Lawyers and the Legal Process in the Movies: Media Resources Center UCB

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Amistad (1998)

Directed by Steven Spielberg. Chronicles the 1839 revolt on board a slave ship bound for America. Much of the story involves the court-room drama about the slave who led the revolt. 155 min. DVD 956; vhs 999:1997

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Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Director, Otto Preminger. Cast: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, George C. Scott. A riverting courtroom drama of rape and premiditated murder. The film pits a humble small-town lawyer against a hardheaded big-city prosecutor. Emotions flare as a jealous army lieutenant pleads innocent to murdering the rapist of his seductive, beautiful wife. 61 min. 999:1034

Kamir, Orit. "Anatomy of Hollywood's Hero-Lawyer: A Law-and-Film Study of the Western Motifs, Honor-Based Values and Gender Politics Underlying Anatomy of a Murder's Construction of the Lawyer Image." Studies in Law, Politics, and Society, 2005, 35, 1, 67-105

Frischauer, Willi. Behind the scenes of Otto Preminger; an unauthorized biography New York, Morrow, 1974 [c1973] (MOFF: PN1998.A3 .P674 1973)

Pratley, Gerald. The cinema of Otto Preminger London, A. Zwemmer; New York, A. S. Barnes [1971] (MAIN: PN1998.A3 P6831)

Preminger, Otto. Preminger : an autobiography Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1977. (MAIN: PN1998 A3.P6721 1977; PFA : PN1998.3.P74 P74 1977)

"... And Justice For All" (1979)

Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Al Pacino, Jack Warden, John Forsythe, Lee Strasberg, Jeffrey Taylor, Christine Lahti. An idealistic young lawyer is torn between defending a judge accused of raping and battering a young girl - who he knows is guilty - and exposing the corruption of the legal system, jeopardizing his own career. 119 min. DVD 1661

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Boston Legal

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Call Northside 777 (1948)

Directed by Henry Hathaway. Cast: James Stewart, Richard Conte, Lee J. Cobb, Helen Walker. Acclaimed for its authenticity, realism and suspense, this documentary-style drama is the powerful true story of a newspaper reporter who corrects a miscarriage of justice. Assigned to investigate a murder case, he uncovers evidence indicating that the convicted man is innocent and then convinces the governor to hold a hearing. Based on articles by James P. McGuire. 111 min. DVD 7671; vhs 999:325

Lipkin, Steven N. Real Emotional Logic: Film and Television Docudrama as Persuasive Practice Carbondale : Southern Illinois University Press, c2002. pp: 14-27. (PN1995.9.H5 L56 2002)

Mnookin, Jennifer; West, Nancy. "Theaters of Proof: Visual Evidence and the Law in Call Northside 777." Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities, Summer 2001

Rosenberg, Norman. "Law Noir." In: Legal reelism: movies as legal texts Edited by John Denvir. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, c1996. (Main Stack PN1995.9.J8.L45 1996; Moffitt PN1995.9.J8.L45 1996)

Caine Mutiny (1954)

Director: Edward Dmytryk. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Jose Ferrer, Van Johnson, Fred MacMurray. Suspense builds during Naval trial proceedings against a young lieutenant who relieved his captain of command of the destroyer-minesweeper U.S.S. Caine at the height of a typhoon. Special features: Retrospective documentary: Inside the Caine Mutiny; commentary with Richard Peña and Ken Bowser. 125 min. DVD 8323; vhs 999:732 (CC)

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Cape Fear (1991)

Directed by Martin Scorsese. Cast: Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange, Joe Don Baker, Juliette Lewis. Fourteen years after being imprisoned, psychopath Max Cady emerges with a single-minded mission: to seek revenge on his attorney Sam Bowden. "Martin Scorsese's remake of 'Cape Fear' portrays an attorney's struggle with his own hypocrisy. Attorney Sam Bowden is 'tried' by a former client, Max Cady. Bowden suppressed evidence which might have exonerated Cady. Nick Nolte's performance as Bowden explores the 'lawyer mask', which some practitioners hide behind, espousing ethics and objectivity in professional life, but not living up to these codes in personal life." [Expanded Academic Index]. 128 min. DVD 3298; vhs 999:2221

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Character (Karakter) (Netherlands / Belgium, 1997)

Directed by Mike Van Diem. Cast: Jan DeCleir, Fedja Van Huet, Betty Schuurman, Tamar Van Den Dop, Victor Low, Hans Kesting. Dreverhaven is dead. The city's most feared bailiff, the curse of the poor, the agent of law without compassion--discovered with a knife through his heart. A self-taught lawyer who just passed his exams was the last person to see Drevehaven alive. Now, the police want to know why he visited the old man, and the young barrister is ready to tell the story of a lifetime. 125 min. DVD 5532

Chicago (2002)

