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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Ludovic Kennedy (book)
William Nicholson (teleplay)
Release Date:
14 September 1996 (USA) more
Plot:
In 1932, the nation was shocked when the 14-month-old son of Charles Lindberg was kidnapped, held for ransom... more | add synopsis
Awards:
Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 5 nominations more
User Comments:
Faithful treatment of a horrendous injustice more (7 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Stephen Rea | ... | Bruno Richard Hauptmann | |
| Isabella Rossellini | ... | Anna Hauptmann | |
| J.T. Walsh | ... | Col. Norman Schwarzkopf | |
| Michael Moriarty | ... | Governor Harold Hoffman | |
| Allen Garfield | ... | Lt. James Finn | |
| John Harkins | ... | Edward Reilly | |
| Barry Primus | ... | Ellis Parker | |
| David Paymer | ... | David Wilentz | |
| Bert Remsen | ... | Dr. John Condon | |
| Don Harvey | ... | Lt. Gus Kramer | |
| Gerald S. O'Loughlin | ... | Commissioner ORyan | |
| Stefan Gierasch | ... | Albert Osborn Sr. | |
| Jay Acovone | ... | Sgt. Wallace | |
| Vyto Ruginis | ... | Lloyd Fisher | |
| Scott N. Stevens | ... | Col. Charles Lindbergh |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated PG-13 for some intense thematic elements, including an execution scene.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
114 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.78 : 1 more
Certification:
Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Father of Barbara Broccoli, Albert, waved to Lindbergh and he waved back, from the Spirit Of St.Louis in the air. more
Movie Connections:
Version of The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976) (TV) more
FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (7 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Crime of the Century (1996) (TV)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
|---|---|
| Does this sad story deserve to be told on a huge screen? | Samfortune2004 |
| So how much of this is true? | rgcustomer |
| DVD Release | andgiles |
| Where can I get a copy? | green-elf |
Recommendations
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| The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case | Changeling | Evil Angels | Call Northside 777 | From Hell |
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IMDb User Rating:
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Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| IMDb Crime section | IMDb USA section | Add this title to MyMovies |


If you're a justice freak like me, you'll find the film difficult to watch because the subject matter is inherently upsetting, but you'll also be glad that it's being told at all. There have been various theories about the real killer of the Lindbergh baby, the most compelling of which is the theory that Lindbergh himself did it accidentally and was able to engineer the high-level cover-up that ended in Hauptmann's execution. This movie doesn't go there, but I recognized many of the passages in this movie, especially the court scenes, as being taken directly from facts and court transcripts. As usual with HBO movies, the production level and performances are excellent. Stephen Rea (Hauptmann) is very moving as he somewhat naively maintains to the bitter end his faith that our legal system, which is so blatantly railroading him to a death sentence, will eventually come to its senses. Isabella Rossellini captured the devotion and dignity of Anna Hauptmann, whom I met in the 1970s when she was being interviewed for a magazine. Scenes of the powers-that-be finagling their conviction were effectively banal, and nauseating, and the final execution scene conveys the unreal horror Hauptmann himself must have experienced -- his speechlessness when they ask him for a statement as he's being strapped into the electric chair says it all, and it's devastating. To tell the truth, I would have given this film high marks simply for telling this story, but it was so well done that it deserves the high marks anyway. I was slightly disappointed that the ending didn't show more about Anna Hauptmann's incredible 60-year effort to clear her husband's name, an untold story. However, Rea and Rossellini were so good that I kept watching. A very ugly story that, as Hauptmann himself said in one of his final letters, will never go away