Trial film


Trial film is a subgenre of the legal/courtroom drama that encompasses films that are centered on a civil or criminal trial, typically a trial by jury.
The trial genre differs from the broader courtroom drama in that the latter includes any film in which a justice system plays an integral role in the film's narrative, and thus does not necessarily require the inclusion of a legal trial.

Notable films

In 1989, the American Bar Association rated the 12 best trial films of all time in their ABA Journal, providing a detailed and reasoned legal evaluation for its choices. Ten of the films are in English; M is in German and The Passion of Joan of Arc is a French silent film. Moreover, ten of them take place in a courtroom.
In 2008, the American Film Institute compiled its own "courtroom drama" top-ten list, five films of which were also on the ABA list.
The ABA also published a list of the 12 best trial stageplays, noting that the transition from film to the stage is sometimes difficult. It also has an extensive honorable mention list.
TitleRelease yearTop ten listNotes
12 Angry Men1957American Bar Association ;
American Film Institute 		Nominated for 3 Academy Awards.
A Cry in the Dark1988AFINominated for an Academy Award, based on a real trial.
A Few Good Men1992AFICourt-martial
A Man for All Seasons1966ABA and AFINominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning 6. Based on a real trial.
In Cold Blood1967AFINominated for 4 Academy Awards. Based on a real trial.
Anatomy of a Murder1959ABA and AFINominated for 7 Academy Awards. Based on a real trial.
Inherit the Wind1960ABA and AFINominated for 4 Academy Awards. Based on a real trial.
Judgment at Nuremberg1961ABANominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning 2. Based on a real trial.
Kramer vs. Kramer1979AFINominated for 9 Academy Awards, winning 5 of them.
M1931ABA
Paths of Glory1957ABABased on a real court-martial.
The Passion of Joan of Arc1928ABABased on a real trial.
The Trial1962ABA
The Wrong Man1957ABABased on a real trial.
To Kill a Mockingbird1962ABA and AFINominated for 8 Academy Awards, winning 3.
The Verdict1982ABA and AFINominated for 5 Academy Awards.
Witness for the Prosecution1957AFINominated for 6 Academy Awards.

Varieties

Aside from the first few minutes of the film, 12 Angry Men does not take place in a courtroom. It views the particular case and the system of justice through the prism of jury deliberations. The film explains practical explications of legal concepts basic to the American system of justice, and their effect on a particular trial and defendant. Those include the presumption of innocence, burden of proof, and the requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
The trial in M does not take place in a legal courtroom; rather, crime syndicate leaders along with the city's underground hold proceedings in a warehouse. Despite the lack of legal trappings, "it is one of the most effective trials ever filmed, questioning our notions of justice and revenge, mob rule and order, power and responsibility." Wearing long leather coats instead of robes, criminals become judges. The murderer is cast as the victim, while the forces of law and order must rely on luck. Peter Lorre strikingly raises the issue of his culpability due to alleged insanity, and the imposition of ultimate retributive justice is depicted as being unsatisfying for society and the survivors of the murdered victims.
Courtroom films are typically dramas, but there have been several comedy films centering around trials, including Adam's Rib, My Cousin Vinny, and Legally Blonde.

Military trial films

The military trial film is a subtype of the trial genre that focuses on military trials.
They typically include conflicting questions of loyalty, command responsibility, ethical rules and rules of engagement, obedience to superior authority, politics and class conflict. War and trials are good foils for one another. The struggles are perennial and engaging. A partial list includes:
TitleRelease yearDescription
The Caine Mutiny1954Based on the 1951 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk, the film depicted the strongly contested court-martial of the executive officer of the U.S. Navy destroyer minesweeper USS Caine Lieutenant Stephen Maryk for mutiny against Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg in the Pacific War during War II and a particularly dynamic cross-examination, in which Captain Queeg acts out one of film's most dramatic meltdowns.
Paths of Glory1957black and white depiction of a corrupt World War I French court martial leading to a firing squad, and a 'futility of war' conclusion. It was directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Kirk Douglas as the failed defense attorney.
Town Without Pity1961Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington were nominated for an Academy Award for the theme song, "Town Without Pity", which was sung by Gene Pitney.
King and Country1964In the trenches in France during World War I, a British captain has to defend a shell-shocked private, who is charged with desertion. The film was directed by Joseph Losey.
Breaker Morant1980A court martial of Australian soldiers, including Harry 'Breaker' Morant, by their British commanders in the aftermath of the Boer War in South Africa. The film details the tribulations of the defense counsel and the defendants, as they try to throw a wrench into the administrative gears of Morant's court martial. Anticipating the Nuremberg trials and the defense of "superior orders", the soldiers' main defense is that they were doing their duty as they understood it, and following orders and policy from above. Nevertheless, this "kangaroo court" moves to its inevitable conclusion. The film was nominated for an Academy Award.
A Few Good Men1992released after the ABA's list was compiled, the film contains the famous "You can't handle the truth" exchange. The film was adapted from a Broadway play written by Aaron Sorkin, and acted by Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson.
Rules of Engagement2000Marine Colonel Terry Childers is brought to court-martial on charges of disobeying the rules of engagement in a military incident at an American embassy in Yemen, with flashbacks to Vietnam.
Shaurya2008a Hindi-language film based on the backdrop of the Kashmir conflict, and directed by Samar Khan starring Rahul Bose and Kay Kay Menon in lead roles.
Melvilasom2011a Malayalam-language film based on Soorya Krishna Moorthy's stage play of the same name, which itself was based on the play Court Martial by Swadesh Deepak.
American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally2021It is based on the life of Mildred Gillars, an American singer and actor who during World War II broadcast Nazi propaganda to US troops and their families back home.
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial2023Another adaptation of the novel The Caine Mutiny, where Lieutenant Commander Queeg was portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland and Lieutenant Maryk was portrayed by Jake Lacy. The mutiny is set in the Persian Gulf in December 2022 instead of the Pacific War in World War II as set in the book and the 1954 film.

