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 Prison Movies
- Bibliography of articles/books about lawyers and the legal process in the movies
- 12 (Russia, 2007)
- Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Sergey Makovetsky, Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergei Garmash, Valentin Gaft, Alexei Petrenko, Yuri Stoyanov, Sergey Gazarov, Mikhail Efremov, Alexei Gorbunov, Sergey Artsbashev, Victor Verzhbitsky, Roman Madyanov, Alexander Adarashian. Set in contemporary Moscow where 12 men must decide the fate of a young man accused of murdering his step-father. Consigned to a makeshift jury room, one by one each man takes center stage to confront, connect, and confess while the accused awaits a verdict and revisits his heartbreaking journey through war in flashbacks. 160 min. DVD X1875
 Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Accused (1988)
- Director, Jonathan Kaplan. Cast: Kelly McGillis, Jodie Foster, Bernie Coulson, Leo Rossi, Carmen Argenziano. fiercely independent woman is gang raped, then battles the legal system twice, going after both her attackers and the onlookers whose cheering fueled and encouraged the assault. 110 min. vhs :2338
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Fleck, Patrice "The Silencing of Women in the Hollywood "Feminist" Film: The Accused." Post Script 9: 49 (Summer 1990).
- Adam's Rib (1949)
- Director, George Cukor. Cast: Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday, Tom Ewell. A romantic comedy in which husband and wife are lawyers on opposite sides of an attempted murder case. 61 min. DVD 2320; vhs 999:100
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Ally McBeal
- SEE TV Programs: Legal Drama
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
 Movie Review Query Engine
- 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. DVD X915; vhs 999:1034
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bergman, Paul. "The Film: Anatomy of a Murder: the Lesson: Chronology Can Be the Key to Breaking Down a Witness' Story on Cross." ABA Journal; Aug2008, Vol. 94 Issue 8, p51-52, 2p,
 UC users only
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Boomerang (1947)
- Directed by Elia Kazan. Cast: Dana Andrews, Jane Wyatt, Lee J. Cobb, Cara Williams, Arthur Kennedy.
Based on a true story this film noir tells of a prosecutor's fight to prove the innocence of a man accused of a notorious murder. 88 min. DVD X104
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Elia Kazan bibliography
- Boston Legal
- SEE TV Programs: Legal Drama
- Breaker Morant (Australia, 1979)
- Directed by Bruce Beresford. Cast: Edward Woodward, Jack Thompson, John Waters, Bryan Brown. Following the brutal death of a British captain in the Boer War in South Africa in 1901, Lt. Harry Morant leads his unit in pursuit of the Boers, attacks their camp, and has a captive executed. Other executions and deaths lead to the arrest and trial of Morant and two other lieutenants in this dramatization based on true events. 102 min. vhs :1951
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bryant, Hallman B. "'Breaker' Morant In Fact, Fiction, and Film." Literature Film Quarterly, 1987, Vol. 15 Issue 3, p138, 8pUC users only
- Heung, Marina. "Breaker Morant and the Melodramatic Treatment of History." Film Criticism, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 3-13, January 1984
- Jolly, Roslyn. "'Frontier Behaviour' and Imperial Power in Breaker Morant." Journal of Commonwealth Literature, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 125-39, 1997
- Kirschke, James J
"Say Who Made Her So: "Breaker Morant" and British Empire."
Film & History 38:2 (Fall 2008) p. 45-53 UC users only
- Mortimer, Lorraine
- "The soldier, the shearer and the mad man: Horizons of community in some Australian films." Literature Film Quarterly, 1993, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p139, 18p UC users only
- Niemi, Robert. "Breaker Morant." In: History in the media : film and television Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2006.
(MAIN: PN1995.9.H5 N54 2006)
- 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
-
Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Osteen, Mark. "Face Plates: T-Men and the Problem of Noir Counterfeiting." Quarterly Review of Film & Video; Apr2007, Vol. 24 Issue 2, p125-142, 18pUC users only
- 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)
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- Chained for Life(1951)
- Director, Harry L. Fraser. Cast: The Hilton Sisters, Mario Laval, Allen Jenkins, Patricia Wright, Alan Keys, Norvel Mitchtell.
Daisy and Violet Hilton, real life siamese twins, star in a vaudeville-singing act. When a gigolo deserts one twin on their wedding night, the other twin kills him. The Hamilton twins go on trial and the judge asks the viewer to hand down the verdict.
81 min. DVD X531
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bruzzi, Stella "A Civil Action."
Sight and Sound 9:4 (April 1999) p. 39-40UC users only
- Domagalski, Theresa A. "Contaminated Water and Leukemia in Woburn, MA: The Failings of Civil Action." Organization & Environment; Sep99, Vol. 12 Issue 3, p332, 7p
- Jones, Kent. "A Civil Action."
