Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5050070010763
Format: PAL
Languages: Array
Region Code: 2
Theatrical Release Date: 1990-10

One of the most intriguing criminal trials of the 1980s involved Claus von Bülow, who was accused of sending his rich wife Sunny into a permanent coma with an overdose of insulin. Director Barbet Schroeder, working from Nicholas Kazan's evocative, darkly humorous script, turns the story into both a look at the lives of rich folks with too much time on their hands and a whodunit, as lawyer Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) prepares to defend von Bülow (Jeremy Irons) in court. Irons won an Oscar for his spooky, knowing performance, which hints at depths of degeneracy without ever putting a dent in a veneer of bored elegance. The contrast between the hard-charging Dershowitz and his eager-beaver Harvard law students and the eternally languid von Bülow adds unexpected humor. --Marshall Fine

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good movie!
Comment: This is a very good movie especially if you've visited the mansions at Newport Rhode Island. Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons do an excellent job questioning our minds as to whether he did it or not. You be the judge, get this movie, you won't be dissappointed!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: This film delivers; fortunately...
Comment: `Reversal of Fortune' is an extremely well constructed look into one of the most controversial `attempted murder' trials of the 80's; that of socialite Claus von Bulow and his rich wife Sunny, who lay in a coma.

The film is told through the narrative of Sunny herself, never force-feeding the audience a manipulated conclusion but laying out the facts and allowing us to draw our own; did he or didn't he? The film follows Claus' appeal and attempt at a reversal of fortune, hoping that Professor Alan Dershowitz (who penned the non-fiction book for which the film is based) can exonerate him of the criminal charges he is facing. Looking at things from Dershowitz perspective, as well as Sunny's and even Claus' allow the audience to get a complete and full picture, even if the loose ends are never fully tied up.

I have never been drawn to legal thrillers of this kind, but all the praise that went to Iron's Oscar winning performance drew me to see this movie. As far as films of this genre go, this is probably one of the finest. It thoroughly held my attention throughout, for the script was tightly woven and the mystery within the case is always manifest full force.

The performances also help to move the film along at a pace that holds onto the interest of the audience. Ron Silver is superb as the distressed and concerned Professor trying to do his job without compromising his conscience. Annabella Sciorra is also fantastic in a very small role as Sarah.

The real stars of the show though are Irons and Close. Glenn Close lingers in every scene as her narrative captivates the story and propels each scene forward. In fact I think that her narrative is the strongest aspect of the script. Jeremy Iron's though, has the juiciest role as the accused. His cold and matter-of-fact delivery is so bone chilling that he becomes unforgettable. This is a truly understated and subtle performance that is easy to pass over if you're not looking in the right places (that would be his eyes) for all the acting gymnastics his character is performing. Now, I'm not sure that he was deserving of Oscar (I actually thought that fellow nominees Robert De Niro and Kevin Costner were more deserving of the gold) but I must say that his performance should not go without praise, for he fearlessly allowed his characters flaws to overtake him.

In the end though, it is the script and pristine direction (Barbet Schroeder received a much deserved directing Oscar nomination) that elevate the film from a generic genre film into a near perfect thriller that will entertain even the most skeptical of critics. Like I said, I am not a fan of the genre in general, but this film is truly brilliant and proves to be at the top of its game on all fronts.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Crime in Newport
Comment: The film opens on the cottages of the wealthy at Newport on the Rhode Island shore. Then there is a hospital with a guard at the door. A woman lies in a coma. Medical attention saved her life. Her children distrusted her husband Claus. A second coma becomes permanent. Her two children hired a lawyer and a private investigator; they found a needle used to inject insulin! Would her husband benefit greatly from her death? Who else? Claus Von Bulow was convicted of attempted murder. This film tells how this verdict was overturned on appeal. [Was Claus convicted because he was guilty of adultery? Isn't that part of the lifestyles of the rich and famous?]

Professor Alan Dershowitz is called by Claus to handle his appeal. Can he trust his client to tell the truth? [The "Perry Mason" novels give an answer.] The maid Maria tells of suspicious activities. The film shows how Dershowitz assembled a legal team to work the appeal. One problem is the overwhelming belief of the American public in Claus' guilt. Did he get a fair trial? What happens if private individuals collect the evidence and choose what to turn over to the authorities? [Private prosecutions.] What if a family member was buying illegal drugs? Why would a lawyer withhold his notes if there was nothing exculpatory? Did Sunny dabble in drugs? Did she have a problem with alcohol and other drugs? Does money buy happiness? The RI Supreme Court will reverse a conviction on technical grounds if they believe the defendant was innocent. [Does the life of the super-rich seem dreary and pointless?] Why does Claus seem to be cold and uncaring?

There is a problem with the encrusted needle. Could it have been planted? Flashbacks tell of Sunny's actions. She used drugs and hid them. The film shows the interactions of the defense team. If there is a weal link in the chain of circumstantial evidence then it is all discarded. [Is this the only trial with planted evidence?] Will a witness turn into a double agent? If the laboratory made a mistake with the evidence can the verdict be correct? [Garbage in, garbage out.] Professor Alan Dershowitz shows his skill at the RI Supreme Court. The last scenes provide alternate explanations as to what happened to Sunny. Which is true? The second trial came to a different conclusion, based on the new evidence.

This is an intellectual and educational film based on a true case. If it is dramatized, it is still an interesting story for those who know little of the event. People who made a decision as to guilt or innocence at the time of this case may be projecting their outlook on life and society. It seems ironic that so many workers were exploited and lived in misery so Newport society could live in splendiferous luxury and misery. Or is that just a personal failing?

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Irons is captivating as usual
Comment: As the (possibly) murderous husband in this film, Jeremy Irons shines in his usual understated manner.

Irons can deliver a line, and a gaze. I think of the scene in which Ron Silver, playing the attorney, leans into the von Bulow car and intones: "you are such a strange man," or some such. Irons gives him a calm but sinister look, pauses, then replies evenly, "oh, you have no idea."

Fine film; don't miss it.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Reversal of Fortune
Comment: Director Schroeder's fascinating "Fortune" dramatizes the bizarre but very real 1980 crime and trial that hit the ultra-wealthy Newport set (and the rest of us) like a time bomb. The bravura performances of the stars elevate the sad, sordid aspects of the story, and Irons's portrayal of the enigmatic Claus is superb, netting him an Oscar. But Silver matches him as the mercurial Dershowitz: one of the film's great pleasures is watching how attorney and client, polar opposites in every respect but brains, work together to overturn the conviction.

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