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Gideon's Trumpet
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0054961974894
Format: Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
Label: Acorn Media
Languages: English (Original Language),
Manufacturer: Acorn Media
MPN: 9748
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Acorn Media
Release Date: August 28, 2007
Running Time: 104 minutes
Studio: Acorn Media
Theatrical Release Date: April 30, 1980
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Editorial Review:
Anyone who's ever been arrested--or maybe just watched a cop show--knows that the right to representation by counsel is guaranteed by the Constitution, codified in the Miranda warning. But it wasn't until the early 1960s, when the events chronicled in Gideon's Trumpet unfolded, that this fundamental prerogative became law. As portrayed by Henry Fonda in this Emmy-nominated 1980 TV movie, Clarence Earl Gideon was neither a hero nor a crusader out to re-write history. He was in fact, a criminal recidivist, a poor drifter with four broken marriages and multiple prison terms in his past. Busted for breaking and entering and petty larceny in Panama City, Florida in 1961, Gideon proclaimed his innocence; but when his demand for a lawyer was rejected at trial (only defendants in capital cases were given court-appointed attorneys in Florida), he was forced to defend himself, resulting in a conviction and a five-year jail sentence. What followed was a matter of luck as well as persistence, as his appeal became one of the few that the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear. Chief Justice Earl Warren (John Houseman, who also executive-produced) assigned Abe Fortas (Jose Ferrer), himself a future Supreme Court justice, to handle the case, and Fortas' skillful work led to the overturning of Betts v. Brady, a 1942 decision in which the high court had ruled that even indigent defendants weren't entitled to counsel when prosecuted by a state; Gideon's second trial (his claim that double jeopardy applied was rejected), this time with proper representation, is depicted in the final sequences of the film. As befitting the decidedly un-glamorous details of the story, Fonda, who was 75 at the time (the real Gideon was 51) and nearing the end of his storied career, delivers a laconic, low-key performance, effectively depicting a crusty, world-weary, but dignified man who got a raw deal, saw a flaw in the legal system, and fought to correct it. The film, too, is remarkably matter-of-fact: no melodrama, no music to manipulate the viewer's emotions at key moments, just a top-notch cast and a straightforward depiction of the case as described in Anthony Lewis' book of the same name. --Sam Graham
Henry Fonda stars in a Hallmark Hall of Fame classic seen on CBS
In one of the finest and final performances of his distinguished career, Henry Fonda portrays Clarence Gideon, the destitute prisoner whose handwritten plea for justice changed the course of American legal history. Based on the book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and journalist Anthony Lewis, Gideon's Trumpet tells the remarkable human story behind the landmark "right to counsel" Supreme Court case.
Nominated for three Emmys® and winner of the prestigious Peabody Award, this powerful Hallmark Hall of Fame drama also features Oscar®- and Tony®-winner José Ferrer (Cyrano de Bergerac, The Caine Mutiny) as Abe Fortas, Oscar®-winner John Houseman (The Paper Chase, Rollerball) as Chief Justice Earl Warren, and Fay Wray (King Kong) in her final screen performance.
"Ranks with the best films of the early 1980s" -- All Movie Guide.
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES INCLUDE insert with production notes by Anthony Lewis and cast filmographies.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Gideons Trumpet
This is an excellent movie for use with case law readings (Gideon v Wainwright.)It is a bit slow. I think a condensed version would be good. The students might lose the significance of this case.
Professor Cavanaugh
Rating:  - Disappointed
As a review or account of an important historical event it was O.K., but I was disappointed in the performance of an Academy Award-winning actor in the person of Henry Fonda. Overall the movie was lackluster and had no screenplay or music score to thoroughly engage the viewer as you would look for in a motion picture. It is more of something you would see on public television....Certainly, not a blockbuster.
Rating:  - NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE POWER OF ONE!!
It's 1961 and Clarence Earl Gideon (Fonda), a destitute, four time felon from Panama City, FL, is arrested again for robbery and breaking and entering. When his case comes to trial, he asks the state to appoint an attorney because he can't afford one. The state denies his request, stating that only applies in capital offenses. He is forced to represent himself, ending in conviction and a five year prison sentence. In prison he pursues his belief that everyone is entitled to a fair trial with competent ... Read More
Rating: - What's wrong with the actors in this movie?
Is it me, or is everyone acting in slow motion in this movie? Horrible, horrible acting. From the initial interrogation, to the talk inside the prison yard, to the trial implicating Gideon, to the review by the Supreme Court. It pained me to see Clarence Gideon try to complete a sentence, and when he did it seemed that everyone hung on his every word. The only bright spots have to go to Tommy Lee Jones for referencing "Appalachicola" and frail Sam Jaffe for having a smaller chair than the other Supreme ... Read More
Rating: - Landmark Film on Land Mark Case
Fonda's performance is perfect, and the film covers all the issues without missing a beat. I use it every year in my government class.
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