Film Comment 35:1 (January-February 1999) p. 76UC users only
- McCann, Michael1; Haltom, William. "Ordinary Heroes vs. Failed Lawyers--Public Interest Litigation in Erin Brockovich and Other Contemporary Films." Law & Social Inquiry; Fall2008, Vol. 33 Issue 4, p1043-1070, 28p UC users only
- Roper, James E. "A Civil Action". Journal of Business Ethics, Feb2004 Part 1, Vol. 49 Issue 3, p307-309, 3pUC users only
- 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. vhs :3350
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Lucia, Cynthia. "Class Action." Cineaste; 1991, Vol. 18 Issue 3, p48, 2p
UC users only
- McCann, Michael; Haltom, William. "Ordinary Heroes vs. Failed Lawyers--Public Interest Litigation in Erin Brockovich and Other Contemporary Films." Law & Social Inquiry, Fall2008, Vol. 33 Issue 4, p1043-1070, 28p
UC users only
- The Client (1994)
- Director, Joel Schumacher. Cast: Susan Sarandon, Tommy Lee Jones, Brad Renfro, Mary-Louise Parker.
Mark Sway is an 11-year-old torn between what he knows and what he can never tell. A hitman will snuff him out if Mark reveals what he learned about a Mob murder. An ambitious federal prosecutor will keep the pressure on until Mark tells all. Suddenly, Mark isn't a boy playing air guitar anymore. He's a pawn in a deadly game and his only ally is a courageous but unseasoned attorney who risks her career for him ... but never imagines she'll also risk her own life. Based on the novel of "The client" by John Grisham. 121 min. DVD X120
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Defenders
- See TV videography
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Geduld, Harry M. "Devil's Advocate" The Humanist. Jul 1989. Vol. 49, Iss. 4; p. 47 (2 pages) UC users only
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Dreyfus Affair (Georges Méliès, First Wizard of Cinema)
- A collection of rare and rediscovered original films by Georges Méliès. This disc contains films produced in 1899 including 9 films on the Dreyfus affair. Melies, a successful magician, began investigating film as a medium of trickery in 1896. Contents: L'affaire Dreyfus, la dictee du bordereau = Dreyfus court martial, the arrest of Dreyfus (1:07) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, a l'ile du diable = Dreyfus: Devil's Island, within the palisade (1:04) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, mise aux fers de Dreyfus = Dreyfus put in irons (1:05) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, suicide du Colonel Henry = Dreyfus: suicide of Colonel Henry (1:07) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, debarquement à Quiberon = Landing of Dreyfus at Quiberon (0:57 min.) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, entrevue de Dreyfus et de sa femme à Rennes = Dreyfus meets his wife at Rennes (1:04) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, attentat contre Maitre Labori = Dreyfus: the attempt against the life of Maitre Labori (1:01) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, bagarre entre journalistes = Dreyfus: the fight of reporters (1:07 ) -- L'affaire Dreyfus, Le conseil de guerre en seance à Rennes = Dreyfus: the court martial at Rennes (2:11) DVD 9625
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Find Me Guilty(2006)
- Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Vin Diesel, Peter Dinklage, Linus Roache, Ron Silver, Anabella Sciorra, Alex Rocco.
Based on the true story of the most remarkable criminal trial in U.S. history. Mobster Jackie Dee DiNorscio tries to strike a bargain with police: a shorter prison term in exchange for ratting on his fellow mobsters. He takes matters in his own hands when he defends himself instead, turning the courtroom upside down. 124 min. DVD X270
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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; vhs 999:3823
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Grant, J. "Lawyers as superheroes: The Firm, The Client, and The Pelican Brief." University of San Francisco Law Review v. 30 (Summer 1996) p. 1111-21
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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 UC users only
- Tracey, Grant. "Force of Evil" (10 Shades of Noir) Images, issue 2.
- The Fortune Cookie (1966)
- Directed by Billy Wilder. Cast: Jack Lemmon, Walter Matthau, Ron Rich, Cliff Osmond, Judi West. A TV cameraman, trampled by a half-back while shooting a football game, and his shyster brother-in-law team up to defraud an insurance company in a million dollar law suit. 126 min. DVD 1760
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Billy Wilder bibliography
- Fracture(2007)
- Directed by Gregory Hoblit. Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Ryan Gosling, David Strathairn, Rosamund Pike, Embeth Davidtz, Billy Burke, Cliff Curtis, Fiona Shaw, Bob Gunton.
