Customer Reviews

Paper Chase

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While I was very satisfied with the price of the item purchased, the wait time for it was abysmal. Amazon gives a range as to when to expect the item to arrive. The product came a day after the last day in the range given by amazon - three weeks. I probably could have gotten it much quicker with another seller. However, the product was in good, new condition, so I cannot complain about the actual product.

Yeah, great film, holds up well over the years. But no Harvard law student would have thrown his unopened grades into the ocean. Particularly one that was as dedicated and competitive as Hart. It would be like a lawyer trying a case and leaving the courtroom before hearing the verdict. One can understand and, in a mercenary way, perhaps admire Hart if he pretended not to care about the grades for the sake of impressing his erratic, anti-establishment/anti-hippy girlfriend. She doesn't make much sense, but she is cute and alluring. But to actually throw the grades into the sea? No.

Apart from that, the scenes of the workings of law school are pretty terrific. The characters of the study group are, for good and bad, very similar to people you actually find at law school. Particularly Bell. (By the way, did anyone notice that Hart's 3rd year advisor was Thirtysomething's Miles Drentell? He is exactly the type that would say, "Grades matter.") Yet, like lawyers themselves, they're not on the whole really awful people. Ford, the quintessential Harvard prepster, bails out James Naughton's character in class and even goes so far as to say that the subject is very difficult to understand. Hart himself is obviously very decent. And Kingsfield is meant to be feared, but moreover respected and admired.

So the romance is a bit unrealistic, but nothing approaching Ally McBeal silliness. That aside, it's a solid film worth seeing more than once.

The closest I ever got to Harvard Law School was a graduate class in education law at UC Berkeley. The class was taught by a silver-haired Jesuit, who stood ramrod straight behind his podium at the front of the class and proceded in a manner not unlike John Houseman's Professor Kingsfield. It was only a pale shadow of what is depicted in "The Paper Chase", but it was very enlightening. The way this movie vividly brings back my student days, both the fun and the hard work, is one of the reasons I like it so much. It also shows what people can accomplish.

The plot involves a love affair between Hart, a student who idolizes Kingsfield, and Kingsfield's daughter. It has its funny moments, but is somewhat predictable. What elevates this movie is the psychological study of how the different students respond to their situation, some finding it within themselves to persevere while others fall by the wayside. The film also benefits from strong acting, particularly by John Houseman, who is the quintessential Professor Kingsfield. He is outstanding.

This is an excellent flick. It delivers a dramatic portrayal of an intense academic experience, while delivering some very funny moments along the way. Sort of like real life, sometimes. The TV series spawned by this movie was also quite good, and it's too bad it didn't last longer on its major network. Anyway, both college students and former college students will find a lot to relate to here. Those whose background isn't academic, though, will also find "The Paper Chase" quite entertaining. Highly recommended.

The amazing thing about this movie is that every single character reminds you of a student in your 1L class, no matter where you went to law school. There's always one guy who is a rote genius but can't hack it as an analyst. There's always some guy who writes a 200-page outline. There's always some guy who thinks his study group is too special to let academic pedestrians get a free ride. And then there's you in the middle. I'm in law school, but I don't think I would know that without this movie.

I always warned students at the beginning of each year that I had screened "The Paper Chase" once again and was interested in using the Socratic method to spin the little tumblers of their minds. Certainly this was the film that made me want to curb my innate desire to stand up in the classroom and pontificate on every subject under the sun.

Ostensibly the film is about the pressures of first year students at Harvard Law School, but since most of us do not want to become lawyers, know any lawyers, have any dealings with lawyers or even watch television programs with lawyers, "The Paper Chase" ultimately succeeds as a film about wanting to learn and learning to think. At the heart of the film is James Hart (Timothy Bottoms), come from Minnesota to learn at the feet of the great Professor Charles Kingsfield. Despite some painful moments of confrontation in the classroom with his would be mentor-my favorite: "Mr. Hart, here is a dime. Take it, call your mother, and tell her there is serious doubt about you ever becoming a lawyer"-Hart finds he can play the game and play it well. Having given his mind over to Kingsfield, the question then becomes whether his heart and soul will follow as well. The other members of his study group (which includes Edward Herrmann and James Naughton), make different choices and take different paths in order to survive the year. By the end of the film Hart is more alone than he was at the beginning.

