Solemplex
To me, this movie is perfection.
Pacionsbo
Absolutely Fantastic
JLRMovieReviews
Jack Lemmon stars in this TV telling of a true incident in our history. When a young lady is killed, her employer (Peter Gallagher) is accused, because of circumstantial evidence, supposedly true testimony of others implicating him, his ladies man reputation, but mostly because he is a Yankee and a Jew in the South. He is given a trial, which isn't quite a fair one. When the sentence is hanging until death and a pardon from the Governor is possible, Governor Jack Lemmon feels the prisoner was given a bum deal, considering the community's prejudice and has qualms about letting the man hang. He goes on his own crusade and investigation to delve deeper into the story. Jack Lemmon has never given a bad performance, and in fact, everyone was very good in their role, especially Dutton in his memorable role. This was a very educational, involved and thoughtful film. "They Won't Forget" with Claude Rains and Lana Turner was another film about this, but that was a loose telling of the story, as it took place in a school setting instead a workplace. I've seen it, and it stands on its own as a good example of hard-hitting drama and movie-making if not totally accurate to the basic facts. After seeing this version though, you may not want to see the older version, as this puts the characters and their feelings first rather than serving their problems up for your entertainment.
john22900
I've seen this movie/miniseries once or twice now and it just gets better with every viewing.The cast is perfect and the acting uniformly superb.The best part is that this is a true story and is based on a true historical murder case.One small problem is that dramatic license has been taken in the telling of certain aspects of the reality which I think detracts from the overall quality a bit. Not really enough to do any serious damage to the film but personally I prefer films that are based on true stories to be absolutely faithful to all aspects of that story. That is my own personal preference. I realize that some parts of the story, namely the lynching and the aftermath of it were horrifying as well as gross but I also think that portraying those elements just as they occurred in history would have made this film an even more powerful movie than it already is.Throughout the history of the cinema there have been antiwar films and anti vigilante films that did not moderate their violence, brutality, savagery and explicitness. Such filmmakers usually are criticized for dwelling on the violence and the grim details. But in my opinion it is precisely those same elements that elevate a mediocre or good film to epic classic stature. Make no mistake. This is by no means a mediocre film. I just wish this film had not been as squeamish as some of those other movies. A minor complaint, I grant you. But still very worth seeing! A must-see for fans of great cinema.
Clara19987
Although it's been a while since I've seen this movie, I had a renewed interest in it when I found out there was a musical of the same story. It's really a truly remarkable and shameful story of American history, and I am glad that such wonderful artists have chosen to bring it back to life. The musical is very good, and the movie is just as lovely. Once again, Peter Gallagher hits the nail right on the head. I've done a lot of research on the real life story, and the movie and musical are very true to it, even in the smallest of details. Thank God for a good story! Everyone needs to see a story like this, and it's a shame that this was only made for TV and not actually released in theatres.
Joseph Harder
The basic story..the railroading and lynching of Leo Frank is true.Their are certain melodramatic touches-Governor Slaton never actually exposed the real killer, for one thing-but on the whole, this is an extremely accurate, and insightful historical drama. The performances by a superb cast are uniformly excellent, and the rich details of the production design succeed in accurately conveying a time and a place that are closer to us than many would like to think.In short, an earnest, stirring, well made TV movie-a "9"