Ted Crawford is a wealthy, brilliant, and meticulous structural engineer who lives in Los Angeles. He shoots his wife and entraps her lover. After the police arrive, he signs a confession. At his arraignment, he asserts his rights to represent himself and asks the court to move immediately to trial. The prosecutor Willy Beachum believes a conviction is a slam dunk -- that is, until the case completely unravels. 113 min. DVD X273
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- A Free Soul (1931)
- Directed by Clarence Brown. Cast: Norma Shearer, Leslie Howard, Lionel Barrymore, James Gleason, Clark Gable, Lucy Beaumont. In A Free Soul, Lionel Barrymore captured an Oscar for his portrayal of a brilliant alcoholic lawyer Stephen Ashe, who successfully defends dashing gangster Ace Wilfong (Clark Gable) on a murder charge only to find that his headstrong daughter, Jan (Norma Shearer), has fallen in love with his client. Jan, a fun-loving socialite seeking freedom from her blue-blood upbringing, is only too eager to dump her aristocratic boyfriend (Leslie Howard) for the no-good gangster. She runs away from her childhood home to become Ace's mistress, embarking on a series of seedy adventures in New York's underbelly. Desperate to save his daughter's tainted reputation, Stephen finds her and makes her a deal: He'll stop drinking if she'll stop seeing Ace. The thrilling conclusion might just tear them apart forever. Shearer and director Clarence Brown also received nominations for their work in this powerful and moving film. 93 min. DVD 9397
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- God on Trial(TV, 2008)
- Directed by Andy DeEmmony. Cast: Anthony Sher, Stellan Skarsgard, Stephen Dillane, Dominic Cooper, Eddie Marsan, Rupert Graves, Jack Shepherd.
Following the harrowing ritual of selection for death or hard labor, a group of new inmates unsure of their appointed fates begins asking how God could allow for so much suffering. Impulsively, the men decide to put God on trial for abandoning His chosen people. Amid the outside sounds of prisoners being marched to the gas chamber, the trial unfolds. They group address the question: How can there be evil in a universe ruled by an all-powerful, benevolent God? Originally broadcast in 2008 on BBC2 in the UK and on the PBS television program Masterpiece Theatre in the U.S. 86 min. DVD X2117
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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. vhs 999:2827
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- Caster, Peter. ""Based upon a true story": the hurricane and the problem of prison redemption."
In: Prisons, race, and masculinity in twentieth-century U.S. literature and film / Peter Caster.
(Main Stack PS228.I66.C37 2008)
- Kelly, Richard. "The Hurricane."
Sight and Sound 10:4 (April 2000) p. 49-50
UC users only
- Roberts, Randy. "The Hurricane." Journal of American History; Dec2000, Vol. 87 Issue 3, p1167-1168 UC users only
- I Am the Law (1938)
- Directed by Alexander Hall. Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Barbara O'Neil, John Beal, Wendy Barrie, Otto Kruger, Arthur Loft, Marc Lawrence.
A dynamic law professor is drafted by a civic leader to put an end to the city's organized-crime activity. When the gangsters infiltrate his staff, he recruits his law students to form an army of law enforcers. Based on the magazine serial Tracking New York's crime barons by Fred Allhoff. 83 min. DVD X2083
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- I Want To Live!(1958)
- Directed by Robert Wise. Cast: Cast: Susan Hayward (Barbara Graham), Simon Oakland, Virginia Vincent, Theodore Bikel, Wesley Lau, Philip Coolidge, Lou Krugman, James Philbrook, Gage Clark, John Marley, Marion Marshall.
Based on true events tells the dramatic story of the life of a "B-Girl," Barbara Graham, a vagrant prostitute and fast-living party girl, which led to a sensational murder trial and afterwards, her execution in the gas chamber despite growing doubts about her guilt. The background music is made up in its entirety of progressive jazz. Based on a newspaper article by Edward Montgomery and the letters of Barbara Graham. 121 min. DVD 1309
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Bingham, Dennis. ""I Do Want to Live!": Female Voices, Male Discourse, and Hollywood Biopics." Cinema Journal, Spring99, Vol. 38 Issue 3, p3-26, 24p UC users only
- Macpherson, Heidi Slettedahl. "Spectacular Expectations: Women, Law and Film." Journal of American Studies; Dec2007, Vol. 41 Issue 3, p641-658, 18p UC users only
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- In the Name of the Father (Ireland / UK, 1993)
- Directed by Jim Sheridan. Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Emma Thompson, Terry George and Jim Sheridan. The fact-based story of Gerry Conlon, a petty thief from Belfast. When he angers the IRA, his father sends him to England where, caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, he is accused of a terrorist bombing and forced to confess. He and his father, along with friends of Gerry, are found guilty and sentenced to life in prison as members of the "Guildford Four". Behind bars, Gerry works for 15 years with the help of a dedicated lawyer, to clear their names. Based on the autobiographical book Proved Innocent by Gerry Conlon. 185 min. DVD X1059; vhs 999:2052
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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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- The Interrogation of Michael Crowe (TV, 2002)
- Directed by Don McBrearty. Cast: Ally Sheedy, Mark Rendall, John Bourgeois, Rosemary Dunsmore, Michael Riley. After 12-year-old Stephanie Crowe is brutally murdered in her own home, the police attempt to force her older brother to confess to the crime. Every tactic at the police's disposal is used to manipulte and bully Michael into confessing to the gruesome crime, but is he truly responsible for her death? Based on true events. 86 min. DVD X271
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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. vhs :2336
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- JFK (1991)
- Directed by Oliver Stone. Cast: Kevin Costner, Kevin Bacon, Tommy Lee Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Oldman, Michael Rooker, Jay O. Sanders, Sissy Spacek. Director Oliver Stone seamlessly blends archival film with acted sequences in his version of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, which alleges that there was a massive plot and cover-up surrounding JFK's death. Based on the books "On the trail of the assassins" by Jim Garrison and "Crossfire: the plot that killed Kennedy" by Jim Marrs. 209 min. DVD 772; vhs 999:1260
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Judge Priest (1934)
- Directed by John Ford. Cast: Will Rogers, Tom Brown, Anita Louise, Henry B. Walthall, David Landau, Rochelle Hudson, Stepin Fetchit, Hattie McDaniel.
