Legal drama
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A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice plays a critical role in the film's narrative.[1] Legal dramas have also followed the lives of the fictional attorneys, defendants, plaintiffs, or other persons related to the practice of law present in television show or film. Legal drama is distinct from police crime drama or detective fiction, which typically focus on police officers or detectives investigating and solving crimes. The focal point of legal dramas, more often, are events occurring within a courtroom, but may include any phases of legal procedure, such as jury deliberations or work done at law firms. Some legal dramas fictionalize real cases that have been litigated, such as the play-turned-movie, Inherit the Wind, which fictionalized the Scopes Monkey Trial. As a genre, the term "legal drama" is typically applied to television shows and films, whereas legal thrillers typically refer to novels and plays.
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Themes
Legal dramas typically portray moral dilemmas that occur with the practice of the law or participating in the justice system, many of which mirrors dilemmas in real life. The American Bar Association Journal has interpreted the public's enjoyment of legal dramas occur because "stories about the legal system are laced with human vulnerability."[2] Indeed, even though "there are no car chases [and]... [g]uns are never drawn", legal dramas retain strong followings because of their presentation of moral intrigue in a setting that actually reflects what occurs in the world.
Legal dramas may present stories of the miscarriages of justice, such as persons wrongly convicted of a crime they did not commit. At times, stories may involve the moral implications of police misconduct, such as placing or tampering with evidence, such as in the 1993 film In the Name of the Father. More often, legal dramas focus on the attorneys' point of view when faced with these difficulties. For instance, in The Practice, a television legal drama series revolving around a firm of criminal defense attorneys, a common theme presented is the difficulty of defending clients known or believed to be guilty.[3]
Finally, many legal dramas present themes that reflect politicized issues. In the 1960 film, Inherit the Wind, the politicized issue portrayed was the legality of a Tennessee statute that made it unlawful to teach the theory of evolution in a public school. As laws and public policy opinions change, so do the themes presented in legal dramas. The 1992 film A Few Good Men explored the psychology of superior orders, e.g. excusing criminal actions because they were only committed from 'following orders'. The film Philadelphia (1993) addressed homophobia, and the discrimination and public fear of HIV/AIDs carriers. In 1996, The People vs. Larry Flynt portrays the early years of Hustler Magazine and issues of obscenity and freedom of speech. You Don't Know Jack (2010) is a fictional biographic film about Dr. Jack Kevorkian and the legal actions he faced as a result of providing euthanasia services to terminal patients. Racial injustice remains a common theme from as far back as To Kill a Mockingbird in 1962 to the 2017 film Marshall.
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History
Legal drama in American film has an extensive history stemming from as early as the 1908 film, Falsely Accused![4] The 1950s and 1960s presented a number of legal drama films including, 12 Angry Men (1957), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), I Want to Live! (1958), Anatomy of a Murder (1959), The Young Philadelphians (1959), Compulsion (1959), Inherit the Wind (1960), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Arguably, 12 Angry Men and To Kill a Mockingbird stand as the cornerstones of early legal dramas, garnering extensive acclaim, recognition, and awards. Despite underwhelming box office performance, 12 Angry Men was nominated in three different categories at the 30th Academy Awards and appears on half of the AFI 100 Years... series lists of films, which celebrate the greatest films in American cinema. Likewise, To Kill a Mockingbird received even more acclaim, garnering three academy awards out of eight total nominations at the 35th Academy Awards, appears on seven of the AFI's ten lists celebrating the greatest films, including ranking as the best courtroom drama, and selected for preservation United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Other countries also premiered legal dramas or courtrooms dramas in the early 1900s, such as the French silent film The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).[5]
Other legal drama films have not focused on even the practice of law, such as Paper Chase, a film presenting the difficulty and anxiety of entering law school.[6]
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Legal thrillers
Legal thriller films provide introspection into the life of a lawyer and legal professionals. Within films, the central character is often engaged in professional work and experiences an obstacle that they have to overcome such as a client's case.[7] The character confronts problems with their personal life and work, as it is under threat by the complex case, creating a series of action and courtroom battles.[8]