Directed by Rob Marshall. Cast: Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, Queen Latifah, John C. Reily, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs, Christine Baranski. In this dazzling musical set at a time when crimes of passion result in celebrity headlines, nightclub sensation Velma Kelly and spotlight-seeking Roxie Hart both find themselves on Chicago's famed Murderess Row. They also share Billy Flynn, the town's slickest lawyer with a talent for turning notorious defendants into local legends. Based on the musical play Chicago, directed and choreographed for the stage by Bob Fosse. 113 min. DVD 1850

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A Civil Action (1998)

Director, Steven Zallian. Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, John Lithgow,William H. Macy, Stephen Fry, James Gandolfini, Dan Hedaya, Zeljko Ivanek, Kathleen Quinlan, Tony Shalhoub. In this fact-based drama a high-priced personal injury attorney represents eight families whose children died of leukemia after large corporations let toxic waste leak into the water supply in the Boston area. The case becomes an epic legal battle in which he puts his career, reputation and all that he owns on the line for the rights of his clients. 115 min. DVD 786

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Class Action (1990)

Director, Michael Apted. Cast: Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Colin Friels, Joanna Merlin, Laurence Fishburne. A court of law becomes a battleground for a father and daughter as they find themselves facing each other as opposing attorneys in a multimillion dollar law suit involving a potentially defective auto design that could involve corporate corruption and violations of legal ethics. 110 min. 999:3350

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Compulsion (1959)

Director, Richard Fleischer. Cast: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Martin Milner, Richard Anderson. A riveting true story about the notorious 1924 Leopold-Loeb murder case. Brilliant attorney Clarence Darrow defended two wealthy Chicago teenagers who thought their superior intellect would enable them to execute the perfect crime. Darrow's history-making and controversial defense against capital punishment saved the boys from a death sentence. 105 min. DVD 8339; vhs 999:3346

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Compulsion (1959)

Director, Richard Fleischer. Cast: Cast: Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Martin Milner, Richard Anderson. A riveting true story about the notorious 1924 Leopold-Loeb murder case. Brilliant attorney Clarence Darrow defended two wealthy Chicago teenagers who thought their superior intellect would enable them to execute the perfect crime. Darrow's history-making and controversial defense against capital punishment saved the boys from a death sentence. 105 min. DVD 8339; vhs Video/C 999:3346

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Counsellor at Law (1933)

Director, William Wyler. Cast: John Barrymore, Bebe Daniels, Doris Kenyon, Melvyn Douglas, Isabel Jewell, Thelma Todd. High-powered attorney George Simon frantically juggles the scandals, crimes, and crises that pass through the chrome-and-glass doors of his art deco office high in the Empire State Building. Balanced on an ethical tightrope, Simon engages in insider trading and bleeds funds from wealthy clients, while tending to the needs of the less fortunate New Yorkers who come from his own working-class background. A political enemy uncovers a past legal indiscretion and begins disbarment proceedings, causing his socialite wife to seek comfort in the arms of another man. With the unflagging support of his faithful secretary, Simon attempts to exercise his legalistic wizardry to defend his reputation and protect those who rely upon him for justice. 81 min. DVD 1522

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The Defender(TV)

Cast: Ralph Bellamy, Martin Balsam, Steven McQueen, William Shatner, Ian Wolfe. A two-part special from the television drama Studio One. Steve McQueen plays a man on trial for murder with a chip on his shoulder as big as a two-by-four. This gripping, gritty courtroom drama became the production template for Perry Mason and other television series. Originally presented on Studio One on CBS-TV in two parts on Feb. 25 and March 4, 1957. Special features: Documentary short on the history of Studio one featuring interviews with Charlton Heston, John Frankenheimer and Jack Klugman, star bios. DVD 1756

Devil's Advocate (1997 )

Directed by Taylor Hackford. Cast: Keanu Reeves, Al Pacino, Charlize Theron, Jeffrey Jones, Judith Ivey, Craig T. Nelson. Hotshot attorney Kevin Lomax's 64-0 case record has brought him a tempting offer from an elite New York firm. But the job Lomax accepts isn't what it seems. The Devil is in the details. 144 min. DVD 4705

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Dirty Pictures (2000)

Directed by Frank Pierson. Cast: James Woods, Craig T. Nelson, Diana Scarwid, Leon Pownall, Judah Katz. Commentary: William F. Buckley, Barney Frank, Salman Rushdie, Fran Lebowitz, Susan Sarandon. Based on true events, tells the story of Cincinnati museum director Dennis Barrie, who went on trial in 1990 to protect the right of freedom of expression. Interspersed within the film's narrative, are interviews with cultural figures who address the censorship issue. A number of the actual Robert Mapplethorpe photographs that were at the heart of the controversy were used in the production. 104 min. DVD 2292

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Dishonored Lady (1947)

Directed by Robert Stevenson. Cast: Hedy Lamarr, Dennis O'Keefe, John Loder, William Lundigan. Hedy Lamarr is Madeleine Damien, a gorgeous and sophisticated fashion editor living life in the fast lane in an age when "good girls didn't." Depressed by her tarnished reputation, she deliberately crashes her car into a tree and lands on a psychiatrist's couch. Encouraged to change her ways, she starts over with a new name and a new career. She falls in love with a young doctor but her past-life returns to haunt her. Dragged into her old party-girl habits by former coworkers, Madeleine goes home one night with an ex-lover. When he turns up murdered, she finds herself the prime suspect. A courtroom trial follows, and Madeleine is forced to fight for her life. 79 min. DVD 7622

