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October 2001, Week 3

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Subject:
From:
Leo Enticknap <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 17 Oct 2001 20:59:37 +0100
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I am cross-posting this to H-FILM and SCREEN following the original query -
apologies to those who read both.

Apropos Don Larsson's mention [on the Screen list] of the gangsters' trial
of the paedophile in 'M' - in the original German version, restored in the
70s, there is an additional scene at the end in which the mothers of three
murdered children are sitting outside a 'legitimate' courtroom as Lorre is
tried.  I believe this scene was cut before the film was released in the
US.  Lotte Eisner gives all the details in her biography of Lang.

Some of Fritz Lang's American films (do they count as 'foreign'? ) also
contain interesting trial sequences, especially 'Beyond a Reasonable Doubt'
(1956), which to my knowledge is the earliest feature film which depicts
televised court procedings.

'Mission to Moscow' (US 1943, dir. Michael Curtiz) though not it does not
fulfil the criterion of 'foreign' as defined by the original enquirer, is
certainly worth a look.  It has an - interesting, to say the least -
version of the Stalin purge trials.  The moral of the story is that
Stalin's victims were in fact sceret agents in cahoots with the Nazis who
he reluctantly admitted had to be got rid of...

'The Manxman' (UK 1929, dir. Alfred Hitchcock) is a drama which features
the unique justice system in the Isle of Man (which, incidentally, is to
this day the only non-Muslim justice system that still has corporal
punishment), including Anny Ondra being tried for attempted suicide, the
father of her illegitmate baby being the judge!

'Gandhi' (UK 1981, dir. Richard Attenborough) features some scenes in which
Ben Kingsley encounters some pretty dubious British Empire justice.  I've a
dim recollection of some court scenes in 'Cry Freedom' as well but it's a
while since I've seen it.  'Captain Boycott' (UK 1947) and 'Odd Man Out'
(ditto) both feature British justice in action in Ireland, the former more
sympathetically than the latter (Boycott is cited as an exception which
proves the rule of benevolent colonial administration).

The Nazi propaganda film 'Ich Klage An' (Germany 1941, dir. Wolfgang
Leibeneiner) argues in favour of euthanasia for people suffering from
incurable diseases: the final scenes depict the trial for murder of a
doctor who has administered a lethal injection to his wife, a multiple
sclerosis sufferer.  According to Eric Rentschler's book 'The Ministry of
Illusion' it is available on video from the following outlets:

German Language Video Center
Division of Heidelberg Haus Imports
7625 Pendleton Pike
Indianapolis, IN, 46226-5298
Tel. 800-252-1957
Fax 317-547-1263

International Historic Films
P.O. Box 29035
Chicago
IL, 60629
Tel. 312-927-2000
Fax 312-927-9211

Hope this helps
Leo

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