A small town Judge William "Billy" Priest in the old South stirs up the place with stinging humor and common sense observances as he tangles with prejudices and civil injustices. 80 min. DVD 9377
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Perez, Gilberto. "Saying "Ain't" and Playing "Dixie": Rhetoric and Comedy in Judge Priest." Raritan. Spring 2004. Vol. 23, Iss. 4; p. 34 (21 pages) UC users only
- Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
-
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. vhs 999:2786
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Karakter (Character) (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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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. vhs 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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).
- Papke, David,Ray. "Peace Between the Sexes: Law and Gender in Kramer vs. Kramer." University of San Francisco Law Review 30:1199 (1996)
- 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)
- The Last Wave (Australia, 1977)
- Directed by Peter Weir. Cast: Richard Chamberlain, Olivia Hamnett, Gulpilil, Frederick Parslow, Vivean Gray, Nandjiwarra Amagula M.B.E., Walter Amagula, Roy Bara, Cedric Lalara, Morris Lalara.
The story of a lawyer defending a group of Australian aboriginals accused of killing one of their own. He suspects the victim has been killed for violating a tribal taboo, but the defendants deny any tribal association. Plagued by apocalyptic visions, he slowly relizes his own involvement with the aborigines... and their prophecies. 104 min. DVD 2758
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- Law & Order.
- TV, 1990-1994. See TV videography
- 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
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- Legally Blonde (2001)
- Director, Tom Shadyac. Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Holland Taylor, Ali Larter. When a blonde sorority queen is dumped by her boyfriend, she decides to follow him to law school to get him back and, once there, learns she has more legal savvy than she ever imagined. Special features: Deleted scenes ; 2 featurettes: "Inside Legally Blonde," & "The hair that are Hollywood," 2 audio commentaries featuring Robert Luketic, Reese Witherspoon, Marc Platt & film crew ; hit music video "Perfect day" by Hoku ; trivia track ; original theatrical trailer. Based on the characters created by Amanda Brown. 92 min. DVD X113
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- Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003)
- Director, Charles Herman-Wurmfeld.. Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Sally Field, Regina King, Jennifer Coolidge, Bruce McGill, Dana Ivey, Bob Newhart, Luke Wilson. When she's fired from her job at an upscale law firm for voicing her stance against the testing of cosmetics on animals, Elle heads to Capitol Hill to fight for her cause before Congress. Once there, she runs into plenty of adversity and red-tape and can't seem to find anyone who will listen to her proposals. She meets and befriends an elderly bellman who's been around long enough to know the ins and outs of the political machine. With his help, Elle attempts to convince disillusioned U.S. Representative Rudd to help her get her voice heard in front of the stodgy old coots of the legislative branch. Special features: Deleted scenes; gag reel; outtakes; "We can" music video with LeAnn Rimes; audio commentary by the cast; "Welcome to Delta Nu" interactive quiz; "Blonde ambition" featurette; photo gallery ; trailers. 95 min. DVD X114
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- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Epstein, Michael M. "Law and the Supernatural: How One Film's Truth Compulsion Conceit Critiques and Redeems the Post-O.J. Lawyer." Vermont Law Review v. 28 no. 4 (Summer 2004) p. 881-93
UC users only
- A Man For All Seasons (UK, 1966)
- Directed by Fred Zinnemann. Cast: Paul Scofield, Wendy Hiller, Leo McKern, Robert Shaw,Orson Welles, Susannah York, Nigel Davenport, John Hurt, Corin Redgrave. "Paul Scofield's Oscar- winning performance as Sir Thomas More, the Tudor-era judge made chancellor of England. He is caught in the political struggle involving Henry VIII's decision to defy the Roman Catholic Church and divorce his wife to wed Anne Boleyn. Lines
from playwright Robert Bolt's stirring script are frequently quoted in U.S. court opinions: "I know what's legal, not what's right. And I'll stick to what's legal." And: "This country is planted thick with laws, from coast to coast — man's laws, not God's! And if you cut them down, and you're just the man to do it, do you really think you could stand upright in the winds that would blow then?" [Burst, Richard. "25 Greatest Legal Movies." ABA Journal, Aug 2008. Vol. 94, Iss. 8; p. 38
UC users only)120 min. DVD 7451; vhs 999:195
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Man in the Glass Booth (1974)
- Director, Arthur Hiller. Cast: Maximilian Schell, Lois Nettleton, Lawrence Pressman, Luther Adler. Millionaire Jewish entrepreneur Arthur Goldman, who rules a financial empire from his Manhattan penthouse, is given to passionate and capricious ravings on a variety of subjects. His growing paranoia, dismissed by those close to him, is confirmed when he is kidnapped by Israeli agents and brought to trial in Israel for crimes against humanity. Is he Arthur Goldman or is he Adolph Dorf, former SS colonel who headed a Nazi concentration camp? As the trial progresses, the question becomes more confusing. 117 min. DVD 1788
