12

12 (2007)

Timing: 2:39 (159 min)

6.921/10
311

7.736/10
158064

7.5/10
16000

All about film

Video 0

Photo 5

Actors and characters

Release date

2007-06-06

Country

Russia

Production

Mosfilm, Studio Trite, Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematograph

Genre

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Budget

$2 500 000

Revenue

$7 537 453

Website

Director

Nikita Mikhalkov

Actors

Sergey Makovetskiy, Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergey Garmash, Valentin Gaft, Aleksey Petrenko, Yuriy Stoyanov, Sergey Gazarov, Mikhail Efremov, Oleksiy Horbunov, Sergei Artsybashev
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Nikita Mikhalkov, Aleksandr Novototskiy-Vlasov

Producer

Nikita Mikhalkov, Leonid Vereshchagin, Aleksey Balashov, Sergey Gurevich

Operator

Vladislav Opelyants

Composer

Eduard Artemyev

Artist

Audition

Tamara Odintsova

Editing

Enzo Meniconi, Andrey Zaytsev
All team (21)

• Since all 12 actors had to be constantly on camera, Nikita Mikhalkov signed a strict contract with everyone. The main condition was that the actors could not participate in other projects during filming. Valentin Gaft was the exception. Nikita Sergeyevich allowed him to attend performances – while he rehearsed with other actors.
• The film features a uniquely striking moment – a 10-minute monologue by Sergey Makovetsky, filmed in a single take with a wide shot.
• How Sergey Makovetsky was cast in the role. Late in the autumn of 2006, Mikhalkov called Makovetsky and, without any preamble, asked into the phone: “Makovetsky, do you believe in God?” – “Who is this?” – “It doesn’t matter who. Do you believe or not?” – “Well, I do believe…” – “And do you go to church?” – “I do.” – “Your prayers have been answered.”
• The impetus for filming '12' was a forced break in work on 'Burnt by the Sun 2: Citadel'. Mikhalkov’s idea was that a remake of Lumet’s film would prevent the film crew from stagnating. It should be recalled that in 1978, he similarly filmed the brilliant 'Five Evenings' based on Alexander Volodin’s play between the two parts of 'Several Days in the Life of I.I. Oblomov'.
• The role of the first juror (Sergey Makovetsky) was originally intended for Oleg Menshikov, but after reading the script, he realized it wasn’t right for him and declined.
• The film was shot in five weeks.
• The photograph of the mother shown by Yuri Stoyanov’s character is actually himself, only heavily made up.
• The names of the jurors are unknown, except for Nikita Mikhalkov’s character. At the end of the film, in a conversation with a Chechen boy, it is revealed that his name is Nikolai. In the television version, in the episode on the street where the jurors are going home, in a dialogue between the “taxi driver” (Sergei Garmash) and the “Jew” (Valentin Gaft), they tell each other that their names are Arkady (the taxi driver) and Pavel (the Jew).
• The film contains a borrowing from an earlier film by Nikita Mikhalkov (“Relatives,” 1981) – a suddenly ringing alarm clock in a briefcase, which the character turns off by hitting the briefcase.
• The episode with the dog carrying a severed human hand is borrowed from Akira Kurosawa’s famous film “Yojimbo”.
• Since all 12 actors had to be constantly on set, Nikita Mikhalkov signed a strict contract with each of them. The main condition was that the actors could not participate in other projects during filming. Valentin Gaft was the exception. Nikita Sergeyevich allowed him to attend performances – while he conducted rehearsals with other actors.
• How Sergei Makovetsky was cast in the role. Late autumn 2006, Mikhalkov called Makovetsky and, without any pleasantries, said into the phone: “Makovetsky, do you believe in God?” - “Who is this?” - “It doesn’t matter who. Do you believe or not?” - “Well, I do…” - “And do you go to church?” - “I do” - “Your prayers have been answered.”
• The reason for filming '12' was a forced break in work on 'Burnt by the Sun 2: Citadel'. Mikhalkov’s idea was that a remake of Lumet’s film would prevent the film crew from stagnating. It should be recalled that in 1978 he did exactly the same thing, between the two parts of 'A Few Days in the Life of I.I. Oblomov', he filmed the brilliant film 'Five Evenings' based on the play by Alexander Volodin.
• The names of the jurors are unknown, with the exception of Nikita Mikhalkov's character. At the end of the film, in a conversation with a Chechen boy, it is revealed that his name is Nikolai. In the television version, in the episode on the street where the jurors are going home, in a dialogue between the "taxi driver" (Sergei Garmash) and the "Jew" (Valentin Gaft), they tell each other their names are Arkady (the taxi driver) and Pavel (the Jew).
• The film contains a borrowing from an earlier film by Nikita Mikhalkov ("Relatives", 1981) – a suddenly ringing alarm clock in a briefcase, which the character turns off by hitting the briefcase.
• The episode with the dog carrying a severed human hand is borrowed from Akira Kurosawa's famous film "Yojimbo" (also known as "Bodyguard").