| AllExperts > Encyclopedia | |
 |
A Civil Action: Encyclopedia BETAFree Encyclopedia |
| Index · Browse A-Z | · Questions and Answers · |
|
Plot summaryJan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) is a successful lawyer who is practically his own entrepreneur. He is an eligible bachelor with a nice car, a nice house, and a career that has amassed huge rewards. Not to mention being the founder and practice of the lucrative law firm he runs with his Boston partners, all in a case's settlement. However, one day he recives a call from a woman, Anne Anderson, who informs Jan his firm is handling the case of the town's deceased children against a giant food conglomerate, with the accusation of their companies are responsible for poisoning their children and afflicting them fatally with cancer. Hesitant at first, he almost turns the case away. But after some accidental detective work, he realizes he has a potential case. Jan believes this is one more case he can easily win and make a fortune, as well as a name for he and his firm. With a class action lawsuit to file, Jan willingly puts himself and his firm as representatives of those families. However, it is a tort so expensive and huge, that it could ruin Jan: ruin his pride, his ambition, and ultimately, his career. As the pressures of the case begin to take their toll on both the plaintiff and defense attorneys (as well as the families of course), Jan is about to realize that he has taken on the biggest case of his life, and there is a price to pay. But the defense (Robert Duvall) is unwilling to capitulate so easily to this ambulance chasing lawyer. All in all, it comes down to a settlement, with one dismissal, and a hopeful appeals process. MusicThe music score was written by Danny Elfman.Other songs include: *"There's a Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" **Brian Setzer Orchestra *"Hard Workin' Man" (featured on the opening credits) **Written by Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder, Paul Schrader **Performed by Captain Beefheart **Courtesy of MCA Records; under license from Universal Music Special Markets *"Little Drummer Boy" **Written by Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone **Performed by Vienna Boys Choir; London Symphony Orchestra **Courtesy of Sony Music Special Products, a division of Sony Music Entertainment *"Take Me To The River" **Written by Al Green and Mabon Hodges **Performed by Talking Heads **Courtesy of Sire Records Company, by arrangement with Warner Special Products and licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd. *"Theme From A Summer Place" **Written by Max Steiner Certification*MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some strong language (certificate #36309)*Iceland:L *Argentina:13 *Australia:M (original rating)/Australia:PG (TV rating) *Chile:14 *Finland:K-12 *France:U *Germany:12 (w) *Norway:7 *Peru:14 *Portugal:M/12 *Spain:T *Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) /Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) *UK:15 *Singapore:PG Awards*Academy Awards, USA**Nominated: Oscar Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Duvall) **Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall) *Blockbuster Entertainment Awards **Nominated: Favorite Actor - Drama (John Travolta) **Favorite Supporting Actor: Drama (Robert Duvall) *Boston Society of Film Critics Awards **Won: BSFC Award Best Supporting Actor (William H. Macy, also for Pleasantville (1998) and Psycho (1998).) **Tied with Billy Bob Thornton for A Simple Plan (1998). *Chicago Film Critics Association Awards **Nominated: CFCA Award Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall) *Florida Film Critics Circle Awards **Won: FFCC Award Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall) **Golden Globes, USA **Nominated: Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Robert Duvall) *Political Film Society, USA **Won: PFS Award Human Rights *Satellite Awards **Nominated: Golden Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Drama (Robert Duvall) *Screen Actors Guild Awards **Won: Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Duvall) *USC Scripter Award **Won USC Scripter Award (Jonathan Harr (author), Steven Zaillian (screenwriter)) *Writers Guild of America, USA **Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published TriviaThis is the second Paramount/Touchstone co-production to star Travolta, after 1997's Face/Off.External links*Beyond A Civil Action hosted by W. R. Grace & Co. See also*W. R. Grace and Company
|
|||||||||||||||
| About Us | Advertise on This Site | User Agreement | Privacy Policy | Kids' Privacy Policy | Help About and About.com are registered trademarks of About, Inc. The About logo is a trademark of About, Inc. All rights reserved. This is the "GNU Free Documentation License" reference article from the English Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer. |