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
- Directed by John Ford. Cast: John Wayne, James Stewart, Vera Miles, Lee Marvin, Edmond O'Brien, Andy Devine, Ken Murray. "Senator Ranse Stoddard returns to the city of Shinbone in the Wild West, to go to the funeral of his friend, Tom Doniphon. To a journalist, who's wondering what the senator is doing in Shinbone, he tells how his career started as "the man who shot Liberty Valance". As a lawyer he came to Shinbone to bring law and order to the west by means of law books. When the stagecoach is held up by outlaws, he is savagely beaten by Liberty Valance. He survives the attack and is nursed by his future wife, Hallie. Hallie is being wooed by a local rancher, Tom Doniphon. Ranse teaches the people of Shinbone to read and write, all the while trying to find a way of bringing Valance to justice. He finally takes up a gun and faces Valance in a menacing shootout. [IMDB] 123 min. DVD 8321; DVD
959; vhs 999:924
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Marked Woman (1937)
- Directed by Lloyd Bacon. Screenplay: Robert Rossen. 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Campbell, Russell. Marked women : prostitutes and prostitution in the cinema. Madison : University of Wisconsin Press, c2006. (Main Stack PN1995.9.P76.C36 2006; PFA PN1995.9.P76.C36 2006)
- Eckert, Charles W. "The Anatomy of a Proletarian Film: Warner's "Marked Woman"" Film Quarterly, Vol. 27, No. 2 (Winter, 1973-1974), pp. 10-24
UC users only
- Kay, Karyn. "Sisters of the Night." Velvet Light Trap: A Critical Journal of Film & Television; Fall72 Issue 6, p20-25, 6p,
- Neve, Brian. "The Screenwriter and the Social Problem Film, 1936-38: The Case of Robert Rossen at Warner Brothers." Film and History 14:1 (Feb. 1984) p. 2
UC users only
- 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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- Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
- Directed by George Seaton. Cast: Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, Gene Lockhart, Natalie Wood, Porter Hall, William Frawley, Jerome Cowan, Philip Tonge.
The real Santa is hired by Macy's to play the department store's Santa in the Thanksgiving Day parade, but has to prove in court that he is who he says he is. Non-compos mentis?? Ho Ho Ho! Special features: Disc one: All-new colorized version; feature audio commentary by Maureen O'Hara ; Disc two: Original version in black & white; feature audio commentary by Maureen O'Hara; AMC Backstory: 'Miracle on 34th Street;' Fox Movietone News footage: "Hollywood spotlight;" 'Miracle on 34th Street' TV version; "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade: floating in history" featurette; promotional short; poster gallery. 96 min. DVD 6810
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Mr. District Attorney (1947)
- Directed by Robert B. Sinclair. Cast: Dennis O'Keefe, Adolphe Menjou, Marguerite Chapman, Michael O'Shea. Resenting his boss' constructive criticism and presumed interference, assistant DA Bennett goes astray, ultimately getting mixed up with trouble-prone Marcia Manning. DA Warren quickly realizes that Marcia is a no-good, but Bennett refuses to listen. Eventually, two men meet their deaths at Marcia's manicured hands, and by the last reel it looks as though Bennett will be third on her list. Based on the radio program 'Mr. District Attorney' created by Phillips H. Lord. 83 min. DVD X912
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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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- North Country (2005)
- Directed by Niki Caro. Cast: Charlize Theron, Elle Peterson, Thomas Curtis, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean, Woody Harrelson, Jeremy Renner, Richard Jenkins, Sissy Spacek. Josey Aimes needs a job and goes to work at a Minnesota steel mine after splitting with her violent husband. But the job proves to be almost as harrowing as her marriage. The male miners are resentful of women taking their jobs, so the men verbally abuse and play humiliating pranks on the female miners. After being physically assaulted by a coworker, Josey tries to fight against the harassment, but none of the other women will join her case for fear that things will only get worse. A dramatization of the first major successful sexual harassment case in the U.S. - Jenson vs. Eveleth Mines, where a woman who endured a range of abuse while working as a miner filed and won a landmark 1984 lawsuit. 123 min. DVD 5207
- Credits and information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- Jacobs, Donovan. "Creating Reel Change." Sojourners Magazine; Nov2006, Vol. 35 Issue 10, p36-40, 5p
- McCann, Michael; Haltom, William. "Ordinary Heroes vs. Failed Lawyers—Public Interest Litigation in Erin Brockovich and Other Contemporary Films." Law & Social Inquiry, Fall2008, Vol. 33 Issue 4, p1043-1070, 28p
UC users only
- Other People's Money (1991)
- Directed by Norman Jewison. Cast: Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck, Penelope Ann Miller, Piper Laurie, Dean Jones, Tom Aldredge, R.D. Call, Mo Gaffney, Bette Henritze.