The problems that characters faced are evident within reviews of films such as The Judge, where family dynamics are strained after a lawyer returns home for his mother's funeral.[9] Reviews from the New York Times comment on the film's transformation into a crime story, characteristic of the legal thriller. The film itself unfolds the legal thriller's ideal courtroom drama style and the film is taken place in what is deemed as a "nostalgia-tinged town".[10] Further films such as The Lincoln Lawyer have also met similar reviews from Roger Ebert, commenting on the love of three elements in the film: courtroom scene, old cars and tangled criminals.[11] The 2019 film, Dark Waters raises an ethical dilemma of lawyers often choosing sides within films, as the defence lawyer has to switch sides to defend a poisoned community. He risks his own future, community and life through dealing with the case, characteristic of the legal thriller.[12]
By combining the elements of film and law together, the relationship becomes central to the audience. It is through film techniques, images, symbols and social functions that legal thriller films can make an impact on the audience.[13] The film Mangrove shows the inequalities and injustices prevalent through Britain's Caribbean history. Steve McQueen was the first black director of an Academy winning best picture with 12 Years a Slave.[14] The five-part anthology, featuring Mangrove as the first visualises courtroom drama and heroism, characterising the legal thriller genre.[15] McQueen made his film resemble a landmark of the civil rights trial against black activists.[16] The film uses the characteristics of the legal thriller genre through a powerhouse courtroom drama and focusing on racial justice.[17] The power divide between two opposing sides is intended to shape transformative victory, as audiences can learn about diversity.[18]
A Fall from Grace also features the challenge often taken by lawyers in legal thriller films.[19] For example, a young public defender has to handle the challenging case of a woman charged with murdering her husband. The film features elements of a conventional courtroom drama such as the heroic lawyer, shady characters and a law firm setting. Within the film, there are plot twists, characteristic of the legal thriller genre.[20] Furthermore, the film Law has ample court scenes and features a character taking on the fight for justice.[21] The film defies the stereotypical expectations of women through featuring the main character as a woman who wants to speak openly about gang rape victimisation.[22]
The recognition of injustice is another emerging aspect of legal thriller films.[23] Marshall is another example of a legal thriller film, where the lawyer is feature as the main character, travelling the country on behalf of the NAACP to defend black men who are accused of crimes.[24] The film features a courtroom scene where violence occurs in retrieving the confession of a client and the difficulty to obtain the truth. Flashbacks are used as a key film technique to craft outrage as revealed by a film review.[25] The courtroom scenes are considered suspenseful and the setting of the 1940s shows a stage where people threw a facade with fake costumes and bright lights. Racism is exposed as a key social justice issue explored where the truth demands a voice.[26]
The following table summarises films that are categorised in the legal thriller genre:
| Year | Name | Language |
|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Anatomy of a Murder | English |
| 1985 | Jagged Edge | English |
| 1990 | Presumed Innocent | English |
| 1990 | Mounam Sammadhan | Tamil |
| 1992 | A Few Good Men | English |
| 1993 | The Firm | English |
| 1993 | The Pelican Brief | English |
| 1993 | Guilty as Sin | English |
| 1993 | Philadelphia | English |
| 1994 | The Client | English |
| 1996 | Primal Fear | English |
| 1996 | A Time To Kill | English |
| 1997 | The Devil's Advocate | English |
| 1997 | The Rainmaker | English |
| 1998 | A Civil Action | English |
| 1998 | Shadow of Doubt | English |
| 2000 | Erin Brockovich | English |
| 2002 | High Crimes | English |
| 2003 | Runaway Jury | English |
| 2007 | Michael Clayton | English |
| 2007 | Fracture | English |
| 2011 | The Lincoln Lawyer | English |
| 2013 | Silence | Malayalam |
| 2014 | The Judge | English |
| 2016 | Manithan | Tamil |
| 2017 | The Third Murder | Japanese |
| 2017 | Marshall | English |
| 2018 | RBG | English |
| 2019 | Section 375 | Hindi |
| 2019 | Dark Waters | English |
| 2019 | Just Mercy | English |
| 2019 | Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile | English |
| 2020 | Nabab LLB | Bangla |
| 2020 | A Fall from Grace | English |
| 2020 | The Trial of the Chicago 7 | English |
| 2020 | Law | Kannada |
| 2020 | Mangrove | English |
| 2020 | Worth | English |
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Television
Early American television programs considered legal dramas include Perry Mason, The Defenders, JUDD for the Defense, Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law, The Bold Ones: The Lawyers, Petrocelli, and Matlock. More recent examples of serious legal dramas are Murder One, The Practice, Law & Order, L.A. Law, The Good Wife and Pearson.
