Gideon’s Trumpet (1980/Acorn Media/Telefilm)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: C- Telefilm: B
With
Civil Rights and much more being ruined and rolled back al the way to the
later-year Bush II Supreme Court, it is vital that we are re-reminded of why
certain precedents and laws were established in the first place and the very
high price so many paid and suffered to get us there. Late in his career, Henry Fonda took on the
lead role of Clarence Gideon in Robert Collins’ terrific TV movie Gideon’s Trumpet (1980) as a poor man
framed for a crime he did not commit and how he had to go to the Supreme Court
to find justice in a case that changed U.S. law forever.
A poor,
old, southern man, Gideon is not allowed to have a lawyer appointed for him,
denied his right to counsel and forced to represent himself in court for a
robbery he had nothing to do with. Stuck
in prison with nothing else to do, he begins reading law books and discovers
what has really happened to him. As a
result, he writes to the Supreme Court and has enough of a caser that they
decide to hear it. John Houseman is
Chief Justice Earl Warren, Jose Ferrer is lawyer Abe Fortas, Fay Wray delivers
a fine final performance here before retiring from acting and David W. Rintels’
teleplay is a winning adaptation of the Anthony Lewis.
Still
powerful and where Florida (where Gideon lived and was framed) is concerned, is
more relevant than ever. Fonda is
amazing in a role that takes understated power throughout and was delivered
around the time he did On Golden Pond. It is hard to believe that television used to
be capable of making films of this power and depth, but once upon a time, it
did. Dean Jagger, Sam Jaffe, Nicholas
Pryor, William Prince, Lane Smith, Ford Rainey, J. Patrick McNamara, Liam
O’Brien and Dolph Sweet also star.
The 1.33
X 1 image may have been shot on film, but this is an older analog transfers and
it shows. Fortunately, there is good
form in the frame, especially for a telefilm and the softness is
tolerable. Hopefully, the film elements
survive when its turn for digital High Definition rolls around. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono fares a bit
better, sounding like a good production for its age, with its simple
soundtrack. Text cast filmographies and
a paper insert with production notes by Lewis are the only extras, but the film
is a must see, so don’t miss it!
- Nicholas Sheffo