A comedy about a ruthless Wall Street deal maker who pursues the hostile takeover of a small manufacturing company, New England Wire & Cable, and during the buyout attempt becomes enamoured with the company's attorney. 101 min. vhs 999:3815
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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. vhs 999:3570
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Grant, J. "Lawyers as superheroes: The Firm, The Client, and The Pelican Brief." University of San Francisco Law Review v. 30 (Summer 1996) p. 1111-21
- 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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- Perry Mason
- SEE TV Programs: Legal Drama
- 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. DVD 2226; vhs 999:1162
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- Movie Review Query Engine
- 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's office, 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 fight to clear his name pulls him into a whirpool of lies and secrets. Based on the novel by Scott Turow. 127 min. vhs 999:1038
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Movie Review Query Engine
- 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)
- Primal Fear (1996)
- Directed by Gregory Hoblit. Cast: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, John Mahoney, Alfre Woodard, Frances McDormand, Edward Norton.
A Chicago altar boy is accused of murdering the archbishop and a publicity hungry local attorney decides to defend him. The case gets a lot more complex when the accused reveals that there may or may not have been a "third person" in the room during the murder. The intensity builds when a surprise twist alters everyone's perception of the crime and what really happened... Based on the novel by William Diehl. 130 min. DVD X121
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- The Rainmaker (1997)
- Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Cast: Matt Damon, Claire Danes, Jon Voight, Mary Kay Place, Mickey Rourke, Danny DeVito.
Rudy Baylor, a rookie lawyer is working on a high profile case involving a dying boy and the insurance company that denied his claim. Opposing him is an army of seasoned legal sharks. Rudy's chances are slim to none until he uncovers a trail of corruption and deceit that might lead him to the one thing that could win the case ... the truth. Based on the book by John Grisham. Special features: Commentary by direcor Francis Ford Coppola and actor Danny DeVito ; Watch "The rainmaker" with Francis Ford Coppola ; Francis Ford Coppola directs John Grisham's "The Rainmaker" ; deleted scenes ; extended beginning and alternate ending ; screen tests. 135 min. DVD X122
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- The Remarkable Incident at Carson Corners(TV, 1954)
- Directed by Paul Nickell ; written by Reginald Rose. Cast: O.Z. Whitehead, Frances Fuller, Harry Townes, Priscilla Gillette, Frank Overton, Hugh Reilly, Susan Hallaran.
A television drama in which a school play turns into a trial focusing on the the death of child in the small town of Carson Corners. As the trial unfolds all the community's adults are implicated in the child's death in this study of innocence destroyed by indifference. Originally broadcast on the television series Studio One on January 11, 1954. 60 min. DVD X596
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- 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. vhs 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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Movie Review Query Engine
- Deep, Kim. "Deconstructing Hollywood: negative stereotyping in film." (media section)
Women in Action, Dec 2002 i3 p57(3)
UC users only
- "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 See Ethnic NewsWatch
- "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. vhs 999:418
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- A Short Film About Killing (Krótki film o zabijaniu) (Poland, 1987)
- Director, Krysztof Kieslowski. "A youth randomly, and brutally, murders a taxi-driver. Piotr has just passed his law exams and been admitted to the bar. He is to defend Jacek, the young murderer. There is no evidence for the defence and no apparent motive. Jacek is put on trial, found guilty and executed by hanging. Piotr, after his first case, is leftwith the bitter doubt - does the legal system, in the name of the people, have the right to kill with cold blood?" [IMDB] 81 min. DVD 4186
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Krysztof Kieslowski bibliography
- So You Think You're Not Guilty (1950)
- Directed by Richard L. Bare. Comedy short. "Joe McDoakes is passing a traffic light sign, when suddenly the signal seems broke. It's going up and down and up and down. On the crossroad McDoakes is only barely able to prevent an accident. A traffic agent approaches him and asks for his papers. But McDoakes hasn't got them with him and he must pay a fine of two dollars for passing a red light. But Joe McDoakes is a stubborn man. He wants to prove to the whole world that he is not guilty. Instead of paying the fine, he asks for a jury trial. That doesn't seem like a good thing to do however." [IMDB] 10 min. Supplementary feature on DVD 3513
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- 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. vhs 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
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- 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. UC users only
- McAdams, Tony. "Blame and The Sweet Hereafter." Legal Studies Forum 24:599 (2000)
- McCann, Michael; Haltom, William. "Ordinary Heroes vs. Failed Lawyers—Public Interest Litigation in Erin Brockovich and Other Contemporary Films." Law & Social Inquiry, Fall2008, Vol. 33 Issue 4, p1043-1070, 28p
- 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
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- Gilbey, Ryan. "Syriana." Sight & Sound v. ns16 no. 4 (April 2006) p. 72, 74-5UC users only
- Hamid, R. "Lord of War; Syriana." Cineaste v. 31 no. 2 (Spring 2006) p. 52-5UC users only
- Jaafar, A. "Interview: Ali Jaafar talks to Stephen Gaghan." Sight & Sound v. ns16 no. 3 (March 2006) p. 18-20 UC users only
- Talk of the Town (1942)
- Directed by George Stevens. Cast: Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Ronald Colman, Edgar Buchanan, Glenda Farrell. A fugitive, falsely accused of murder, is aided by a schoolteacher and a Supreme Court nominee in George Stevens' serio-comic look at law and justice in America. 117 min. DVD 6635
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- A Time to Kill (1996)
- Directed by Joel Schumacher. Cast: Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, Brenda Fricker, Oliver Platt, Charles S. Dutton, Ashley Judd, Patrick McGoohan, Donald Sutherland.