The examples of legal comedy dramas are Ally McBeal and Boston Legal, both of which David E. Kelley created and produced, with Suits as the most popular legal drama during the 2010s. Better Call Saul also achieved popularity following its first season in 2015.[27]
Legal dramas are becoming more in demand from the public, more popular for many people to watch, and beginning to feature stronger female leads.[28]
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Inaccurate portrayal of legal practice
It is widely believed by most practicing lawyers that legal dramas result in the general public having misconceptions about the legal process. Many of these misconceptions result from the desire to create an interesting story. For example, because conflict between parties make for an interesting story, legal dramas emphasize the trial and ignore the fact that the vast majority of civil and criminal cases in the United States are settled out of court.[29] Trials in legal dramas are often shown to be more emphatic by disregarding actual rules in trials that prevent prejudicing defendants from juries.
Besides the actual practice of law, legal dramas may also misrepresent the character of lawyers in general. Some fictional lawyers may be portrayed as ambulance chasers, breaching rules of professional conduct by seeking out potential personal injury plaintiffs. Lawyers may also be portrayed as amoral, seeking only to win or financial gain, rather than do what is "morally" right. These negative portrayals reflect a long-standing cultural perception of lawyers since time immemorial. Another misrepresented character trait of attorneys portrayed by legal dramas is their sexual appetite. Characters such as Bobby Donnell and Ally McBeal portray lawyers who seemingly cannot keep from having sex with clients, colleagues, opposing counsel, or judges. Although attorneys appear a top preferred occupation for potential dating partners according to Bumble[30] and Tinder,[31] the Model Rules of Professional Conduct preclude lawyers from many of the relations portrayed in television.
Speaking at a screening of 12 Angry Men during the 2010 Fordham University Law School Film festival, US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor stated that seeing 12 Angry Men while she was in college influenced her decision to pursue a career in law. She was particularly inspired by immigrant Juror 11's monologue on his reverence for the American justice system. She also told the audience of law students that, as a lower-court judge, she would sometimes instruct juries to not follow the film's example, because most of the jurors' conclusions are based on speculation, not fact.[32] Sotomayor noted that events from the film such as entering a similar knife into the proceeding; performing outside research into the case matter in the first place; and ultimately the jury as a whole making broad, wide-ranging assumptions far beyond the scope of reasonable doubt would not be allowed in a real-life jury situation, and would in fact have yielded a mistrial[33] (assuming, of course, that applicable law permitted the content of jury deliberations to be revealed).
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Source: "Legal drama", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, March 15th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_drama.
Further Reading
12 Angry Men (1957 film)
Anatomy of a Murder
The Verdict
My Cousin Vinny
Crime film
Evil Angels (film)
Legal thriller
The Defenders (1961 TV series)
Supreme Court of the United States in fiction
To Kill a Mockingbird (film)
Fred Weller
Atticus Finch
A Few Good Men
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
Marshall (film)
Section 375
Illegal - Justice, Out of Order
Notes
- ^ "AFI: 10 Top 10". www.afi.com. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
- ^ "Why Hollywood loves lawyers". ABA Journal. Thane Rosenbaum. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ "The Practice - Wikiquote". en.wikiquote.org. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ "Falsely Accused! (1908)". BFI. Retrieved 2018-07-01.
- ^ Dreyer, Carl Theodor (1928-10-25), The Passion of Joan of Arc, Maria Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, André Berley, retrieved 2018-07-16
- ^ Bridges, James (1973-10-16), The Paper Chase, Timothy Bottoms, Lindsay Wagner, John Houseman, retrieved 2018-07-16
- ^ Elkins, James (2006). "Reading Lawyer Films". Recherche et Pratiques Pédagogiques en Langues de Spécialité - Cahiers de L Apliut. Open Edition Journals (Vol. XXV N° 1): 8–25. doi:10.4000/apliut.2559. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Elkins, James (2006). "Reading Lawyer Films". Recherche et Pratiques Pédagogiques en Langues de Spécialité - Cahiers de L Apliut. Open Edition Journals (Vol. XXV N° 1): 8–25. doi:10.4000/apliut.2559. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
- ^ Scott, A.O (9 October 2014). "Back Home Again, and Little Has Changed". New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ Scott, A.O (9 October 2014). "Back Home Again, and Little Has Changed". New York Times. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "His chauffeur chases ambulances". Roger Ebert. Roger Ebert. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Dargis, Manohla (21 November 2019). "'Dark Waters' Review: The Killing Fields of West Virginia". New York Times.
