- Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 9 nominations.
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Photos and Videos
Cast verified as complete
Paul Newman | ... |
Frank Galvin
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Charlotte Rampling | ... |
Laura Fischer
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Jack Warden | ... |
Mickey Morrissey
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James Mason | ... |
Ed Concannon
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Milo O'Shea | ... |
Judge Hoyle
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Lindsay Crouse | ... |
Kaitlin Costello Price
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Edward Binns | ... |
Bishop Brophy
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Julie Bovasso | ... |
Maureen Rooney
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Roxanne Hart | ... |
Sally Doneghy
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James Handy | ... |
Kevin Doneghy
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Wesley Addy | ... |
Dr. Towler
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Joe Seneca | ... |
Dr. Thompson
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Lewis J. Stadlen | ... |
Dr. Gruber
(as Lewis Stadlen)
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Kent Broadhurst | ... |
Joseph Alito
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Colin Stinton | ... |
Billy
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Burtt Harris | ... |
Jimmy - the Bartender
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Scott Rhyne | ... |
Young Priest
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Susan Benenson | ... |
Deborah Ann Kaye
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Evelyn Moore | ... |
Dr. Gruber's Nurse
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Juanita Fleming | ... |
Dr. Gruber's Maid
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Jack Collard | ... |
Bailiff
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Ralph Douglas | ... |
Clerk
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Gregor Roy | ... |
Jury Foreman
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John Blood | ... |
Funeral Director
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Dick McGoldrick | ... |
Manager of 2nd Funeral Parlor
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Edward Mason | ... |
Widow's Son
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Patty O'Brien | ... |
Irish Nurse #1
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Maggie Task | ... |
Irish Nurse #2
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Joseph Bergmann | ... |
Friedman
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Herbert Rubens | ... |
Abrams
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J.P. Foley | ... |
John - Cigar Stand
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Leib Lensky | ... |
Wheelchair Patient
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H. Clay Dear | ... |
Courthouse Lawyer
(as Clay Dear)
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J.J. Clark | ... |
Courthouse Guard
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Gregory Doucette | ... |
Sheraton Bar Waiter
(as Greg Doucette)
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Tony LaFortezza | ... |
Sheraton Bartender
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Marvin Beck | ... |
Sheraton Bar Patron
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Herb Peterson | ... |
Sheraton Bar Patron
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Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
Margie Anderson | ... |
Nun in Funeral Home (uncredited)
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Tobin Bell | ... |
Courtroom Observer (uncredited)
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Murphy Cross | ... |
District Attorney (uncredited)
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Kevin Fennessy | ... |
Funeral Mourner (uncredited)
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Willow Hale | ... |
(uncredited)
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Jon Hopwood | ... |
Courtroom Observer (uncredited)
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Cullen O. Johnson | ... |
Bailiff (uncredited)
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Joan Tolentino | ... |
Nurse entering courthouse (uncredited)
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Bruce Willis | ... |
Courtroom Observer (uncredited)
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Directed by
Sidney Lumet |
Written by
Barry Reed | ... | (based upon the novel by) |
David Mamet | ... | (screenplay) |
Jay Presson Allen | ... | () (uncredited) |
Produced by
David Brown | ... | producer |
Burtt Harris | ... | executive producer |
Richard D. Zanuck | ... | producer |
Music by
Johnny Mandel |
Cinematography by
Andrzej Bartkowiak | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
Peter C. Frank | ... | (as Peter Frank) |
Editorial Department
David Gelfand | ... | apprentice editor |
Andrew Mondshein | ... | assistant editor (as Andrew Mondschein) |
Production Design by
Edward Pisoni |
Art Direction by
John Kasarda |
Set Decoration by