A murder trial brings a small Mississippi town's racial tension to the flashpoint. Amid a frenzy of activist marches, Klan terror, media clamor and brutal riots, an unseasoned but idealistic young attorney mounts a stirring courtroom battle for justice. Based on the novel by John Grisham. 150 min. DVD X119
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- To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
- Directed by Robert Mulligan. Cast: Gregory Peck, Brock Peters, Mary Badham. A small-town Southern lawyer loses friends and social position when he defends a black man unjustly accused of rape, but gains the esteem of his motherless children. 116 min. DVD 2934; vhs 999:89
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- Town Without Pity (1961)
- Directed by Gottfried Reinhardt. Cast: Kirk Douglas, E.G. Marshall, Robert Blake, Richard Jaeckel, Frank Sutton, Christine Kaufmann.
Honest and gripping drama about four American GI's, stationed in Germany circa 1960, who are accused of attacking a local teenage girl. An Army major is assigned to defend the soldiers. If he's going to prevent their death sentences, he will have to turn the spotlight on the victim who is already traumatized. Based on the novel "Das Urteil" by Manfred Gregor. 103 min. vhs 999:3814
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- The Trial (1992)
- Directed by David Jones. Screenplay by Harold Pinter. Cast: Kyle MacLachlan, Anthony Hopkins, Jason Robards, Juliet Stevenson, Polly Walker, Alfred Molina, Michael Kitchen. Portrays the experiences of Josef K as he is mysteriously arrested by agents of the police for an unspecified crime. Josef is then plunged into a nightmare world of an inescapable legal bureaucracy that assumes he is guilty. 120 min. DVD 6089
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- The Trial (Le Procès) (1963)
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- Directed by Orson Welles. Cast: Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli, Orson Welles. A symbolistic study of the tyranny of modern social systems. Portrays the experiences of a young man who is mysteriously arrested by agents of the police for an unspecified crime and is prepared for questioning and trial. Based on: Prozess (The Trial) by Franz Kafka. 110 min. DVD 1262; vhs 999:2927
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- Trial and Error (1997)
- Directed by Jonathan Lynn. Cast: Michael Richards, Jeff Daniels, Charlize Theron, Jessica Steen, Rip Torn. An actor throws his lawyer friend a bachelor party blast that renders his pal unable to appear in court. The actor goes to trial instead, giving the performance of his career while turning the courtroom upside down. 99 min. DVD 1445
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- The Trial of Lee Harvey Oswald (1976)
- Directed by David Greene. Cast: Lorne Greene, Ben Gazzara, John Pleshette. It would have been one of the most revealing criminal trials in American history. But a single gunshot prevented it from taking place. This extraordinary drama dares to ask what would have happened if Lee Harvey Oswald had lived to stand trial for the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 192 min. vhs 999:1041
- True Believer (1989)
- Directed by Joseph Ruben. Cast: James Woods, Robert Downey, Jr., Margaret Colin, Kurtwood Smith. A once acclaimed civil rights attorney of the 60's, now an embittered cynic who makes a living defending drug-dealing low-lifes, has his passion for justice rekindled by an idealistic young associate. 103 min. DVD X1146; vhs 999:1035
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- Selinger, Carl M. "Dramatizing on Film the Uneasy Role of the American Criminal Defense Lawyer: True Believer." Oklahoma City University Law Review 22: 223 (1997)
- Twelve Angry Men(TV, 1954)
- Directed by Franklin Schaffner. Cast: Robert Cummings, Edward Arnold, John Beal, Walter Abel, Bart Burns, Franchot Tone.
Focuses on a jury's deliberations in a capital murder case. What begins as an open and shut case of murder soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors' prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other. Originally broadcast on the television series Studio One on September 20, 1954. 60 min. DVD X596
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- 12 Angry Men (1957)
- Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Ed Begley, E. G. Marshall, Jack Warden, Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Joseph Sweeney, George Voskovec, Robert Webber. Classic courtroom drama depicts a jury of men who must decide the fate of a teenage boy who has murdered his abusive father. The jurors are from all walks of life, and bring with them their own opinions, prejudices, fears, and personal demons. 97 min. DVD 3188; vhs 999:644
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- The Verdict (1982)
- Directed by Sidney Lumet. Cast: Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea.
