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:

Father of Barbara Broccoli, Albert, waved to Lindbergh and he waved back, from the Spirit Of St.Louis in the air.

Movie Connections:

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

Faithful treatment of a horrendous injustice

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