- ^ Kamir, Orit (June 2005). "Why 'Law-and-Film' and What Does it Actually Mean? A Perspective" (PDF). Continuum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies. 19 (2): 255–278. doi:10.1080/10304310500084558. S2CID 18314934. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 July 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Jones, Ellen (15 November 2020). "Small Axe review – Steve McQueen triumphs with tales of Britain's Caribbean history". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Jones, Ellen (15 November 2020). "Small Axe review – Steve McQueen triumphs with tales of Britain's Caribbean history". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (25 September 2020). "'Mangrove' Review: Steve McQueen's British Courtroom Drama Does Justice to a Landmark Case Against Black Activists". Variety. Variety. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
- ^ Daniels, Robert. "'Mangrove': Revolution Sparks In Steve McQueen's Uplifting 'Small Axe' Courtroom Drama [NYFF Review]". The Playlist. The Playlist.
- ^ Daniels, Robert. "'Mangrove': Revolution Sparks In Steve McQueen's Uplifting 'Small Axe' Courtroom Drama [NYFF Review]". The Playlist. The Playlist.
- ^ Tisdale, Jerrica (26 January 2020). "Tyler Perry's A Fall From Grace Ending Explained: What Just Happened?". Cinema Blend. Cinema Blend.
- ^ Tisdale, Jerrica (26 January 2020). "Tyler Perry's A Fall From Grace Ending Explained: What Just Happened?". Cinema Blend. Cinema Blend.
- ^ Suresh, Sunayana. "Law Movie Review : A revenge drama served a tad lukewarm". India Times. India Times. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Suresh, Sunayana. "Law Movie Review : A revenge drama served a tad lukewarm". India Times. India Times. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
- ^ Scherstuhl, Alan (11 October 2017). "Marshall Makes a Likable Legal Thriller From the Real Life of Thurgood Marshall". Phoenix New Times. Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Boissoneault, Lorraine. "The True Story Behind "Marshall"". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Scherstuhl, Alan (11 October 2017). "Marshall Makes a Likable Legal Thriller From the Real Life of Thurgood Marshall". Phoenix New Times. Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Scherstuhl, Alan (11 October 2017). "Marshall Makes a Likable Legal Thriller From the Real Life of Thurgood Marshall". Phoenix New Times. Phoenix New Times. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
- ^ Jacobs, Meredith. "'Better Call Saul' Series Finale Was Most-Watched Episode of Season 6". TV Insider. Retrieved 2022-10-29.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2016-09-13). "Fox Developing Legal Drama Inspired & Produced By 'Scandal's Judy Smith". Retrieved 2016-09-14.
- ^ Eisenberg, Theodore (March 2009). "What is the Settlement Rate and Why Should We Care?". Journal of Empirical Legal Studies. 6: 111–146. doi:10.1111/j.1740-1461.2009.01139.x.
- ^ "Cheers to 2016! Bumble's Year in Review". The BeeHive. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ Reynolds, Emily. "Tinder reveals the 'most desirable' job titles in online dating". Retrieved 2018-07-16.
- ^ Semple, Kirk (October 18, 2010), "The Movie That Made a Supreme Court Justice", The New York Times, retrieved October 18, 2010
- ^ "Jury Admonitions In Preliminary Instructions (Revised May 5, 2009)1" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 23, 2011.
Further reading
- Bergman, Paul; Asimow, Michael. (2006) Reel justice: the courtroom goes to the movies (Kansas City : Andrews and McMeel). ISBN 0-7407-5460-2; ISBN 978-0-7407-5460-9; ISBN 0-8362-1035-2; ISBN 978-0-8362-1035-4.
- Machura, Stefan and Robson, Peter, eds. Law and Film: Representing Law in Movies (Cambridge: Blackwell Publishing, 2001). ISBN 978-0-631-22816-5. 176 pages.
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