Portia on Trial

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Movie
German title Portia on Trial
Original title Portia on Trial
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1937
length 72 minutes
Rod
Director George Nicholls Jr.
script Samuel Ornitz
Edward E. Paramone Jr. Assist
: Faith Baldwin
production Albert E. Levoy
music Alberto Colombo
camera Harry J. Wild
cut Howard O'Neill
occupation

Portia on Trial is an American judicial drama directed by George Nicholls Jr. that stars Walter Abel , Frieda Inescort , Neil Hamilton and Heather Angel .

The film is based on a story by the American writer Faith Baldwin.

action

Portia Merriman, a lawyer, specializes in representing women who are oppressed in court. It has to do with their own history. Often she has to do with her boyfriend Dan Foster, who is a district attorney . When Portia learns that Earle and Richard Condon, who lived in England for a long time , are back in the US, she is worried. Earle and Richard are the son and grandson of the famous newspaper magnate John Condon. Portia instructs her coworkers Efe and Hank to keep a close eye on Richard as she has a certain guess. Portia knows the newspaper magnate hates her. When she learns that Richard has a mysterious fever, she hurries to the Condons' house, alarmed. Portia is Richard's mother, but Richard does not know. The doctor present at the moment assures Portia that Richard will recover and that the fever will not cause any permanent damage. Portia is even allowed to take a look at her son.

In the following years Portia offers her boyfriend Dan to end their relationship, because he is currently running for re-election and it would be better for him not to be seen with her, which Dan refuses. There is a party soon after, and Earle and Richard are also present. On this occasion, Portia met Elizabeth Manners, Earle's German fiancée. Richard, in turn, is impressed by the beautiful, funny woman and when Earle later tells him that Portia is his mother, he is genuinely happy. Much to the chagrin of John Condon, an ever closer bond develops between Richard and Portia. John was the driving force at the time, undermining her connection with Earle and ultimately forcing her to abandon all of her claims on her baby after he had her marriage to Earle annulled.

Even now, John tries to interfere again and manipulate his son. Elizabeth is convinced that her father-in-law has again managed to impose his will on Earle, and that he now wants to deport her just as he did Portia. In a fit of despair and anger, she kills the man she actually loves. Jane Wilkins, Portia's secretary and best friend, gets her to take on Elizabeth's defense. Now John tries to use all his possibilities to make Portia's defense fail. However, the lawyer succeeds in outsmarting John with a legal maneuver so that nothing stands in the way of opening the case. Portia bases her defense on the fact that she argues for her client that it was John who triggered this act in Elizabeth, as he had repeatedly driven her to the edge of madness over the years. The attorney also brings up that John had already massively intervened in her own relationship with his son Earle and at the time almost drove her to commit suicide, which was his intention.

When John realizes that there is no point anymore, he finally admits that the affidavit that he blackmailed was not true and takes full responsibility for the death of his son Earle. Dan, who was investigating the case, questions the jury, and they declare Elizabeth not guilty. Portia and her son Richard are still hugging in the courtroom.

background

The shooting of the film began on August 6, 1937, and ended on August 31, 1937. The film premiered in the USA on November 8, 1937. It was not released in theaters in Germany or Austria.

Originally the film was supposed to be started under the title Faith Baldwin Portia on Trial . The American writer Faith Baldwin wrote the template for this story. However, there was no agreement on the extent of the script contribution adapted from the original by Gordon Rigby and Cromwell Ormsby. There were some quarrels about the script and it had to be rewritten several times. Helen Gahagan , who was originally slated to star in Portia, was replaced by Frieda Inescourt, and Walter Abel and Barbara Pfeffer were loaned to Republic Pictures to produce RKO. The specialist magazine The Hollywood Reporter said that one cannot avoid comparing Walter Abel's big court scene as a public prosecutor with the MGM film Fury (German title Blinde Wut ). The Canadian province of Québec refused to distribute the film on the grounds that it would create “an impermissible sympathy for a murderer”.

Awards

At the Oscar ceremony in 1938 was Alberto Colombo in the category "Best Original Score" for the Oscar nominated, but had to go first Charles Previn for his film comedy 100 men and a girl ( One Hundred Men and a Girl left).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Portia on Trial at TCM - Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 22, 2013.