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 falls on the ice, his position relative to the end of the sidewalk changes.

Quotes:

Kingsfield: Mister Hart, here is a dime. Take it, call your mother, and tell her there is serious doubt about you ever becoming a lawyer.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

THE 'LITTLE FUGUE' IN G-

MISTER Hart............

Story of Bottoms and cohorts trying to make it through first year of Harvard Law. Of anything I ever saw this is the one movie that made me want to go to law school. It's one of those treasured movies I feel like I lived; I actually used to set my watch, sit back and smile before my exams just like my boy Timothy. Bottoms perfectly captures the feel of a smart, hip and modest kid from the sticks trying to hang tough in the pressure cooker. Houseman was a behind-the-scenes movie guy who became an overnight sensation with his portrayal of the brilliant, caustic Professor Kingsfield. Wagner is hauntingly beautiful as Bottom's elusive love interest. I don't know how someone first viewing this film today would look at it, but it still has a classic, timeless quality for me and I highly recommend it.