Religious trial films

God on Trial is a BBC/WGBH Boston television play that takes place in Auschwitz during World War II. The Jewish prisoners put God on trial in absentia for abandoning the Jewish people by allowing Nazi Germany to commit genocide.The Passion of the Christ, in which Jesus Christ is alternately tried by Herod Antipas and Pontius Pilate and ultimately executed by Pilate. Nominated for three Academy Awards.The Devil and Daniel Webster features Walter Huston as the Devil arguing for a man's soul. Huston was nominated for the Best Actor in a Leading Role Academy Award.

Historical trial films

Historical trial films are noted for frequently taking dramatic liberties with historical accounts for the purposes of simplifying the storyline, exaggerating dramatic effects, or pressing a point with the audience.An American Tragedy, a 1931 drama directed by Josef von Sternberg, based on the historic 1906 murder of Grace Brown by Chester Gillette at Big Moose Lake in upstate New York.The Prisoner of Shark Island, a 1936 biopic directed by John Ford, loosely based on the life of Maryland physician Samuel Mudd, who treated the injured presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth and later spent time in prison after his controversial conviction for being one of Booth's accomplices.They Won't Forget, a 1937 drama film directed by Mervyn LeRoy, providing a fictionalized account of the trial and subsequent lynching of Leo Frank after the murder of Mary Phagan in 1913.Young Mr. Lincoln, a 1939 biopic of Abraham Lincoln directed by John Ford.The Letter, a 1940 film directed by William Wyler, inspired by the Ethel Proudlock case, a real-life scandal involving the Eurasian wife of the headmaster of a school in Kuala Lumpur who was convicted in a murder trial after shooting dead a male friend.Boomerang, a 1947 American crime semidocumentary film based on the true story of a vagrant accused of murdering a clergyman.The Girl in the Red Velvet Swing, a 1955 American fictionalized account of model and actress Evelyn Nesbit, who became embroiled in the scandal surrounding the June 1906 murder of her paramour, architect Stanford White, by her husband, rail and coal tycoon Harry Kendall Thaw.The Accused, a legal drama starring Jodie Foster, loosely based on the 1983 gang rape case of Cheryl Araujo.JFK is an American conspiracy-thriller film that examines the events leading to the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and it alleged cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison. The film culminates in the 1969 trial of businessman Clay Shaw for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to assassinate the president.In the Name of the Father, a 1993 biographical crime drama film based on the true story of the Guildford Four, four people falsely convicted of the 1974 Guildford pub bombings that killed four off-duty British soldiers and a civilian.Murder in the First, a 1995 American legal drama that tells the alternate history of a petty criminal named Henri Young who is sent to Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary and later put on trial for murder in the first degreeAmistad is a historical drama, directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the true story of an uprising in 1839 by newly-captured African slaves that took place aboard the ship La Amistad off the coast of Cuba, the subsequent voyage to the northeastern United States, and the legal battle that followed their capture by a U.S. revenue cutter. It was nominated for four Academy Awards.A Civil Action is a film based on the 1996 nonfiction novel of the same name. It stars John Travolta and Robert Duvall, the latter having been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for the film.Find Me Guilty, a 2006 comedy-drama based on the true story of the trial of Jackie DiNorscio, the longest Mafia trial in American history.Flash of Genius, a 2008 American biographical drama film focusing on Robert Kearns and his legal battle against the Ford Motor Company after they developed an intermittent windshield wiper based on Kearns' patented invention.Bernie is a black comedy film based on the real-life 1996 murder of 81-year-old millionaire Marjorie Nugent in Carthage, Texas by her companion Bernhardt "Bernie" Tiede. Tiede having been extremely well-liked in his local community, the film explores the trial process and the popular support he received, which caused great difficulties for the prosecution.Gosnell: The Trial of America's Biggest Serial Killer, a 2018 American drama film based on real life events about Kermit Gosnell, a physician and highly atypical abortion provider who was convicted of first degree murder in the deaths of three infants born alive.The Trial of the Chicago 7 is a legal drama focused on the trial of the so-called 'Chicago Seven' in the late 1960s to early 1970.