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Enemy of the State (1998)

Director, Tony Scott. Cast: Will Smith, Gene Hackman, Jon Voight, Regina King, Loren Dean, Jake Busey, Barry Pepper, Gabriel Byrne. A suspenseful story of espionage and corruption. Robert Clayton Dean is a successful attorney with a happy home life, until he unknowingly receives top-secret information about a murder and becomes the target of a pursuit. 140 min. DVD 7465

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The Enforcer (1951)

Director, Bretaigne Windust. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Zero Mostel, Ted de Corsia, Roy Roberts, Everett Sloane. A hard-hitting D.A. is facing the hottest case of the year. Armed with a killer's confession, a score of missing persons and a mob undertaker working full-time, he knows he's onto something. Relentless and determined he tracks down a notorious murder for profit ring, headed by a killer named Mendoza. 87 min. DVD 2193

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Erin Brockovich (1999)

Directed by Steven Soderbergh. Cast: : Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, Aaron Eckhart, Marg Helgenberger, Cherry Jones, Veanne Cox, Conchata Ferrell, Tracey Walter. Based on true events, Erin Brockovich is a feisty young mother who convinces attorney Ed Masry to hire her and promptly stumbles upon a momumental law case against a giant corporation. Erin's determined to take on this powerful adversary even though no law firm has dared to do it before. The two begin an incredible and sometimes hilarious fight that will bring a small town to its feet and a huge company to its knees. 132 min. DVD 1075

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Evelyn Prentice (1934)

Directed by William K. Howard. Cast: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Una Merkel, Rosalind Russell. John Prentice is a successful Manhattan defense attorney. When his wife Evelyn ends an affair, her ex-lover blackmails her and he is murdered. Another woman is accused of the crime and Evelyn begs John to defend her. Special features: Comedy short "Goofy movies #3"; classic cartoon "Discontent canary"; theatrical trailer. 79 min. DVD 9066

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A Few Good Men (1992)

Directed by Rob Reiner. Cast: Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore, Kevin Pollak, Kiefer Sutherland, Kevin Bacon. A brash Navy lawyer is teamed with a gung-ho litigator in a politically-explosive murder case. Charged with defending two Marines accused of killing a fellow soldier, they are confronted with complex issues of loyalty and honor - and the dangerous difference between following orders and following one's conscience. 138 min. DVD 1876

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The Firm (1993)

Directed by Sydney Pollack. Cast: Tom Cruise, Gene Hackman, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Wilford Brimley, Hal Holbrook, David Strathairn. A brilliant and ambitious Harvard Law grad joins a small, prosperous law firm in Memphis, and is soon confronted by FBI agents with evidence of corruption and murder within the firm. 111 min. DVD 4682

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Force of Evil (1948)

Directed by Abraham Polonsky. Cast: John Garfield, Thomas Gomez, Beatrice Pearson, Roy Roberts, Marie Windsor. A racketeer's lawyer finds that his boss has found a way to bankrupt New York's numbers banks but gets wedged between the numbers racket and a new prosecutor's anti-crime campaign. 82 min. DVD 3311; vhs 999:1859

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Brinckmann, Christine Noll. "The Politics of Force of Evil" An Analysis of Abraham Polansky's Preblacklist Film." Prospects 1981 6: 357-386.

Humphries, Reynold. "When Crime Does Pay: Abraham Polonsky's Force of Evil (1948)." Q/W/E/R/T/Y: Arts, Litteratures & Civilisations du Monde Anglophone. 11: 205-10. 2001 Oct.

Pechter, William; Abraham Polonsky."Abraham Polonsky and "Force of Evil." Film Quarterly Vol. 15, No. 3, Special Issue on Hollywood (Spring, 1962), pp. 47-54

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Tracey, Grant. "Force of Evil" (10 Shades of Noir) Images, issue 2.

From the Hip (1987)

Directed by Bob Clark. Cast: Judd Nelson, Elizabeth Perkins, John Hurt, Ray Walston, Darren McGavin. Robin "Stormy" Weathers is a brash young lawyer with a reputation for breaking the rules and some wild ways of practicing criminal defense. But when Stormy takes on the case of a brilliant professor accused of a brutal murder, he finds himself questioning his client's innocence as well as his own abilities as an attorney. 154 min. DVD 4740

Ghosts of Mississippi (1996)

Directed by Rob Reiner. Cast: Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg, James Woods, Craig T. Nelson. For three decades Myrlie Evers waited and worked for the conviction of the white supremacist who murdered her husband, civil rights leader Medgar Evers (1925 ? 1963). Yet after two hung juries justice had not come. This film follows the final trial, carefully recreating the details of a relentless quest for justice. Film features special appearances by three children of Medgar Evers, plus Yoland King, the daughter of Martin Luther King, Jr. 131 min. DVD 8979; vhs 999:1824

