The Paper Chase
by James Bridges
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Actor: Graham Beckel, James Naughton, John Houseman, Lindsay Wagner, Timothy BottomsDirector: James Bridges
Brand: HOUSEMAN/BOTTOMS/WAGNER
Cinematographer: Gordon Willis
Writer: James Bridges
Editor: Walter Thompson
Producer: Philip L. Parslow
Producer: Robert C. Thompson
Producer: Rodrick Paul
Writer: John Jay Osborn Jr.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 1.0; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 1.0
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-06-03
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Reviews of The Paper Chase
DVD Review: The Paper Chase
Summary: 5 Stars
1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die: 5th Anniversary EditionClassic coming of age movie - realistic portrayal of students' first year at Harvard Law School. The late John Houseman gives Oscar winning portrayal of the imperious brilliant Professor Kingsfield - revered and feared professor of first year Contract Law. Winning supporting performances from Timothy Bottoms, Edward Hermann, and James Staughton. Actually, all the performances are terrific.DVD Review: A battle for the soul
Summary: 5 Stars
I am an older student who just finished my first year of law school. The film is right on when it depicts the battle for your soul--will you be master of your fate and choose to do the work, or will you be driven by fear and insecurity and be enslaved to it? I experienced a little of both, and I do not want to spoil the film by revealing more to any who are trying to decide whether to buy or rent it. I heartily recommend it to anyone struggling with a self-imposed challenge.
I would have wished that the film show more of the process of learning to "think like a lawyer" and what that actually means - turning the facts of the case over and over, looking for points to the advantage of either side, and weighing the relative strength of those arguments. However, I do commend the film for showing a little bit of the feeling I quite unexpectedly experienced of being part of a line going back to the Magna Carta, examining the value of a human being and her freedom and the needs of society and searching for the ever-evolving meaning of justice.
As for the relationship between Kingsfield and Hart--my main professor was nothing like Kingsfield, but I did experience something eerily similar, right down to the last scene.
One last aside-A previous reviewer noted the absence of the Carbolic Smoke Ball case from his edition of West--it is certainly in mine and is a very important case with regard to defining the law of a public offer.
DVD Review: The film with the reluctant star
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of my favorite movies and showcases a fabulous performance by John Houseman, who was asked at the last minute to act the part. Other stars,including James Mason, John Gielgud, and Edward G. Robinson had been asked to take the lead but refused, so finally director James Bridges asked his mentor Houseman to take the role. And Houseman won an Oscar for it as Best Supporting Actor! He fills the role with dignity and intellect and thoroughly intimidates Timothy Bottoms starring as an eager law student from Minnesota. The film is also the debut of Lindsay Wagner, see mostly doing mattress commercials these days, but she really is a good actress. The film is set at Harvard Law School but since the school hated the publicity from "Love Story", also set on the famous Cambridge campus, most of "Paper Chase" was filmed in Toronto. The movie has many touching and amusing moments and carries you along briskly to the end where the filmmakers finally hit a false note. I understand what the characters were doing but it struck me as out of character and I never found the ending very satisfying. That said, the film still has so much to offer including a fun score by John Williams from early in his brilliant career. The supporting cast is uniformly fine and this is a movie I enjoying watching again and again.DVD Review: Modest story, but a strong cast
Summary: 4 Stars
John Housman, as the brilliant, unapproachable, Harvard Law professor, pulls this train. A first year law student, Timothy Bottoms, is not satisfied with getting what his professor has to teach him about contract law; he is driven to get the professor to recognize him as an individual. His professor is like the old school football coach; He doesn't care if you like him, but you will be a great football player when he is done with you. Houseman, plays the professor to perfection even with a slight hint, but nothing revealed, of a human being. The high levels of anxiety and competition, that are awash in ego, is depicted through Bottoms' fellow students. Modest story, but a great cast of characters.DVD Review: Good, but a little dated
Summary: 3 Stars
I enjoyed the TV series years ago, but had never seen the movie. I watched it with my daughter, who is now in her first year of law school. It was enjoyable, but very much a movie of the early seventies. Professor Kingsfield wasn't nearly as intimidating as he once was. My daughter was bored.
Description of The Paper Chase
Expecting only the basic pressures of attending Harvard Law School, a serious, hard-working student (Timothy Bottoms) finds himself the fearful adversary of the school's most imperious, sarcastic professor (John Houseman). Their relationship grows even more complex when the boy discovers that the girl he's in love with is the professor's daughter (Lindsay Wagner). Edward Herrmann and James Naughton co-star in this moving, intelligent drama.General DVDs
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