Last week, with the run up to the Oscars, I deviated somewhat from past practices by providing a list of, not 10 good legal movies, but 10 terrible ones. (Well, 9 terrible movies plus one misbegotten television show.) But as promised at that time, here are 10 good legal movies just in time for Oscar night itself:
10. Absence of Malice. (1981) An examination of the protection the press has from liability for printing false information — as long as the publication doesn’t know the information is false — all brilliantly condensed into a two-minute scene with a newspaper’s attorney (John Harkins) explaining to Sally Field how “absence of malice” actually works. And then Wilford Brimley comes on like an ol’ country lawyer at the end, getting the information he wants by threatening to hand out grand jury “subpeenies.” Wonderful thing, a subpeenie.
9. Presumed Innocent. (1990) What does Scott Turow have that John Grisham doesn’t? Well, there’s a marvelous exchange in Judge Paul Winfield’s chambers between Winfield and a prosecutor who just can’t seem to find a vital piece of evidence, a water glass. Because this is a family newspaper, I can’t repeat the dialogue — but it’s the only time a movie’s use of four-letter words made a scene authentic.
8. My Cousin Vinny. (1993) Almost universally the most popular legal film among attorneys, this one gave us an Oscar-winning performance by Marisa Tomei as an “expert witness” — on cars! — but Joe Pesci is still a delight as the not-too-decorous Vinny Gambini, a legal assistant who finally passed the bar exam and asked to defend his cousin on a murder charge. Fred Gwynne, in his last role, manages to bring dignity to the tumultuous proceedings.
7. To Kill a Mockingbird. (1962) There has never a better match of an actor and a role than the dignified Gregory Peck as the incorruptible Atticus Finch, who battles both the prosecution and racism to defend a black man in 1930s Alabama. Indeed, Finch has probably inspired more people to become lawyers than all the real-life ones combined.
6. The Last Wave. (1977) Australian corporate lawyer Richard Chamberlain is appointed to represent an aborigine, and finds himself drawn into a web of aboriginal mysticism and murder. Noteworthy because it shows that Aussie barristers wear both black robes and funny little wigs in court just like their British counterparts — a trapping American lawyers thankfully avoided. Imagine if the late Johnny Cochran had had to put that cap over a powdered wig . . . .
5. A Man for All Seasons. (1966) One might have expected Paul Scofield, another Oscar winner as Thomas More, to ringingly denounce King Henry VIII’s divorce and remarriage, thereby martyring himself for his beliefs. Instead, More raised niggling arguments that his silence about Henry’s indiscretions wasn’t really disapproval of the King’s actions . . . while, in his heart, actually disapproving after all. More’s hairsplitting eventually cost him his head anyway.
4. Kind Hearts and Coronets. (1947) This movie is remembered mostly because Alec Guinness played eight parts, but the real gem is Dennis Price, ruthlessly dispatching every member of the Chalfont family between himself and a Dukedom. Then Price, never suspected of his real murders, is accused of trumped-up charges, and tried before the House of Lords –demonstrating what “a jury of your peers” really means.
3. Miracle on 34th Street. (1949) Not only the best Christmas movie of all time, but also a witty delight with some of the most realistic courtroom scenes this side of, well, a real courtroom, that literally has been cited in some actual court decisions. And after nearly 70 years, it still has something salient to say about that annual madness, “the Christmas season.” Still: was that actually Edmund Gwenn up there on screen, or was that the real Kris Kringle just borrowing Gwenn’s name?
2. Anatomy of a Murder. (1959) Controversial in its time for candid dialogue about an Army sergeant accused of murdering the man who raped his wife. Even though it’s old enough for Social Security, it holds up well, possibly because it was based on a novel written by real-life judge John Voelker (under the pseudonym Robert Traver). That’s also real-life attorney Joseph Welch (of Army-McCarthy hearings fame) having maybe a little too much fun as the trial judge with whom Jimmy Stewart and George C. Scott contend.
1. Breaker Morant. (1980) Australian soldiers in service of the Queen in South Africa during the Boer War, circa 1901, are accused of killing prisoners of war. Despite being about a military court-martial, it boasts far more realistic courtroom scenes than anything Hollywood has produced since, oh, about 1959.
Which, as I recall, was the year of Anatomy of a Murder.
Frank Zotter, Jr. is a Ukiah attorney.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Judicial Follies: An annual tradition )
Also on site :
- Former Microsoft engineer fired over protest on Israel AI ties
- 'The Office' Star, 45, Wants to Be in Upcoming Spin-Off Series
- Sputnik V creator warns of global ‘cat flu’ pandemic