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The Hurricane (1999)

Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Denzel Washington, John Hannah, Deborah Kara Unger, Liev Schreiber, Vicellous Reon Shannon, David Paymer, Dan Hedaya, Harris Yulin, Rod Seiger. Based upon true events, this is the story of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, an African American boxer who was wrongfully convicted of murder. Sentenced to life in prison, Carter's published memoir, The sixteenth round, inspired a teenager from Brooklyn and three Canadian activists who believed in the truth, to join forces with Carter to prove his innocence. 166 min. 999:2827

I Confess (1953)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Karl Malden, Anne Baxter, Montgomery Clift, Brian Aherne, O.E. Hasse. A priest hears a murderer's confession and is plunged into peril, for circumstantial evidence and eyewitness accounts point to a priest as the killer. The Sacrament of Penance forbids him to reveal what he knows. As calamity and coincidence conspire to paint him into a hopeless corner it becomes the priest who must confess his own human frailty. 95 min. DVD 2958

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Illegal (1955)

Directed by Lewis Allen. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Nina Foch, Hugh Marlowe, Jayne Mansfield. Ambitious D.A. Victor Scott zealously prosecutes Ed Clary for a woman's murder. But as Clary walks to the electric chair, Scott receives evidence that exonerates the condemned man. Realizing that he's made a terrible mistake he tries to stop the execution, but is too late. Scott resigns as a prosecutor and enters private practice. He draws the attention of mob kingpin Frank Garland. Scott represents one of Garland's stooges on a murder rap and Scott, in a grand display of courtroom theatrics, wins the case. Embroiled in dirty mob politics, the situation becomes intolerable when his former protege is charged with a murder that seems to implicate her as an informant to the Garland mob. Special features: Commentaries by Nina Foch and film historian Patricia King Hanson on 'Illegal' and film historian Richard B. Jewell on 'The big steal;' vintage "Behind the cameras" segment with Edward G. Robinson from the 'Warner Bros. presents' TV series; new featurettes: "Illegal: marked for life" and "The big steal: look behind you;" theatrical trailers. 88 min. DVD 8414

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Indictment, the McMartin Trial (TV, 1995)

Directed by Mick Jackson. Cast: James Woods, Mercedes Ruehl, Sada Thompson, Henry Thomas, Shirley Knight, Lolita Davidovich. Fact-based film about the child molestation trial involving the McMartin Pre-School in Manhattan Beach, California. A family dedicated to caring for young children is arrested for child molestation. However, their guilt or innocence is not determined in a court of law. The case lasted for 7 years and both were aquitted after spending years in jail. Denied a speedy trial their guilt was determined by the media and thus making up the minds of a whole country. Examines the legal system of America, the power of the media and the devastation of a family left in its wake. 132 min. DVD 4724

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Inherit the Wind (1960)

Directed by Stanley Kramer. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan. A historical drama of the so called "Monkey Trial" which pitted attorney Clarence Darrow and the fundamentalist William Jennings Brian in heated courtroom debate. It is set in a small Tennessee town which gained national attention in 1925 when a biology schoolteacher, John T. Scopes, was arrested for violating state law by teaching Darwin's theory of evolution to his students. 108 min. DVD 1105; vhs 999:639

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Intolerable Cruelty (1960)

Directed by Joel Coen. Cast: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward Herrmann, Paul Adelstein, Richard Jenkins, Billy Bob Thornton. Miles Massey is a high-powered Los Angeles divorce lawyer nearing a midlife crisis. While representing his wealthy client Rex Rexroth, Miles meets his match in Rex's gold-digging wife, Marilyn. He's impressed by her similarly heartless ways of using marriage to fuel an expensive lifestyle, but Miles still manages to defeat her in court. With Marilyn looking to get her revenge and Miles finding himself attracted to her, the two engage in a ruthless romantic pursuit to out-swindle each other. 100 min. DVD 3335

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Jagged Edge (1990)

Directed by Richard Marquand. Cast: Glenn Close, Jeff Bridges, Peter Coyote, Robert Loggia. San Francisco heiress Page Forrester is brutally murdered in her remote beach house. Her husband Jack is devastated by the crime but soon finds himself accused of her murder. He hires lawyer Teddy Barnes to defend him, despite the fact she hasn't handled a criminal case in years. There's a certain chemistry between them and Teddy soon finds herself defending the man she loves. 108 min. 999:2336

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Judgment at Nuremberg (1990)

Directed by Stanley Kramer. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Burt Lancaster, Richard Widmark, Marlene Dietrich, Judy Garland, Maximilian Schell, Montgomery Clift, William Shatner, Edward Binns, Kenneth MacKenna, Werner Klemperer. A fictionalized account of a war crimes trial of four eminent Nazi judges at Nuremberg, Germany, after World War II. Provides insight into Nazi brutality and raises questions about freedom of choice, loyalty to one's country, and responsibility to mankind. 190 min. DVD 3162; vhs 999:1040