As Kingsfield, John Houseman is the powerful center of the film. A producer and drama teacher for almost half a century, Houseman won the 1973 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and began a new career as an actor in films and a pitchman in television commercials (however, this was not Houseman's first film, since I know he played an admiral in the political thriller "Seven Days in May"). Indeed, Houseman went on to play the Kingsfield character in the ambitious television versions of the movie. However, it is important to note that those who knew Houseman as a producer or teacher were always quick to point out that he really was acting in "The Paper Chase." There might be Harvard professors fighting over the honor of being the real Kingfield, but Houseman was indeed just doing a role.

As the autocratic master of his domain, Kingsfield is very much the antithesis of the traditional dedicated teacher usually presented in films about school, a point driven home in the film's final meeting between Hart and Kingsfield. If there is a happy ending in this film, it is achieved by Hart's character on a personal, almost private level.

The original novel by John Jay Osborn, Jr. was brought to the film my director James Bridges, who also did the screenplay. Although the sub-plot where Hart discovers the young woman of his affections (Lindsay Wagner) is in fact (gasp!) Kingsfield's daughter is decidedly contrived, overall the film is an intelligent and thoughtful piece. If you are a teacher, or are thinking about becoming a teacher, "The Paper Chase" is just as much recommended viewing as the more conventional fare as such classics as "Goodbye, Mr. Chips," "To Sir, With Love," "Up the Down Staircase," or more contemporary efforts such as "Songs of the Heart."

This movie shows the brutal truth about law school more accurately than any other movie made to this date. However, its rather old, and doesnt have much humor to it, so expect a bummed feeling after watching this movie. Its not one of those inspiring movies that leaves you happy or motivated.

I guess the first thing I should mention is that this movie is thirty years old. Today's graduate and professional schools including law school are more diverse than depicted in the film. Also, the John Houseman character is a bit over the top. I like his performance and maybe there are a few characters like him out there, but consider today's political and social climate on campuses. Would Kingsfield get tenure or high marks from his students with this kind of behavior? Possibly, but not highly likely.

It so rare to come across movies with an actual plot these days. If you are in the mood for a legal drama without the courtroom battles, this is for you. Timothy Bottoms is great as Hart a 1st year law student finding out the hardway what it takes to succed at Harvard. John Housman is phenominal as the Contracts professor who is as hard as they come. Excellent story, and some humor. The obligitory love spiel is ok. I like Lindsey Wagner, but its flighty at best, and semi detracts from the film. So with a complaint, why did I give it 5 stars? Because the movie earned it. Its gripping from the start, and holds you to the end. Very enjoyable.

What's the deal with the description on the back of the DVD package that twice (!) lists John Houseman's character as Professor "Knightsfield" (not "Kingsfield", as anyone who's seen the movie would know)? Do the home entertainment folks at Fox even LOOK at the movies before they write the copy? And it's not the first time I've seen inexcusable errors on their home video packaging. Really pathetic quality control. Great movie, though, and it WAS nice to finally see it on DVD. So, I guess I should be grateful. But, hey Fox Guys, next time check your facts BEFORE you go to press. Jeez.

"The Paper Chase" is that movie that terrifies future law students with visions of cut-throat competition and horribly stressful conditions. If you realize it's heavily fiction, you can take if for what it is: a unique movie about high stress and how people react to it. John Houseman is unforgettable as the notorious Prof. Kingsfield.

On the subject of how this movie represents _actual_ law school:
I am currently a law student at a top-20 law school (2003), I have plenty of friends who attend the other top-20 schools in the nation (including Harvard, portrayed here). Even when this film debuted in 1973 it was considered a high dramatization to strike fear in the non-law student. If you're considering law school, watch it realizing that. The Paper Chase shows the darkest view of law school as much as Legally Blonde makes it out to be silly and fun. Law School is neither: it's that boring movie no one would ever pay to see.

With that side note, the movie is a fun diversion. Definitely worth the time to see what all the fuss is about.