A Time for Film
For Winter Break Viewing, Faculty Recommend Favorite Movies on Lawyering
Looking for a movie to watch over winter break? Faculty at the University of Virginia School of Law recently shared their favorite films on lawyering, with picks drawn from history, literature and current events.
Rachel Bayefsky
Bayefsky writes about constitutional law, federal courts, civil procedure and legal theory.
“I would recommend ‘Woman in Gold’ starring Helen Mirren. The movie tells the story of an elderly Jewish woman who seeks to recover a well-known painting stolen from her family by the Nazis, with the trusty aid of the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.”
George Cohen
Cohen teaches contracts, professional responsibility, and agency and partnership. He has also taught antitrust and law and economics.
“The movie I would recommend is ‘The Firm.’ It’s got great acting, a compelling story and lots of ethical issues!”
Thomas Frampton and Kelly Orians
Frampton and Orians, who are married, made a recommendation jointly. Frampton’s work focuses on the intersection of criminal law, racial inequality and social hierarchies. Orians is an expert on helping formerly incarcerated people reenter society and prevent recidivism, and she directs the Decarceration and Community Reentry Clinic.
“‘The Advocate’ follows a Jewish-Israeli attorney and her Palestinian co-counsel as they defend Palestinians accused of security offenses tried in Israeli courts. We like this film because of the complex ethical questions (and complex characters) it presents, as well as the insider view of a court system that is the topic of frequent debate but rarely available to public view.”
Risa Goluboff
Goluboff, the 12th dean of the Law School, is a legal historian whose scholarship and teaching focuses on American constitutional and civil rights law.
“I recommend ‘Bridge of Spies,’ which raises important issues about legal ethics. It highlights the duty of the lawyer to represent clients zealously, in this case an unpopular client in a politically contentious time.”
A. E. Dick Howard ’61
Howard is widely acknowledged as an expert in the fields of constitutional law, comparative constitutionalism and the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Whatever one’s choice of recent films (for example, adaptations of John Grisham), lawyers, especially younger ones, should be sure that they have seen some of the iconic films from earlier years. Examples of essential viewing would include:
“‘To Kill a Mockingbird’: Today, there is sharp debate about whether the book on which this movie is based indulges in time-bound stereotypes. But the film remains a classic picture of courage in the face of community attitudes. Gregory Peck earned his Academy Award for his portrayal of Atticus Finch.
“‘12 Angry Men’: A vivid picture of what goes on in the jury room. When I keynoted a conference in Munich on German and American legal culture, the German professor who organized the event said he shows this movie to his students for them to get a sense of law in America.
“‘Judgment at Nuremberg’: This stirring film reminds us of the place law plays — or should play — on the international stage. Director Stanley Kramer brought strong moral judgments about social issues to a number of films (‘Inherit the Wind,’ ‘On the Beach,’ ‘Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner’). This film, about the 1948 war crimes trials, remains intensely relevant in an age when we follow the news from unhappy places like Ukraine and the Middle East.
“Other films could be cited. But you get the point. Watch the classics, then move on to contemporary fare.”
David S. Law
Law is an internationally recognized expert in the comparative study of public law and courts. He is the author of the 2022 textbook “Constitutionalism in Context.”
“I recommend ‘Red (Rouge),’ the last film in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Trois Couleurs trilogy. Each film in the trilogy has as its theme one of the three core political ideals of the French Republic: liberté, egalité, fraternité. ‘Red’ is on fraternité. This capstone trilogy by the Polish master is a high point in francophone cinema and ranks among the best films ever made, with ‘Red’ arguably the best of the bunch and Kieslowski’s best work. He died shortly after its release. It should be of particular interest to law students because it exposes viewers incidentally to the very different structure of legal education and the judiciary in civil law countries such as France. Lead characters include a retired judge and a young man fresh out of judge school — yes, ‘judge school.’”
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