And Justice for All [Special Edition]

Director: Norman Jewison

Overview

Norman Jewison's blackly satirical look at the American justice system has gained in stature as one of the more incisive social commentaries of its time. Al Pacino plays Arthur Kirkland, an incorruptible attorney who attempts to initiate reforms in the Maryland justice system. Kirkland is haunted by the fates of two past clients, one of whom committed suicide in jail; the other is still alive but is locked up on a trumped-up traffic violation. The ability of power and money to distort the pursuit of justice becomes all too clear as Kirkland finds out how deeply the rot has spread. He is ultimately blackmailed into defending a repulsive judge (John Forsythe) accused of rape, and faces a crisis of conscience. Pacino's and Forsythe's performances are intense and powerful. Many critics found the film biting and almost painful in its razor-sharp indictment of the justice system, while others declared the script too outrageous.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/11/2008
UPC:	0043396211025
Original Release:	1979
Rating:	R
Source:	Sony Pictures
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:59:00

Special Features

Closed Caption; Commentary With Norman Jewison; Norman Jewison: The Testimony of the Director; Deleted scenes; 88 Minutes sneak peek; "Damages" TV pilot episode

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

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
Robert Christian	Ralph Agee
Thomas Waites	Jeff McCullaugh,Jeff McCullough
Larry Bryggman	Warren Fresnell
Craig T. Nelson	Frank Bowers
Dominic Chianese	Carl Travers
Victor Arnold	Leo Fauci
Vincent Beck	Officer Leary
Michael Gorrin	Elderly Man
Baxter Harris	Larry
Joe Morton	Prison Doctor
Alan North	Deputy Sheriff
Thomas Quinn	Desk Clerk Kiley
Beverly Sanders	Sherry
Connie Sawyer	Gitel
Charles Siebert	Assistant District Attorney Keene
Robert Symonds	Judge Burns
Keith Andes	Marvin Bates
Stephen Blackmore	Robert Wenke
Vasili Bogazianos	Avillar
Jack Hollander	Prison Warden
Terrence Currier	George Reisler
Walter Davy	Dapper Defendant
Rita Fredricks	Judge Howe
Dave Grusin	Composer

Technical Credits

Barry Levinson

Valerie Curtin

Norman Jewison	Producer
Patrick Palmer	Producer,Producer
Barry Levinson	Screenwriter
Valerie Curtin	Screenwriter
Joe Wizan	Executive Producer,Producer
Robert G. Henderson	Sound Effects
Rick Kline	Sound Effects
Paul Michael	Sound Effects
Donald O. Mitchell	Sound Effects
Dennis L. Maitland	Sound/Sound Designer
Robert G. Henderson	Sound/Sound Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- And Justice for All
1. Chapter 1 [3:43]
2. Chapter 2 [3:40]
3. Chapter 3 [2:08]
4. Chapter 4 [1:59]
5. Chapter 5 [1:51]
6. Chapter 6 [6:50]
7. Chapter 7 [3:36]
8. Chapter 8 [3:57]
9. Chapter 9 [4:02]
10. Chapter 10 [6:44]
11. Chapter 11 [2:52]
12. Chapter 12 [4:17]
13. Chapter 13 [2:03]
14. Chapter 14 [6:35]
15. Chapter 15 [2:57]
16. Chapter 16 [6:48]
17. Chapter 17 [4:19]
18. Chapter 18 [4:02]
19. Chapter 19 [4:01]
20. Chapter 20 [2:11]
21. Chapter 21 [3:42]
22. Chapter 22 [1:42]
23. Chapter 23 [2:53]
24. Chapter 24 [2:41]
25. Chapter 25 [6:26]
26. Chapter 26 [1:45]
27. Chapter 27 [4:26]
28. Chapter 28 [5:22]

Menu

Disc #1 -- And Justice for All
Play Movie
Languages
Audio: English
Audio: Portuguese / Português
Subtitles: English
Subtitles: French / Français
Subtitles: Spanish / Español
Subtitles: Spanish Subtitled Commentary
Subtitles: Portuguese / Português
Subtitles: Portuguese Subtitled Commentary
Subtitles: Off
Scene Selection
Special Features
Commentary With Director Norman Jewison: On
Commentary With Director Norman Jewison: Off
Norman Jewison: The Testimony of the Director
Play All
"On the Choices We Make..."
"On the Unleashing of Al Pacino"
"On the Search for Truth and Justice"
"On the Delicate Balance"
"On the Way Things Work..."
"On the Reaction to the Film..."
"On the Lost Scene"
Barry Levinson: Cross Examining the Screenwriter
Play All
"Why...And Justice for All"
"Is This a Drama or a Comedy?"
"Discuss Being Out of Order"
"Is There an Injustice for All?"
Tell Us About the "System"
When did it Become "Courtroom" Drama?
Deleted Scenes
Play All
Fleming's Office
Jay Sharpens Pencil
Thanksgiving Basketball Game
Jeff in Hospital
Behind-the-Scenes Sneak Peek at "88 Minutes"
Theatrical Trailer
Previews
Close Encounters of the Third Kind 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition
We Own the Night
Damages - Season 1
Taxi Driver Limited Collector's Edition
Damages TV Pilot Epsiode: Play
Damages TV Pilot Epsiode: Play With French Subtitles

Editorial Reviews

Sometimes the most difficult features to approach are those whose brilliant scenes add up to less than they would if viewed on an individual basis. Norman Jewison's satire ...And Justice for All hits this mark, to such a degree that it almost defies criticism. As a whole, Justice feels wildly schizoid, veering unpredictably from earnest and heartbreaking scenes to daft and uproarious black comedy. The primary weakness originates with Barry Levinson and Valerie Curtin's screenplay, which never finds a tonal foothold -- it feels modally uncertain, shaky, and tenuous throughout. (That it received an Oscar nomination is inexplicable.) And yet, the picture does have much to recommend it. The Jewison-directed performances by Al Pacino, Christine Lahti, Jack Warden,Jeffrey Tambor, Craig T. Nelson, and especially John Forsythe score a bullseye. Much of the satirical commentary on the American judicial system also feels incisive, as on-target as Network was, three years prior, in its excoriation of television news. And one cannot help but admire Levinson and Curtin's ensemble of eccentric characters, with Tambor's lunatic attorney and Warden's suicidal judge standing out as particularly entertaining. Unfortunately, though, the picture needs more of an ending than it has; it builds up to one of the most rousing courtroom tirades in memory, then merely peters out sans a resolution, which is a problem given how invested we've grown in Pacino's character and the case he's been assigned to defend; one feels let down. Still, there is much here to appreciate and enjoy, even if the film's reach does ultimately exceed its grasp.