Crime of the Century (1996) (TV)

Director:

Mark Rydell

Writers (WGA):

Ludovic Kennedy (book)
William Nicholson (teleplay)

Release Date:

14 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

In 1932, the nation was shocked when the 14-month-old son of Charles Lindberg was kidnapped, held for ransom...

Plot Keywords:

Miscarriage Of Justice | Kidnapping | Lindbergh Kidnapping | 1930s | Sergeant

Awards:

Nominated for 4 Golden Globes. Another 5 nominations

Cast

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

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some intense thematic elements, including an execution scene.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White | Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo | Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Netherlands:12 | UK:15 (video premiere) | USA:PG-13

Company:

Astoria Productions Ltd.

Trivia:

The character, Col. H. Norman Schwarzkopf played here by J.T. Walsh, was the father of Norman Schwarzkopf of Desert Storm fame.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case (1976) (TV)

Who dunnit? If you don't know already, this movie will not help you.

Crime of the Century fails much in the same way the system of justice failed in the prosecution of for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's baby in the 1930s, not enough evidence.

I know Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond) to be an extremely sensitive filmmaker and stage director, his motivation here, I'm sure was to present an alternative to Hauptmann's guilt, to entertain ideas that the prosecution may have erred. The evidence was only circumstantial, of the course the crime was horrible, but Hauptmann's execution may have been more a result of public outrage than guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

And he may be right, based on everything I've read, he probably is right. Unfortunately all the probabilities in the world add up to nothing on screen. After only a couple of suppositions the viewer gets so lost in the ultimate goal of the story that he loses interest. I've watched this film 3 times, and lost interest every time.

What a waste of terrific actors, including Stephen Rea, J.T. Walsh, Michael Moriarty, Vyto Ruginis, Barry Primus, and Allen Garfield.

Without closure, as long we as know as little as we do about what actually happened, maybe this story is best left to the true-crime section of the local bookstore, or Investigative Reports, Dateline, or 20/20. Told this way, in this medium it's a sad waste of time.