Comedies

Judge Priest, a 1934 Will Rogers comedy directed by John Ford.Roxie Hart, 1942 comedy directed by William Wellman.

Other examples

Fury, a 1936 drama directed by Fritz Lang.Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, a 1936 film by Frank Capra.The Return of Frank James, a 1940 western directed by Fritz Lang.The Devil and Daniel Webster, a 1941 fantasy film directed by William Dieterle.The Ox-Bow Incident, unusual in that the trial does not take place in a formal court room, but is a vote among a posse that turns into a lynch mob. Directed by William A. Wellman, and starring Henry Fonda. It was nominated for Best Picture Oscar in 1943.Leave Her to Heaven, a 1945 film noir directed by John M. Stahl.The Lady from Shanghai, a 1947 film noir directed and starring Orson Welles.The Paradine Case, a 1947 film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Pinky, a 1949 film directed by Elia Kazan.Knock on Any Door, a 1949 American courtroom trial film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and starring Humphrey Bogart.Rashomon, a 1950 film directed by Akira Kurosawa.A Place in the Sun, a 1951 drama film directed by George Stevens.The Sun Shines Bright, 1953 remake directed by John Ford.The Phenix City Story, a 1955 film noir crime film directed by Phil Karlson.Trial, a 1955 American drama film about a Mexican boy accused of rape and murder; originally victimized by prejudiced accusers, he becomes a pawn of his communist defender, whose propaganda purposes would be best served by a verdict of guilty.The Tattered Dress, a 1957 film noir crime film centering on two trials, the first of a wealthy man charged with a murder, and the second of the wealthy man's defense attorney, who is framed for bribing a juror in the first case.Gunman's Walk, a 1958 western directed by Phil Karlson.I Confess, a 1953 American film noir directed by Alfred Hitchcock.The Wreck of the Mary Deare is told in flashbacks as witnesses give their account of a story during an Admiralty court proceeding.Compulsion, a 1959 film directed by Richard Fleischer.Sergeant Rutledge, a 1960 western directed by John Ford.It Started in Naples, a 1960 film directed by Melville Shavelson.La Vérité, a 1960 film directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot.The Boys, a 1962 British courtroom drama film revolving around four teenagers trial for the murder of a garage night watchman in the course of a burglaryThe Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, a 1962 western directed by John Ford.The Last Wave, a 1977 Australian mystery drama film directed by Peter Weir, about a white solicitor in Sydney whose seemingly normal life is disrupted after he takes on a murder case and discovers that he shares a strange, mystical connection with the small group of local Aboriginal people accused of the crime....And Justice for All, directed by Norman Jewison and nominated for 2 Academy Awards, examines the flawed and human, venal, and immoral side of justice, focusing on all-too-human judges. As Norman Webster wrote, the film "is a sweeping – and somewhat simple-minded – indictment of the American justice system." The film can be seen from the perspective of Judicial Qualifications Commissions, which are judicial agencies charged with overseeing judicial performance and conduct. From that end, the indictment of the courts and judicial system are not so outlandish as might be supposed. Starred Al Pacino, Jack Warden, and John Forsythe.A Passage to India, a 1984 film set in colonial India: a doctor is wrongly accused of a sexual assault by an English newcomerSuspect, a 1987 American legal mystery thriller film starring Cher as Kathleen Riley, a beleaguered D.C. public defender assigned to represent homeless veteran Carl Wayne Anderson accused of a murder because he was seen sleeping in the victim's car the night of her murder. Music Box, a 1989 film about a Hungarian-American immigrant accused of having been a war criminal, and defended by his daughter, an attorney.Presumed Innocent is a film directed by Alan J. Pakula, adapted from the novel of the same name by Scott Turow, in which an assistant district attorney is on trial, framed for the murder of another assistant DA. The film received several nominations for its screenplay, written by Alan J. Pakula and Frank Pierson.Q & A, a 1990 American crime film written and directed by Sidney Lumet, based on a novel by New York State Supreme Court judge Edwin Torres.