The Verdict Collector’s Edition
Studio: Fox
WorkNameSort: Verdict Collector’s Edition , The
One of three Paul Newman classics reissued in sterling two-disc sets from Fox, this Verdict Collector’s Edition is more than anyone can ask for. It suffers from redundancy, even, with at least two of its five featurettes re-packaging material already available elsewhere. But the verdict is in on the gorgeous anamorphic transfer, for a film well worthy of one. This perfectly crystallized harmony of David Mamet’s caustically honest script, Sidney Lumet’s workman-like direction and Newman’s poignant lead performance produced, in 1982, the greatest courtroom drama since Anatomy of a Murder, a title it surely still holds. Newman acts more with his eyes than most actors do with every word, gesture and physical movement at their disposal, and this deliberately paced ‘ yet fast-moving ‘ redemption story gives him plenty of space to communicate without words. The featurette Paul Newman: The Craft of Acting touches on this aspect, and includes a newly recorded interview with Newman, but the most illuminating supplement is the reflective Milestones in Cinema History: The Verdict, which makes a strong case that the Academy was wrong in showering Gandhi with Oscars instead of this.
This article appears in Jun 20-26, 2007.