George DeTitta Sr. | ... | (as George DeTitta) |
Costume Design by
Anna Hill Johnstone |
Makeup Department
Joe Cranzano | ... | makeup artist |
Bob Grimaldi | ... | hair stylist |
Monty Westmore | ... | makeup artist |
Production Management
Joseph M. Caracciolo | ... | unit production manager |
Jennifer Ogden | ... | unit manager (as Jennifer M. Ogden) |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Burtt Harris | ... | first assistant director |
Ken Ornstein | ... | dga trainee |
Robert E. Warren | ... | second assistant director |
Art Department
Joseph M. Caracciolo Jr. | ... | prop master (as Joseph Caracciolo Jr.) |
Edward Garzero | ... | scenic artist |
John McDonnell | ... | props |
Carlos Quiles | ... | construction foreman (as Carlos Quiles Sr.) |
William Sohmer | ... | scenic artist |
Dave Weinman | ... | set dresser (as David Weinman) |
Joe Williams Sr. | ... | construction grip |
John Alvin | ... | poster artist (uncredited) |
Mark Bachman | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
Philip Gips | ... | graphic designer (uncredited) |
Douglas F. Lebrecht | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
Polly Wood-Holland | ... | scenic artist (uncredited) |
Sound Department
Louis Cerborino | ... | sound editor (as Lou Cerborino) |
Lee Dichter | ... | re-recording mixer |
Frank Graziadei | ... | boom man |
Adam Howell | ... | sound mixer: Bonus Material DVD |
James Sabat | ... | sound mixer |
Louis Sabat | ... | boom man |
Maurice Schell | ... | sound editor |
Harry Peck Bolles | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
Mark Rathaus | ... | assistant sound editor (uncredited) |
Mel Zelniker | ... | adr recordist (uncredited) |
Camera and Electrical Department
Jonathan Burkhart | ... | camera trainee |
Louis Goldman | ... | stillman |
Gary Muller | ... | assistant cameraman |
Hank Muller | ... | assistant cameraman |
Robert Paone | ... | second assistant cameraman (as Bob Paone) |
Ed Quinn | ... | dolly grip (as Eddie Quinn) |
William H. Steiner | ... | camera operator (as William Steiner) |
Dusty Wallace | ... | gaffer |
Robert Ward | ... | key grip (as Bobby Ward) |
Billy Kerwick | ... | grip (uncredited) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
William Loger | ... | wardrobe (as Bill Loger) |
Marilyn Putnam | ... | wardrobe |
Location Management
Alexandra Decker | ... | locations |
Chris Stoia | ... | locations |
Music Department
Joel Moss | ... | music engineer |
Miles Goodman | ... | orchestrator (uncredited) |
Angela Morley | ... | additional orchestrator (uncredited) |
Script and Continuity Department
Kay Chapin | ... | script supervisor |
Transportation Department
James Fanning | ... | transportation captain |
Michael Avallon | ... | driver (uncredited) |
Additional Crew
Sarah M. Brim | ... | production assistant (as Sally Brim) |
Jonathan Burkhart | ... | production assistant |
Eileen Eichenstein | ... | production office coordinator |
Lilith Jacobs | ... | assistant: Mr. Lumet |
Ellen Levene | ... | unit publicist |
Kathleen McGill | ... | production auditor: Production Services, Ltd. |
Todd Winters | ... | production assistant |
Production Companies
Distributors
- Twentieth Century Fox (1982) (United States) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Company (1982) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Fox Columbia Film Distributors (1982) (Australia) (theatrical)
- CBS/Fox Home Video (1983) (Australia) (video)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1983) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Twentieth Century Fox (1983) (Italy) (theatrical)
- 20th Century Fox Argentina (1983) (Argentina) (theatrical)
- 20th Century Fox India (1983) (India) (theatrical)
- National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1985) (United States) (tv) (broadcast premiere)
- CBS/Fox (Argentina) (VHS)
- TF1 (1989) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Germany) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (United States) (DVD)
- TF1 (1992) (France) (tv) (dubbed version)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (United Kingdom) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (United States) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2013) (Germany) (Blu-ray) (DVD)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2013) (United States) (Blu-ray) (video)
- 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (laserdisc)
- Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
- CBS/Fox (United States) (laserdisc)
Special Effects
Other Companies
- Deluxe Entertainment Services (prints by)
- International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) (acknowledgement)
- Intrada (score album released by) (limited edition)
- Joy Todd Casting (casting)
- Kaufman Astoria Studios (sound stage and production facilities)
- Massachusetts Film Bureau (the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of)
- Mayor's Office for Motion Pictures & Television (the producers gratefully acknowledge the cooperation of)
- Motion Picture Association (MPA) (approved no. 26710)
- Panavision (camera equipment provided by)
- Production Services International (production auditing)
- R/Greenberg Associates (titles)
- Technicolor (color by)
- The Casting Company (casting: Boston)
Storyline
