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FALL 2002
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The following movie classics have some story of interest to those of us in the legal profession. Some are based on real events, others are fictional, and some are biographical. All are worthy of an evening's commitment.
NOTE: Clicking on any of
the following links will move you to a webpage located elsewhere on the Internet. If you
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button or type in the site's URL address.
Moviefinder.com is an Internet site with a wealth of information about movies. Some of the older classics are not listed on Moviefinder. On the other hand, Moviefinder describes many, many movies that are not included in the following list.
TV Guide's movie reviews also are quite helpful. The site provides extensive information concerning classic as well as current films. TV Guide also rates movies.
Filmsite Filmsite's extensive list of movie reviews of the classics.
Ratings: Four ratings are
included in the movie descriptions that follow if the rating source rates the particular
movie.
Moviefinder rates some movies. Those movies in the following list rated by Moviefinder include the Moviefinder rating using their A, B, C, D rating scheme. An "A" rating is the highest rating awarded.
Adam's Rib
Husband and wife lawyers appear on opposite sides of an attempted murder prosecution. The husband is the prosecutor; the wife is the defense attorney. Humor. Spencer Tracy; Katharine Hepburn. Nominated for Best Screenplay. 1949, b&w / color versions. 3 gavels, 3.5 stars, (8), One of Filmsite's Another 100 Greatest Films, One of Mr. Showbiz's 100 Best Movies of All Time.
A Man For All Seasons
A lawyer opposes a king without a conscience and is tried for treason. A biographical account of the problems faced by Sir Thomas More for refusing the request of King Henry VIII for a divorce. Paul Scofield; Robert Shaw; Susannah York; Vanessa Redgrave; Orson Welles. 8 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Director. Academy Awards (6): Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, Best Actor: Paul Scofield. 1966, color. 4 gavels, 4 stars.
Anatomy of a Murder
A lawyer defends an army officer accused of murdering his wife's rapist. Insanity - irrestible impulse issue. Read no more about the plot; surprise ending. James Stewart; Ben Gazzara; Lee Remick; George C. Scott. 7 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and others. 1959, b&w. B+, 4 gavels, 4.5 stars, (1).
A Time to Kill
A lawyer defends a black man accused of killing two rednecks who raped his daughter (and injuring a sheriff's deputy in the process). Matthew McConaughey; Samuel L. Jackson; Sandra Bullock; Donald Sutherland. 1996, color. B, 1.5 stars.
Breaker Morant
Three men are court-martialed as scapegoats. Australian cast. Winner of Ten Australian Academy Awards. Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. 1980, color. 4 gavels, 3 stars.
The Caine Mutiny
Two sailors are court-martialed. Bogart plays the deranged Captain Queeg, who not only forbade the showing of movies to the crew but also became quite upset because someone pilferred leftover strawberries from the Officers' Mess. Humphrey Bogart; Jose Ferrer; Van Johnson; Fred McMurray; E.G. Marshall; Lee Marvin. 7 nominations, including Best Picure, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and others. 1954, color. B, 4 gavels, 4 stars.
Compulsion
A movie based on the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder case. Leopold and Loeb were law students who kidnapped and killed a fourteen-year-old boy, Robert Franks, purely for kicks. The defendants in the movie are mentally ill, but they fail to meet the M'Naughten standard. Orson Wells; Diane Varsi; Dean Stockwell; Bradford Dillman; E.G. Marshall. 1959, color. 3 gavels, 4 stars, (6).
Fury
A young man is wrongfully accused of a crime becomes a victim of a mob and seeks revenge. Twenty-two members of the vigilantes are indicted and tried for murder. Alibi witnesses find themselves implicated in a perjury scheme. Spencer Tracy; Bruce Cabot; Walter Brennan. Nominated for Best Original Story. 1936, color. 4 gavels, 4.5 stars, One of Filmsite's Another 100 Greatest Films.
No review readily available.
Inherit the Wind
A teacher in the South is tried for teaching evolution. Based on the "Scopes Trial" and the courtroom battle between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan. Spencer Tracy; Fredric March; Gene Kelly; Harry Morgan. 4 nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor. 1960, color. B+, 4 gavels, 4 stars, (7).
I Want to Live
Based on a true story, a "party girl" is charged with a murder she did not commit. She is convicted and sentenced to death. "A powerful drama and scathing indictment of capital punishment." Susan Hayward; Theodore Bikel. 6 nominations, including Best Actress, Best Director and Best Screenplay. Academy Award: Best Actress, Susan Hayward. 1958, color. 3 gavels, 4.5 stars.
Judgment at Nuremberg
A powerful look at the war crimes trials at Nuremberg. Superb cast, including Spencer Tracy; Burt Lancaster; Marlene Dietrich; Maximilian Schell; Montgomery Clift; Richard Widmark; Judy Garland. 11 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor. Academy Awards (2): Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Actor, Maximilian Schell. 1961, b&w. 4 gavels, 4 stars.
Just Cause
A Harvard law professor represents a black man convicted of killing a white woman in post-conviction proceedings. Another story with a twist. Interesting movie, but not another To Kill a Mockingbird. Sean Connery, Laurence Fishburne. 1995, color. 3 stars.
The Life of Emily Zola
A great French writer champions the cause of Alfred Dreyfus, a French military officer convicted of treason. Paul Muni; Joseph Schildkraut. 10 nominations, including Best Director, Best Actor, Best Original Story. Academy Awards (3): Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor, Joseph Schildkraut. 1937, b&w / color versions. 4 gavels, 4.5 stars.
No review readily available.
The Magnificent Yankee
A movie about Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Louis Calhern; Ann Harding. 2 nominations, including Best Actor. Not listed in REEL JUSTICE. 1950, b&w. 4 stars, (3).
No review readily available.
The Paper Chase
Studying law, first year, Harvard style. John Houseman; Timothy Bottoms; Lindsay Wagner. 3 nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor. Academy Award: Best Supporting Actor, John Houseman. 1973, color. 2.5 stars, (9).
The Verdict
A down-and-out Boston lawyer takes on powerful forces as he handles a malpractice case. Paul Newman; Jack Warden; James Mason. 5 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Director. Academy Awards (2): Best Actor, Paul Newman; Best Adapted Screenplay. 1982, color. B-, 2 gavels, 4 stars,(10).
The Wrong Man
Based on an actual case, an innocent man accused of a crime committed by a close look-alike. Henry Fonda; Vera Miles. Director: Alfred Hitchcock. 1956, color. B-, 3 gavels, 5 stars,(5).
To Kill a Mockingbird
A lawyer in a small Southern town defends a black man falsely accused of raping a white woman. Gregory Peck; Robert Duvall; Mary Badham. 7 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director. Academy Awards (2): Best Screenplay; Best Supporting Actress: Mary Badham. 1962, b& w / color versions. B+, 4 gavels, 4 stars, (2), One of Filmsite's 100 Greatest Films.
12 Angry Men
A visit with a jury that is deliberating the fate of a minority defendant accused of murder. Henry Fonda. 3 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director. 1957, b&w / color versions. B+, 4 gavels, 4 stars, (4).
Witness for the Prosecution
Yet another interesting courtroom drama involving an attorney and a murder case. Warning: Surprise ending. Do not read about the plot before seeing the movie. Marlene Dietrich; Tyrone Power; Charles Laughton; Elsa Lanchester. Director: Billy Wilder. Based on an Agatha Chrisie novel. 6 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress. 1957, b&w. 4 gavels, 4.5 stars.
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