They've seen the movie.
  2. They will just echo what the consensus is.
  
  I want to focus on that #1 right now...
  Few people have seen most films made before they were in school, so they really aren't aware of them. And with every passing year, the number of movies made before someone was in school increases meaning there are even more movies that they are unaware of.
  So, they will vote on what they are aware of and what they are aware of are the movies that they grew up with or watched as an adult.
  This will cause the top-rated movies to be skewed toward recent movies.
  
  Take a look at this chart that I have just made.
  It is a histogram of the IMDB Top 250 Movies.
  The earliest movie on the Top 250 was made in 1921 and the latest in 2021 so that's a 101 year timespan.
  I made the histogram bins have 20-year widths.
  https://ibb.co/9stLtNc
  
  Of those 250 movies, 87 of them have been made in 21st Century! That's over 1/3rd, yet that's only 1/5th of the timespan!
  
  Of those 250 movies, 159 of them have been made in the last 40 years. That's over 63%, yet that's only 2/5th of the timespan!
  
  If you break the data bins down into 10-year intervals, you will see that 1991-2001 has 47, 2001-2011 has 48, and 2011-now has 39. No other decade had more than 25.
  
  https://ibb.co/GQ9LWZn
  
  So, why is that? Was there an enormous leap in the quality of movies?
  No. GOD, NO! Since 1975, movies have generally gone downhill and are formulaic and cookie-cutter..
  No, that distribution of rankings is due to the fact that the median age in the United States is about 38 so most people who are IMDB voters will be at most that age and likely younger.
  
  (more)
  
- abc3643
  
  +1 y
  Meanwhile, seriously, two Spider-Man movies made in the last 4 years are in the IMDB Top 100 list?
  "Spider-Man: No Way Home" (2021) is #41
  "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" (2018) is #71
  Yet, "Citizen Kane" is #93?
  That's embarrassing and completely illustrates why IMDB ratings are a farce; It is either a popularity contest of recent movies seen by young people or just echoing what they believe others think is important.
  
  This is why the Sight & Sound Top 100 list is more prestigious. Every decade, they solicit the opinions from critics and directors the world over - these are people who get paid to study and see and make movies. And, if you see the movies they recommend, you'll generally understand why they made those recommendations.
  
  ===
  OK, as for 12 Angry Men released in 1957 but filmed in 1956, it is a great movie and should be seen and should be on a Top 250 list. It really is a great movie and should be seen just for the cast alone!
  
  Sight & Sound, in their 2012 list (the last so far, but they will do a new list this year), this is how that movie ranked:
  www2.bfi.org.uk/.../sightandsoundpoll2012
  The Greatest Films of All Time 2012
  Critics’ poll 894th
  Directors’ poll 322nd
  1 critic voted for this film
  Richard Sowada
  2 directors voted for this film
  David Leland
  Akin Omotoso
  
- abc3643
  
  +1 y
  The two histograms again:
  
  20-Year Bins
  
  10-Year Bins
  
- Vivaldi
  
  +1 y
  So you think imdb rating of 9 is over-rated?
  
  Did I get you right?
  
- abc3643
  
  +1 y
  I can't claim an IMDB rating of 9 is overrated.
  I am simply saying that, at IMDB, other movies are underrated and should at least be at or above the rating that "12 Angry Men" got. And "Citizen Kane" is one of them.
  
  But, again, 2 Spider-Man movies in the last 4 years are above "Citizen Kane". One, which only came out last year, is in the Top 50! That's fucking ridiculous!
  
  Taking an IMDB rating seriously is like...
  1. A kindergarten teacher taking seriously being called a "poopyhead!" by a disgruntled 5-year old because she said it's nap time.
  2. Taking seriously the medical and weather prognostications of Donald Trump.
  3. Taking seriously the criticism by Stevie Wonder of a painting.
  
  ========
  ... which, bottom line, means that your question can't be taken seriously because you based it off of IMDB reviews as illustrated by my and the rest of us here disagreeing with the very premise of the question - that "12 Angry Men" is the best pre-1970 movie.
  
- abc3643
  
  +1 y
  @Vivaldi
  You may want to know that, right now, "12 Angry Men" is a Free YouTube Movie.
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwIxcEvRq0g
  
- Vivaldi
  
  +1 y
  I dowload movies from tor**** for free.
  
jahaims Follow
Master Age: 32

+1 y
673 opinions shared on Entertainment & Arts topic.

It's not

0

2 Reply
- Vivaldi
  
  +1 y
  Are you sure?
  
- Vivaldi
  
  +1 y
  Check Imdb Raiting

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Why Is 12 Angry Men considered to be best pre 1970 movie of all time?

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