An alcoholic lawyer stumbles upon one last chance to redeem himself by taking on a controversial court case against seemingly insurmountable opposition. 129 min. DVD 5652
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- Wall Street Cowboy(1939)
- Directed by Joseph Kane. Cast: Roy Rogers, George (Gabby) Hayes, Raymond Hatton, Pierre Watkin.
Roy and Gabby travel to the Big City and tangle with courtroom lawyers when a crooked cartel of stock marketeers hope to swindle Rogers out of his ranch. It seems that his property is rich with the valuable mineral molybdenum, which the villains want to use for their steel-mining activities. 54 min. DVD 7912
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- War of the Roses (1989)
- Directed by Danny DeVito. Cast: Michael Douglas, Kathleen Turner, Danny DeVito, G.D. Spradlin. A once happy marriage disintegrates into an escalating war as the couple, having decided to divorce, fight over the division of their possessions. It becomes a deliriously mean-spirited free-for-all in which nothing --- not the pets, not the cars and certainly not themselves -- is sacred. 116 min. DVD 1701
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- Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
- Directed by Billy Wilder. Cast: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams. A gruff British lawyer returns from a long convalescence to take on a homicide case--a man accused of murdering his wealthy woman friend in order to secure his inheritance. The defendant's mysterious wife stuns the courtroom by giving damaging testimony against her husband. 116 min. DVD 1764; vhs 999:1030
- Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Billy Wilder bibliography
- Writing for Television: The Legal Genre.
- University Satellite Seminar Series. Television, the Creative Process; Fall, 1996. New York, NY: Museum of Television and Radio. Panel: Jackson Gills (Perry Mason), Dean Hargrove (Matlock), Abby Mann (Judgment at Nuremberg), David E. Kelley (Picket Fences, The Practice), William Finkelstein (L.A. Law), Judith Paige Mitchell (The Client), Dick Wolf (Law & Order). One in a series of satellite seminars which investigate how prime-time television is conceptualized and created. In this seminar a panel of screenwriters who have used the legal genre to create first-rate entertainment and explore complex philosophical issues discuss the creative challenges and opportunities of both approaches. Also investigates how television has reflected society's changing image of the lawyer over the past thirty-five years. 93 min. Video/C 4517
- The Wrong Man (1956)
- Directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Henry Fonda, Vera Miles, Anthony Quayle. An innocent nightclub musician is arrested, jailed, and brought to trial for a robbery committed by someone else who looks very much like him. As he struggles to prove his innocence, his life collapses around him. The first Hitchcock film based on a true story. 105 min. DVD 2957; vhs 999:566
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- Yield to the Night (UK, 1956)
- Directed by J. Lee Thompson. Cast: Diana Dors, Yvonne Mitchell, Michael Craig, Geoffrey Keen, Athene Seyler.
A young woman who has been abused and taken advantage of by all the men in her life, finally finds a man she believes truly loves her, but she snaps when she finds out that he, too, is cheating on her, and she kills her boyfriend's mistress. Condemned to death for her crime, she awaits her fate at the hands of the legal system. Produced as an impassioned cry against the death penalty at a time when it was the subject of national debate in Britain. Based on the book by Joan Henry. 96 min. DVD X1840
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- You Only Live Once(1937)
- Directed by Fritz Lang. Cast: Sylvia Sidney, Henry Fonda, Barton MacLane, William Gargan, Jean Dixon, Jerome Cowan, Margaret Hamilton.
"Joan Graham is the efficient secretary of a public defender Stephen Whitney and is in love of the smalltime criminal Eddie Taylor. Her boss and friend Stephen helps Eddie to leave the prison on probation, Eddie promises to have a straight life and immediately get married with Joan. He finds a job as truck driver, but is unfairly fired on his first day. While trying to find another job, there is a heist in a bank with six victims and Eddie is accused. Joan convinces him to go to the court and prove his innocence, but based on circumstantial evidence and prejudice of the jury, Eddie is sentenced to the electric chair. On the night of his execution, the FBI finds the real criminal and Eddie grants an indulgence. However, Eddie is trying to escape from prison in a hostage situation, and kills his friend Father Dolan, who was trying to help him. Eddie meets Joan and together they try to reach the border and escape from justice.: [IMDB] 86 min. DVD 1831
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
- Young Mr. Lincoln(1939)
- Directed by John Ford. Cast: Henry Fonda, Alice Brady, Marjorie Weaver, Arleen Whelan. Ten formative years in the life of one of America's greatest statesmen are brought vividly to the screen by Henry Fonda in this fictionalized biography of Abraham Lincoln's early years as a lawyer in Springfield, Ill. 137 min. DVD 5100; Video/C 999:1039
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Credits and other information from the Internet Movie Database
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