The Paper Chase (1973)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

James Bridges

Writers:

James Bridges (writer)
John Jay Osborn Jr. (novel)

Release Date:

16 October 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

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.

Plot Keywords:

Study Group | Professor | Harvard | Classroom | Student Mentor Relationship

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Timothy Bottoms	...	James T. Hart
Lindsay Wagner	...	Susan Fields
John Houseman	...	Charles W. Kingsfield Jr.
Graham Beckel	...	Franklin Ford III
James Naughton	...	Kevin Brooks
Edward Herrmann	...	Thomas Craig Anderson
Craig Richard Nelson	...	Willis Bell
Robert Lydiard	...	O'Connor (as Bob Lydiard)
Lenny Baker	...	William Moss, Tutor
David Clennon	...	Toombs
Regina Baff	...	Asheley Brooks
Irma Hurley	...	Mrs. Weasal
Bill Moher	...	Philip
Blair Brown	...	Miss Farranti
Richard Whelan	...	Pruit

Runtime:

113 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Netherlands:12 (original rating) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:15 | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

Thompson Films

Trivia:

Average Shot Length = ~8.7 seconds. Median Shot Length = ~8.1 seconds.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jim jumps on the bed next to Susan, his position next to her changes between shots.

Quotes:

William Moss, Tutor: So you flunked all your practice exams, huh? Every one?
Kevin Brooks: Yeah, every one.
William Moss, Tutor: Aww man, don't look like that, you'll be saved. Every person in this house almost flunked out of law school in their first year. It's not hard to see why; they had broads on the brain. It's the worst thing that can happen to a first-year law student. I don't suppose that's your problem?
Kevin Brooks: No, no. I'm married.
William Moss, Tutor: Well, the vote's split on that, but I've saved all kinds. I moved in here and saved all these dum-dums. They'll all graduate, all from Harvard. Did you bring any samples of your work?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Ties: Paper Chase (#4.24)" (1986)

Soundtrack:

THE 'LITTLE FUGUE' IN G-

This was one of the great films of 1973,and it shows in grand detail.

The year was 1973. The top ten films of that year were sure fire Oscar contenders and some were one of the highest grossing pictures of that year. The Best Pictures of 1973 were "American Graffiti","The Sting", "The Exorcist","Save The Tiger","Cries and Whispers","Paper Moon", "Cinderella Liberty","The Way We Were","Papillon","Serpico","The Last Detail","A Touch Of Class",not to mention the several movies that shattered the box office receipts that were the best of the genre,the action flick/marital arts adventure smash hit "Enter The Dragon",and the Southern crime drama "Walking Tall",and the musical "Jesus Christ Superstar". The movie that took home the statues that year was "The Sting",which won seven Oscars including The Best Picture of that year,1973.

And the one movie that defined a generation,even some who have never seen it,it is still one breathtaking piece of cinematic work,and even 30 years after its release,it still has that impact,and that motion picture,"The Paper Chase" still holds that stance to this day. This was a film that had some great performances,literate screen writing,sensitive direction and handsome production. This was a tale of a young law school student from Minnesota,in his first year of Law at Harvard,is confused by his professional calling versus his inner evolution as a human being,may seemed a bit timeless yet dated,but instead goes into the vortex of his experiences as a student as he goes through the motions here,which gets the audience a series of sideways though entertaining of the thespian declamations. James Bridges directs his own adaptation of the novel by Jay Osborn. Jr. But the performances here are sensational,with Timothy Bottoms,who is excellent as the puzzled law student,Lindsay Wagner as the girl who plays not only his love interest,but is the daughter of a tyrannical college professor. But the one who steals the show is John Houseman,who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1973 gives a outstanding performance as a hard-nosed but urbane law professor. A man who looms over students like a quietly arrogant Goliath. The three players here constitute the pervading plot triangle that gives the picture its intensity-Houseman as the classroom dictator,Bottoms the uncertain supplicant,and Wagner,who plays Houseman's daughter. This is a film that in some places,particularly on college campuses in shown as a midnight movie for student and it is available on video for those who really want to know what the experiences of being a law student is really like. A must see. It is to note,that Houseman later replayed his role of the college professor in a much-respected and Emmy nominated television series based on "The Paper Chase",which ran for six years on television.