Now tell the audience, err, jury, what happened next....
Based on true-life events back in the 1920s, this is in essence a film about the trial of two women. They meet in jail, awaiting trial on murder charges. Both are represented by the same flamboyant lawyer, a true showman, who is an expert in manipulating public opinion, and juries. His approach is to make his client a celebrity, and use public sympathy to get them acquitted. However, having two high profile cases at the same time, competing for media attention, pushes him and his clients to ever more dizzy heights, in their efforts to remain on the front page... The film was nominated for 13 Oscars.
113 minutes, No persons under 16
Comedy, Crime, Musical
Ian Douglas: If you want entertainment, this is it. I appreciate that the musical genre is not everyone's cup
of tea, but this is not a traditional musical... although the musical numbers do interrupt the narrative constantly,
they are used more to illustrate the point, while at the same time advancing the plot. Neither are they boring... the
staging is outstanding, and, as one reviewer said, for a first-time film director, it's hard to see how he is ever going
to top this production. The performances are uniformly good all round, with the exception of one number by Zeta-Jones, where
she is not quite as graceful as she might have been.On the issue side, the film does a great job of exploring the
morality of the press and public, and the effectiveness of the US jury system, and how lawyers manipulate it to evade
the law. Great script, great production, don't miss it...