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Mann, Abby. Judgment at Nuremberg : the script of the film London : Cassell, 1961. (MAIN: PN1997.J77 M36 1961)

The Jury (BBC TV, 2001)

Directed by Pete Travis. Cast: Stuart Bunce, Gerard Butler, Sonnell Dadral, Nicholas Farrell, Michael Maloney, Helen McCrory, Nina Sosanya, Sylvia Syms, Antony Sher, Derek Jacobi. A young schoolboy is murdered and his schoolmate is arrested. But was he just arrested because he was Sikh, or is he really the killer? The jury must look through the racism and media attention behind the trial and seek the truth. 350 min. DVD 2524

Justiz (Execution in Justice) (1993)

Directed by Hans W. Geissendorffer. Cast: Maximilian Schell, Thoma Heinze, Anna Thalbach, Mathias Gnadiger, Norbert Schwientek, Ulrike Kriener. The plot involves the examination of justice from the moral as well as from the judicial point of view. A man, who shoots another in open view without any reason, is arrested and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He then prevails on a young lawyer to reexamine the question of guilt from a purely theoretical perspective. The question of what is right and what is wrong turns out to be extremely complex. 106 min. 999:2786

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Knock on Any Door (1949)

Directed by Nicholas Ray. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, John Derek, George Macready, Allene Roberts, Susan Perry. Andrew Morton is an attorney who made it out of the slums while his client, Nick Romano, has a long string of crimes behind him. After Nick lost his paycheck gambling, his wife announces she is pregnant and later he finds her dead from suicide. When he turns again to robbery he's caught by a cop and Nick pumps all his bullets into him in frustration. Film is notable for Morton's appeal to the court which emphasizes the evils of the slums. 100 min. 999:2335

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Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

Directed by Robert Benton. Cast: Dustin Hoffman, Meryl Streep, Jane Alexander, Justin Henry. When his wife walks out on Ted Kramer and his six-year-old son they have a chance to really get to know each other. Then Ted's wife returns demanding her son back and precipitating a battle for custody of the child. 125 min. DVD 3646; vhs 999:1031

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Asimow, Michael. "Divorce In The Movies: From The Hays Code to Kramer vs. Kramer." Legal Studies Forum Volume 24, Number 2 (2000)

McMullen, Wayne J. "Gender and the American Dream in 'Kramer vs. Kramer.'." Women's Studies in Communication 19.n1 (Spring 1996): 29(26). dd>

Vlasopolos, A. "The "woman's film" genre and one modern transmutation: Kramer vs. Kramer." In: Women and film / edited by Janet Todd. New York : Holmes & Meier, c1988. (Main Stack PN1995.9.W6.W651 1988; Moffitt PN1995.9.W6.W65 1988)

Law & Order. (TV)

Presents the first season of the Emmy Award-winning television series about the investigation and prosecution of cases ripped straight from today's headlines. Cast: Michael Moriarty, George Dzundza, Chris Noth, Richard Brooks, Dann Florek, Steven Hill. 1. Prescription for death -- 2. Subterranean homeboy blues -- 3. The reaper's helper -- 4. Kiss the girls and make them die -- 5. Happily ever after -- 6. Everybody's favorite bagman -- 7. By hooker, by crook -- 8. Poison ivy -- 9. Indifference -- 10. Prisoner of love -- 11. Out of the half-light -- 12. Life choice -- 13. A death in the family -- 14. The violence of summer -- 15. & 16. Torrents of greed (Parts 1 & 2) -- 17. Mushrooms -- 18. The secret sharers -- 19. The serpent's tooth -- 20. The troubles -- 21. Sonata for solo organ -- 22. The blue wall. Special features: "The creation of Law & Order" including an interview with series creator Dick Wolf. Originally produced as a television series in 1990. DVD 4757

Law & Order.

TV, 1990-1994.

Law & Order: Indifference. This episode about child abuse begins with Detectives Greevey and Logan's investigation into why a little girl is comatose, leading to charges against her parents. Cast: George Dzundza, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Steven Hill, Jerry Orbach. 1990-1991 season. 48 min. Video/C 7639

Law & Order: Manhood. When a gay cop is killed because back-up is late on the scene, a hate campaign towards homosexuals in the police force is revealed. Cast: George Dzundza, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Steven Hill, Jerry Orbach. 1990-1991 season. 48 min. Video/C 7639

Law & Order: Conspiracy. A prominent black political leader is shot and killed at a rally and a Jewish liberal, seen at the rally with a gun, is blamed and brought to trial. Cast: Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Steven Hill, Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jill Hennessy. 1991-1992 season. 47 min. Video/C 7640

Law & Order: Sanctuary. A fatal hit and run of a twelve-year-old provokes racial tension. During the riot an Italian businessman, mistaken for a Jew, is pulled from his car and beaten to death. Cast: Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Dann Florek, Michael Moriarty, Richard Brooks, Steven Hill, Jerry Orbach, S. Epatha Merkerson, Jill Hennessy. 1991-1992 season. 47 min. Video/C 7640

