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Volume CXXXIII, Number 14 |
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Crime and Punishment, Film Society style
JIM FLANAGAN
COLUMNIST
This weekend, the Film Society brings you a trio of movies
dealing with crime, punishment, and legal drama. And we did it without
a single John Grisham-based film! Our first two titles are classics of
the courtroom drama genre, while the third is a recent release that received
a lot of press and awards. The films will be shown in Smith Auditorium,
Sills Hall, and they are free and open to everyone.
Inherit the Wind
Friday at 7:00 p.m.
This film is based upon the famous Scopes monkey trial, in which a science
teacher runs into legal trouble for teaching evolution in his classroom.
This film uses the actual trial transcripts as the basis for its script,
taking entire speeches directly from the original proceedings. Spencer
Tracy and Fredric March play the two lawyers who go head to head, and
Dick York (of Bewitched fame) plays the teacher at the center of the controversy.
Gene Kelly also makes an appearance in this classic film.
Witness for the Prosecution
Friday at 9:00 p.m.
[Inherit the Wind runs just over two hours; this film will begin as soon
as the first features ends]
In Billy Wilder's amazing legal thriller, your eyes will be glued to the
screen until the amazing twist ending. Tyrone Power is a man accused of
murder, Marlene Dietrich plays his wife, and Charles Laughton is the defending
lawyer. This film is based upon Agatha Christie's play and features numerous
surprises that are revealed as the trial progresses, leading up to one
of the greatest surprise endings in cinema history. When I first heard
of this film, I thought it sounded bad, but my father made me watch it,
and I was truly impressed. I'm sure you will be too when you see it.
Erin Brockovich
Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Julia Roberts won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance as a single
mom who goes up against a huge corporation that is polluting a community's
water system. In this film, which is based on a true story, Steven Soderbergh
constructs a remarkable picture that will move you and have you cheering
for the underdog. Albert Finney costars as Erin's boss, and also watch
for the real Erin Brockovich in a cameo role as a waitress.