The Paper Chase (1973)

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

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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:

First film of David Clennon.

Goofs:

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

Quotes:

Susan: I know there's a lot of things to say, but it really isn't worth saying them, so please just get out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Step by Step: The Paper Chase (#3.4)" (1993)

Soundtrack:

PARTITA NO. 4 IN D+

The craziness of the first-year law student...

Timothy Bottoms battles through his first year at Harvard Law School, attempting to stay one step ahead of his no-nonsense professor, but inadvertently falling for the instructor's comely daughter (Lindsay Wagner, pre-"Bionic Woman"). Director/screenwriter James Bridges adapted the script from John Jay Osborn, Jr.'s book, and does a pretty good job realizing the many pressures of academia. Bridges was the perfect director to work in 1970s cinema, and, with Gordon Willis' cinematography, he brings a gritty yet unshowy style to the movie that looks good without ever seeming pretentious. On the other hand, there's nothing very colorful about lectures or study groups no matter how polished the handling. Certainly worth-seeing for the acting alone, with John Houseman giving an Oscar-winning supporting performance (he was later tapped to the star in the television spin-off). **1/2 from ****