Law & Order

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Legal Eagles (1986)

Directed by Ivan Reitman. Cast: Robert Redford, Debra Winger, Daryl Hannah, Brian Dennehy, Terence Stamp, Steven Hill. A hard-nosed assistant district attorney and an imaginative defense attorney combine their talents to defend a spacey "performance artist" who is accused of theft and murder. 116 min. DVD 1444

Let Him Have It (1991)

Director, Peter Medak. Cast: Chris Eccleston, Paul Reynolds, Tom Bell, Eileen Atkins, Clare Holman, Michael Elphick, Mark McGann, Tom Courtenay. In 1950s England, 16 year old mentally handicapped Derek Bentley falls in with a group of petty criminals led by Chris Craig, a teenager with a fondness for American gangster films. Based on true events, after Bentley's execution, the ensuing public outcry eventually led to the abolition of the death penalty. 110 min. DVD 1107 (PAL, region 2); vhs Video/C 999:1037

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Liar Liar (1997)

Director, Tom Shadyac. Cast: Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, Jennifer Tilly, Swoosie Kurtz, Justin Cooper, Cary Elwes. Fletcher Reed is a fast-talking attorney and habitual liar. When his son Max blows out the candles on his fifth birthday cake, he has just one wish - that his dad will stop lying for 24 hours. When Max's wish comes true, Fletcher discovers that his biggest asset - his mouth - has become his biggest liability. 87 min. DVD 1107

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Marked Woman (1937)

Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Cast: Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Lola Lane, Isabel Jewell, Eduardo Ciannelli, Jane Bryan, Rosalind Marquis, Mayo Methot, Allen Jenkins, John Litelben Welden, Henry O'Neill. A crusading prosecutor uses a prostitute to indict mobster Johnny Vanning. Inspired by the real-life saga of prostitutes whose testimony put Lucky Luciano behind bars. Special features : New featurette : Marked woman : ripped from the headlines -- 2 classic cartoons : Porky's hero agency ; She was an acrobat's daughter -- Theatrical trailer. 96 min. DVD 7585

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Michael Clayton (2007)

Directed by Tony Gilroy. Cast: George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack, Michael O'Keefe. Michael Clayton is an in-house fixer at one of the largest corporate law firms in New York. A former criminal prosecutor, Clayton takes care of the law firm's dirtiest work at the behest of the firm's co-founder, Marty Bach. Burned out with his job as a fixer, his divorce, a failed business venture, and mounting debt have left Clayton inextricably tied to the firm. When the firm's top litigator goes from advocate to whistleblower, its up to Michael to undo the damage. 119 min. 96 min. DVD 9291

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Music Box (1989)

Directed by Costa-Gavras. Cast: Jessica Lange, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Frederic Forrest, Lukas Haas, Donald Moffat. In this courtroom thriller, Chicago attorney Ann Talbot agrees to defend her Hungarian immigrant father Mike Laszlo against accusations of heinous war crimes committed 50 years earlier. As the trial unfolds, Ann probes for evidence that will not only establish his innocence but also lay to rest her own agonizing doubts about his past. 126 min. DVD 2925

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My Cousin Vinny (1992)

Directed by Jonathan Lynn. Cast: Joe Pesci, Marisa Tomei, Ralph Macchio, Mitchell Whitfield, Fred Gwynne. Two carefree pals traveling through Alabama are mistakenly arrested and charged with murder. They are defended by the cousin of one of them (Vinny), a former auto mechanic of Brooklyn who just passed his bar exam after his sixth try. Vinny's never been in court and this case quickly turns into a hysterical escapade. 120 min. DVD 1437

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No End (Bez konca) (Poland, 1985)

Director, Krysztof Kieslowski. Antek was one of the few lawyers willing to take on political cases in a period of enforced martial law. Upon his unexpected death, Antek's wife Ulla struggles to cope with her grief. She eventually takes on the task of finding another attorney to take over one of her husband's cases to defend a man jailed for leading a labor strike. After connecting a colleague from Antek's past with the prisoner's wife, a series of mysterious signals make Ulla believe that Antek's ghost is warning her about the man choosen to replace him. 103 min. DVD 4185

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The Paper Chase (1973)

Directed by James Bridges. Cast: Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, John Houseman, Graham Gickel. Making it through the first year of Harvard Law School is tough enough without making an adversary of your most important professor. That, however, is exactly what a hard-wording student does, and then, to further complicate matters, he discovers that the girl he's in love with is the professor's daughter. 112 min. DVD 1663; vhs 999:3419

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The Paradine Case (1947)

Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Gregory Peck, Ann Todd, Charles Laughton, Charles Coburn, Ethel Barrymore, Louis Jourdan, Alida Valli. Can a woman so beautiful and charming have actually murdered her husband? Even her own lawyer is spellbound in her presence, unable to clearly see the facts. Increasingly captivated by the woman he must defend, he begins to grow distant from his loyal wife. 125 min. DVD 1026; VHS 999:1032

