IMDb > The Paper Chase (1973)
The Paper Chase
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The Paper Chase (1973) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   2,775 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 3% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
James Bridges
Writers:
James Bridges (writer)
John Jay Osborn Jr. (novel)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Paper Chase on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 October 1973 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Tagline:
You have to choose between the girl you love and the diploma you've worked for all your life. You have 30 seconds.
Plot:
A first-year law student struggles with balancing his coursework and his relationship with the daughter of a stern professor. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(4 articles)
Who Are Your Favorite Movie Professors?
 (From Cinematical. 10 July 2009, 10:02 AM, PDT)

DVD: Review: The Paper Chase: Season One
 (From The AV Club. 14 April 2009, 10:01 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
An education about getting an education more (54 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Runtime:
113 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
Netherlands:12 (original rating) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG
Company:
Thompson Films more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
First film of David Clennon. more
Goofs:
Continuity: When Jim falls on the ice, his position relative to the end of the sidewalk changes. more
Quotes:
Susan: They finally got you, Hart, they sucked all that Midwestern charm right out of you. Look, he's got you scared to death. You're going to pass, because you're the kind the law school wants. more
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in Soul Man (1986) more
Soundtrack:
CONCERTO IN D+ for 3 trumpets, tympani, 2 oboes, strings and harpsichord more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful.
An education about getting an education, 24 October 2001
Author: Ajtlawyer from Richland, WA

Have there been any other movies that are as good about the process of getting an education? Yes, you can guess from my login name that I'm a lawyer. I didn't go to Harvard but I can attest that the student/faculty struggle the movie depicts is realistic (and thankfully confined only to a few traditionalist Socratic profs now). The stress and tension involved in getting a law degree is accurate, too. We had a saying, the first year they scared you to death, the second year they worked you to death, the third year they bored you to death. I'd seen the movie years before I went to law school and then I watched it again a few months after I graduated. I actually started getting sick to my stomach and shifted uneasily in my chair as I watched the classroom scenes. It was the one and only time a movie induced a "flashback" for me and I can understand now why some war veterans cannot watch war movies.

John Houseman hadn't been in a movie in years when he made this one and he got a deserved Oscar for it. Having a babe like Lindsey Wagner would've made law school easier but I wasn't that lucky. On the other hand, the romance in the movie depicts a dilemma that many people find themselves in---they're caught up in an important part of their life such as getting a degree, dealing with a very challenging job, and then suddenly an opportunity for romance comes along. Do you let the romance distract you from your larger cause? "The Competition" was another movie that dealt with that romance vs. career theme and did it well.

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