Plot Summary |
Frank Galvin was once a promising Boston lawyer with a bright future ahead. An incident early in his career in which he was trying to do the right thing led to him being fired from the prestigious law firm with which he was working, almost being disbarred, and his wife leaving him. Continually drowning his sorrows in booze, he is now an ambulance-chasing lawyer, preying on the weak and vulnerable, and bending the truth whenever necessary to make what few dollars he has, as he has only had a few cases in the last few years, losing the last four. His only friend in the profession is his now retired ex-partner, Mickey Morrissey, who gets Frank a case, his fee solely a percentage of what his clients are awarded. The case should net Frank tens of thousands of dollars by settling out of court, that money which would at least get him back on his feet. It is a negligence suit brought on behalf of Deborah Ann Kaye by her sister and brother-in-law, Sally and Kevin Doneghy, against St. Catherine Labouré Hospital, operated by the Archdiocese of Boston, and Drs. Towler and Marks. Kaye was admitted to the hospital for what should have been a routine delivery, but something that happened while Kaye was on the operating room table led to her brain being deprived of oxygen, resulting in permanent brain damage, and Kaye now being in a totally vegetative state requiring hospitalization for the rest of her life. Frank eventually learns that the cause seems to be that Dr. Towler, the anesthesiologist and an expert in the field, used the incorrect anesthetic for the situation. However, all but one person that was in the operating room that day has provided depositions that nothing improper occurred in the operating room. The one holdout is the operating room head nurse, Maureen Rooney, who is not talking, period, to Frank or the other side. Upon seeing the state Kaye is in, Frank unilaterally decides to do what he believes is the right thing by declining the lucrative out-of-court settlement offered by the Archdiocese and take the case to court. In doing so, he hopes the truth that the hospital and the doctors truly were negligent comes to light. Feeling that this case may be a turning point in his life, Frank has a new spring in his step, enough that he attracts the attention of Laura Fischer, the two who begin a relationship. Despite having whatever the truth is on his side, that truth which he does not know, and having an expert witness of his own, Frank has an uphill battle in that the Archdiocese has retained the services of Ed Concannon, a high-priced lawyer who has a large team of associates whose task is to help Concannon and the Archdiocese win at any cost. Concannon's task seems even easier as Judge Hoyle, the presiding judge, is already biased against Frank for taking the case to court. Written by Huggo |
Plot Keywords | |
Taglines | Frank Galvin Has One Last Chance At A Big Case. See more » |
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Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Box Office
Budget | $16,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
Trivia | Paul Newman did Frank Galvin's closing statement in one take. See more » |
Goofs | In the climactic courtroom scene, when Frank calls Kaitlin to the stand, Concannon is flustered and confers with one of his lawyers. The lawyer then leaves the courtroom, presumably having been given some direction by Concannon. Later, after Kaitlin has been questioned by Frank and cross-examined by Concannon, the lawyer returns with a book containing the case Concannon cites to get the judge to disallow the admittance of the photocopy of the hospital admission form as evidence. However, at the point at which Concannon calls the lawyer over and then, presumably, sends him out to "find" this book/case, he doesn't even know about the existence of the photocopy because he hasn't yet questioned Kaitlin; it's during his questioning of Kaitlin that she reveals she has a photocopy of the form. So there's no way the lawyer would have known to go out and find a case regarding the inadmissibility of a photocopy. See more » |
Movie Connections | Featured in Tootsie/The Verdict/Sophies Choice/Airplane II (1982). See more » |
Quotes |
[Frank is giving his summation to the jury]
Frank Galvin: You know, so much of the time we're just lost. We say, "Please, God, tell us what is right; tell us what is true." And there is no justice: the rich win, the poor are powerless. We become tired of hearing people lie. And after a time, we become dead... a little dead. We think of ourselves as victims... and we become victims. We become... we become weak. We doubt ourselves, we doubt our beliefs. We doubt our institutions. And we doubt the law. But today you are the law. You ARE the law. Not some book... not the lawyers... not the, a marble statue... or the trappings of the court. See those are just symbols of our desire to be just. They are... they are, in fact, a prayer: a fervent and a frightened prayer. In my religion, they say, "Act as if ye had faith... and faith will be given to you." IF... if we are to have faith in justice, we need only to believe in ourselves. And ACT with justice. See, I believe there is justice in our hearts. [he sits down] See more » |