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The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Directed by Milos Forman. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton. Based on the true story of the notorius Hustler publisher who was sued by the Religious Right and paralyzed by a fanatic's bullet who took his case to the Supreme Court in defense of free speech and First Amendment rights. Chronicles Flynt's raunchy business savvy, his wildly unconventional marriage and his infamous courtroom antics. 130 min. DVD 607

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Article about Perry Mason from the Encyclopedia of Television

Perry Mason. Season 1. Discs 1 & 2

Cast: Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, William Hopper, William Talman. Season one of the highly rated courtroom television series in which defense attorney Perry Mason, who never loses a case, matches wits with his courtroom adversary D.A. Hamilton Burger. Every time, Mason, aided by devoted secretary Della Street and loyal private eye Paul Drake, uncovers evidence that clears his client of murder. Disc 1: The case of the restless redhead ; The case of the sleepwalker's niece ; The case of the nervous accomplice ; The case of the drowning duck -- Disc 2: The case of the sulky girl ; The case of the silent partner ; The case of the angry mourner ; The case of the crimson kiss. Originally broadcast on television during the 1957-1958 season. DVD 5784

Perry Mason

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Party Girl (1958)

Directed by Nicholas Ray. Cast: Robert Taylor, Cyd Charisse, Lee J. Cobb, John Ireland, Kent Smith, Claire Kelly, Corey Allen. Lawyer Thomas Farrell has made a career defending crooks in trials. He has never realised that there is a downside to his success, until he meets the dancer Vicki Gayle. She makes him decide to get out of the business, but mob king Rico Angelo insists that he continue his services. 99 min. 999:3570

Paths of Glory (1957)

Directed by Stanley Kubrick. Cast: Kirk Douglas, Adolphe Menjou, Ralph Meeker, George Macready, Wayne Morris, Richard Anderson, Joseph Turkel, Susanne Christian, Jerry Hausner, Peter Capell, Emile Meyer, Berl Freed, Ken Dibbs, Timothy Carey. Safe in a chateau behind the front lines, the French General Staff passes down an order to Colonel Dax: take Ant Hill at any cost. A blatant suicide mission, the attack is doomed to failure. Covering up their fatal blunder, the Generals order the arrest of three innocent soldiers, charging them with cowardice and mutiny. Dax, a lawyer in civilian life, rises to the men's defense but soon realizes that, unless he can prove that the Generals were to blame, nothing less than a miracle will save his clients from the firing squad. 87 min. DVD 258

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The Pelican Brief (1993)

Director, Alan J. Pakula. Cast: Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn, James B. Sikking, William Atherton, Robert Culp, Stanley Tucci, Hume Cronyn, John Lithgow. Two Supreme Court justices have been assassinated and one lone law student turns her suspicions about the deaths into a speculative brief that sends shock waves into the highest levels of government. She and an investigative journalist want to tell the world what they have uncovered -- if they can live to tell it. 141 min. DVD 1438

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The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton. Based on the true story of the notorius Hustler publisher who was sued by the Religious Right and paralyzed by a fanatic's bullet who took his case to the Supreme Court in defense of free speech and First Amendment rights. Chronicles Flynt's raunchy business savvy, his wildly unconventional marriage and his infamous courtroom antics. 130 min. DVD 607

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Philadelphia(1993)

Powerful story of two lawyers who join together to sue a prestigious Philadelphia law firm when the firm fires one of them because he has AIDS.125 min. 999:1162

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Presumed Innocent (1990)

Directed by Alan J. Pakula. Cast: Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy, Raul Julia, Bonnie Bedelia, Paul Winfield, Greta Scacchi. Rusty Sabich, an up-and-comer in the county prosecutor'soffice, is swept up in an obsessive affair with a co-worker. When she is murdered, he's asked to lead the investigation. Then, astonishingly, he's accused of the crime. He's the perfect suspect and his fightto clear his name pulls him into a whirpool of lies and secrets. Based on the novel by Scott Turow. 127 min. 999:1038

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Corcos, Christine A. ""Presuming Innocence: Alan Pakula and Scott Turow Take on the Great American Legal Fiction" Oklahoma City University Law Review Volume 22, Number 1 (1997)

Siegel, Rochelle; Hengstler, Gary A. "Presumed accurate: when the law goes to the movies." (a look at 'Presumed Innocent' with interviews with author Scott Turow and actors Harrison Ford and Raul Julia ABA Journal August 1990 v76 p42(6)

Proteus(Canada / South Africa, 2003)

Directors, Jack Lewis and John Greyson. Cast: Rouxnet Brown, Shaun Smyth, Neil Sandilands, Kristen Thomson. A fact-based interracial gay love story of two men incarcerated in the infamous South African Robin Island prison in the 18th century. Claas Blank, a Koi herder was unjustly imprisoned for stealing cattle. Rijkhaart Jacobsz, a withdrawn Dutch sailor, was imprisoned for the crime of homosexuality. The two were placed on trial for sodomy and the film is based partly on court transcipts from the time. 97 min. DVD 3275

