Hollywood took on the legal system in
...And Justice for All (1979) which was hailed on its release as the law profession's answer to the medical satire,
M*A*S*H (1970). Whether the title fit (it really was more of a drama than a comedy despite all the crazy courtroom
shenanigans),
...And Justice for All maintains a powerful hold on
audiences through the strength of its ensemble cast, particularly Al Pacino
in a performance that brought him his fifth Oscar® nomination.
Director Norman Jewison was at the height of his career -- having scored
hits with
Fiddler on the Roof (1971),
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973) and
Rollerball (1975) -- when he optioned the first film script from the
husband-and-wife team of Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin. The leading
role of a committed attorney driven almost mad by the eccentricities of the
legal system seemed perfect for Al Pacino, who had just become available
after dropping plans to star in
Born on the Fourth of July (1989). But
Jewison had to move fast. Pacino was considering the script for
Kramer
vs. Kramer (1979) at the time. Jewison asked Pacino to read the script, but
the actor suggested instead that they get a group of actors together and do a
workshop reading of the screenplay, a practice he employed for his stage
work. As soon as they read the script, Pacino agreed to do the role, leaving
Kramer vs. Kramer for Dustin Hoffman.
Jewison assembled a top-notch cast to work with Pacino. Particularly
pleasing to the star was the chance to work again with his acting teacher,
Lee Strasberg, who had recently returned to acting to play Pacino's gangland
mentor in
The Godfather Part II (1974). Now he would be playing the
beloved grandfather who had practically raised Pacino's character, giving them
scenes that mirrored their close off-screen friendship.
Jewison had a great role for another Strasberg student as well. Actor John
Forsythe got a break from the lighter fare he had been performing on
television, where he was currently starring as the voice of Charlie in
ABC's hit series
Charlie's Angels, to play a judge accused of a
sadistic rape. The film also gave strong roles to several younger actors
destined for strong careers, including Joe Morton (
Terminator II:
Judgment Day, 1991), Craig T. Nelson (
Coach) and, in their screen
debuts, Jeffrey Tambor (
The Larry Sanders Show) and Christine Lahti
(
Chicago Hope). Also in the cast was an older actor destined for
bigger things, Dominic Chianese, still two decades away from stardom as
Junior Soprano on
The Sopranos.
Pacino did extensive research for the role of Arthur Kirkland, interviewing lawyers and even
accompanying them to court to get a feel for their lives. Throughout the
shooting, he stayed completely in character, even off-screen and he refused
to do interviews until the film had been completed. At meals, he often
referred to Strasberg in character as "Grandpa" and was so wrapped up in the role that
when a friend complained about having trouble with a contract, he said "Let
me see that" and started analyzing the legal document for him before
remembering that he really wasn't a lawyer. One other thing he had trouble
remembering was his lines. He hated learning lines by rote, partly because
he was a slow study and partly because he felt it interfered with his
spontaneity. Also, his improvisations sometimes interfered with the other actors'
work. Strasberg got so frustrated with his ad-libbing that he finally
shouted, "Al, learn your lines, dollink!" Years later, Pacino would
acknowledge that it was good advice.
...And Justice for All opened to mixed reviews, with some critics
praising its dissection of the legal system and others complaining that it
was so overwrought that, as Vincent Canby wrote in
The New York
Times, it seemed to be "in the throes of a nervous breakdown from
beginning to end." Pacino's work, however, was praised for grounding the
film in reality, and he was proud of the production. He won his
fifth Oscar® nomination for the film. But on Oscar® night the award
went to the role he'd passed on and Dustin Hoffman won for
Kramer vs.
Kramer.
Producer: Norman Jewison, Patrick Palmer
Director: Norman Jewison
Screenplay: Valerie Curtin, Barry Levinson
Cinematography: Victor J. Kemper
Art Direction: Richard MacDonald
Music: Dave Grusin
Principal Cast: Al Pacino (Arthur Kirkland), Jack Warden (Judge Rayford),
John Forsythe (Judge Fleming), Lee Strasberg (Grandpa Sam), Jeffrey Tambor
(Jay Porter), Christine Lahti (Gail Packer), Sam Levene (Arnie), Larry
Bryggman (Warren Fresnell), Craig T. Nelson (Frank Bowers), Dominic
Chianese (Carl Travers), Joe Morton (Prison Doctor), Keith Andes (Marvin
Bates).
C-120m. Letterboxed. Closed Captioning.
by Frank Miller
