Indictment: The McMartin Trial (1995) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Mick Jackson

Writers (WGA):

Abby Mann (written by) &
Myra Mann (written by)

Release Date:

20 May 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Plot:

The McMartin family's lives are turned upside down when they are accused of serious child molestation...

Plot Keywords:

Trial | Child Molestation | Children | School | Law

Awards:

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 5 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

James Woods	...	Danny Davis
Mercedes Ruehl	...	Lael Rubin
Lolita Davidovich	...	Kee McFarlane
Sada Thompson	...	Virginia McMartin
Henry Thomas	...	Ray Buckey
Shirley Knight	...	Peggy Buckey
Mark Blum	...	Wayne Satz
Alison Elliott	...	Peggy Ann Buckey
Chelsea Field	...	Christine Johnson
Joe Urla	...	Glenn Stevens
Scott Waara	...	Dean Gits
Valerie Wildman	...	Diana Sullivan
Richard Bradford	...	Ira Reiner
Roberta Bassin	...	Judy Johnson
Patricia Belcher	...	Juror #1

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic language and disturbing visuals related to a trial.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | USA:R | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Abby Mann Productions

Trivia:

The real-life Peggy McMartin Buckey, imprisoned for two years while awaiting the outcome of the most protracted U.S. criminal molestation case targeting her family's preschool, died December 15, 2000. She, her mother Virginia McMartin and her son Ray Buckey were charged, with four others, with 100 counts of child molestation in 1983. The case lasted seven years and cost Los Angeles County $13 million. Peggy was acquitted in 1990 after a three-year trial; Ray, incarcerated for five years, was acquitted of 40 counts. Critics said the case pinpointed the danger of basing criminal charges solely on the testimony of young children.

Movie Connections:

Features "ABC Evening News" (1953)

Crucible

Fat-free account of the legal crucifixion of a pre-school teacher and his mother, caught in the frenzy of an anti-molestation movement. The screenwriter, Abby Mann, sticks to the transcripts, and so the pungent subtext is seen only glancingly: the mania of save-our-children parents, obsessed either by their own guilt or an overidentification with wounded innocents. Gripping from start to finish, the movie also features a rarity: a hyped-up James Woods performance as the defense attorney that is, for once, trim and in keeping with the surroundings.