Reversal of Fortune (1990)

Directed by Barbet Schroeder. Cast: Glen Close, Jeremy Irons, Ron Silver. Did European aristocrat Claus von Bulow attempt to murder his wife Sunny at their luxurious Newport mansion in 1980? The tabloids of the day certainly had their opinions. "You have one thing in your favor," defense attorney Alan Dershowitz told von Bulow, "Everybody hates you." Reversal of Fortune is the acclaimed movie version of events that had all America talking. 106 min. 999:2598

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Dershowitz, Alan M. "Reversal of image: watching someone playing yourself." (lawyer reacts to portrayal of himself in "Reversal of Fortune") The New York Times Oct 14, 1990 v140 s2 pH15(N) pH15(L) col 2 (29 col in)

Rules of Engagement (2000)

Directed by William Friedkin. Cast: Tommy Lee Jones; Samuel L Jackson; Guy Pearce. Colonel Terry Childers is a patriot and war hero. But when a peacekeeping mission he leads in Yemen goes terribly wrong, he finds himself facing a court martial. Accused of breaking the rules of engagement by killing unarmed civilians, Childers, only hope of vindication rests with comrade-in-arms Hays Hodges a military lawyer of questionable abilities.... 127 min. DVD 2390

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Deep, Kim. "Deconstructing Hollywood: negative stereotyping in film." (media section) Women in Action, Dec 2002 i3 p57(3)

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"Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr. Speaks out Against Racial Stereotyping: "The Film Rules of Engagement Defames Arabs and Muslims," Says Jackson." Chicago Citizen 5/4/2000 V.35; N.4 p. 3

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"Yemenis 'slandered' by new movie." (Brief Article) MEED Middle East Economic Digest May 12, 2000 v44 i19 p24 (201 words)

Separate But Equal (1991)

Directed by George Stevens Jr. This film depicts a small town in South Carolina in the year 1950 as the issue of segregation between blacks and whites comes to a bitter, violent and courageous battle. Stars Sidney Poitier, Burt Lancaster and Richard Kiley. 193 min. 999:418

Stammheim: Baader-Meinhof vor Gericht (Germany, 1986)

Directed by Reinhard Hauff. A powerful depiction of events that split a country, this movie was equally controversial. Based on the well-publicized Baader-Meinhof terrorists, it concerns five terrorists who were brought to trial and accused of the murder of four U.S. servicemen in Germany. The trial was almost a travesty in that the presiding judge was removed and defense attorneys and prosecutors switched with almost daily regularity during the long and complicated court battle. PAL format. (In German without subtitles) 103 min. 999:2788

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The Sweet Hereafter (1997)

Directed by Atom Egoyan. Cast: Ian Holm, Maury Chaykin, Peter Donaldson, Bruce Greenwood, David Hemblen, Brooke Johnson, Arsinee Khanjian, Tom McCamus, Stephanie Morgenstern, Earl Pastko, Sarah Polley, Gabrielle Rose, Alberta Watson. Following a tragic schoolbus accident, high-profile lawyer Mitchell Stephens descends upon a small town. With promises of retribution and a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the grieving community, Stephens begins his investigation into the details of the crash. But beneath the town's calm, he uncovers a tangled web of lies, deceit and forbidden desires that mirrors his own troubled personal life. Gradually, we learn that Stephens has his own agenda, and that everyone has secrets to keep. 116 min. DVD 727

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Sarat, Austin. "Imagining the Law of the Father: Loss, Dread, and Mourning in "The Sweet Hereafter"." Law & Society Review, Vol. 34, No. 1. (2000), pp. 3-46.

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Syriana (2005)

Directed by Stephen Gaghan. Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Jeffrey Wright, Chris Cooper, William Hurt, Mazhar Munir, Tim Blake Nelson, Amanda Peet, Christopher Plummer, Alexander Siddig. As a career CIA operative, Bob Barnes begins to uncover the disturbing truth about the work he has devoted his life to. An up-and-coming oil broker, Bryan Woodman faces an unimaginable family tragedy and finds redemption in his partnership with idealistic Gulf Prince Nasir al-Subaai. Corporate lawyer, Bennett Holiday faces a moral dilemma as he finesses the questionable merger of two powerful U.S. oil companies. Across the globe, a disenfranchised Wasim Khan, a Pakistani teenager, falls prey to the recruiting efforts of a charismatic cleric. Each plays their small part in the vast and complex system that powers the industry, unaware of the explosive impact their lives will have upon the world. Based on the book entitled "See no evil," by Robert Baer. 138 min. DVD 5765

Gilbey, Ryan. "Syriana." Sight & Sound v. ns16 no. 4 (April 2006) p. 72, 74-5

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Hamid, R. "Lord of War; Syriana." Cineaste v. 31 no. 2 (Spring 2006) p. 52-5

Jaafar, A. "Interview: Ali Jaafar talks to Stephen Gaghan." Sight & Sound v. ns16 no. 3 (March 2006) p. 18-20