Milestones in Cinema History: The Verdict (2007)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Fun, informative documentary about the making of THE VERDICT features interviews with director Sidney Lumet, stars Paul Newman and Lindsay Crouse, producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck and film historian Richard Jewell. At just 22-minutes there's nothing overly ground-breaking here but it's clear that everyone involved quickly knew that they were working on something special. Newman talks about how it was one of the greatest roles of his career and what he saw in the character. The most interesting talk happens early on when the producers discuss how they originally rejected David Mamet's screenplay and what they did to really insult the writer. From here they talk about the other drafts and how they ended back up with the Mamet script. They also talk about how every leading man from Cary Grant to Frank Sinatra wanted to do the part. Fans of THE VERDICT are going to love getting to hear from the main people behind the production as they really do give you a clear idea of what it was like shooting the picture and there's even some interesting talk about a certain scene that the studio wanted changed.
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Fun, informative documentary about the making of THE VERDICT features interviews with director Sidney Lumet, stars Paul Newman and Lindsay Crouse, producers David Brown and Richard Zanuck and film historian Richard Jewell. At just 22-minutes there's nothing overly ground-breaking here but it's clear that everyone involved quickly knew that they were working on something special. Newman talks about how it was one of the greatest roles of his career and what he saw in the character. The most interesting talk happens early on when the producers discuss how they originally rejected David Mamet's screenplay and what they did to really insult the writer. From here they talk about the other drafts and how they ended back up with the Mamet script. They also talk about how every leading man from Cary Grant to Frank Sinatra wanted to do the part. Fans of THE VERDICT are going to love getting to hear from the main people behind the production as they really do give you a clear idea of what it was like shooting the picture and there's even some interesting talk about a certain scene that the studio wanted changed.