CLASS ACTION

USA, 1990, 109 minutes, Colour.
Gene Hackman, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Colin Friels, Larry Fishburn, Joanna Merlin.
Directed by Michael Apted.

Class Action is another humane drama directed by British Michael Apted. Apted has directed a wide range of films including The Triple Echo and the series Seven Up as well as many films in the United States, for example Gorky Park as well as the James Bond thriller The World Is Not Enough.

The action takes place in a New York law firm and shows the workings of a celebrated firm. There are many deals, there is an emphasis on winning cases rather than seeking the truth. The film also highlights a rivalry between a father and daughter as lawyers. They are played effectively by Gene Hackman and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Australian Colin Friels appears as the rather smooth but double-dealing villain lawyer.

In some ways the film confirms all the fears the public has about lawyers. On the other hand, it presents a striking drama with legal implications as well as human and family considerations. It can compare in interest with other films to do with legal families and firms such as Legal Eagles and A Civil Action.

1. Audience interest in films about the law, court cases, class actions?

2. San Francisco settings, the city, law firms, the courts, homes? The musical score?

3. The title and the focus on legal cases, companies and their disregard of the law (and bean-counters calculating that it was cheaper to go to court than to fix cars etc.)? The plaintiffs, their injuries? Victims of the lawyers? The presentation of cases, investigations, selection of witnesses, badgering of witnesses, humiliating them?

4. The background story of the family, the father and daughter, their clashes and rivalry, Maggie being a mirror image of her father? The mother, her love for her husband, forgiving him his infidelities, Maggie not being able to forgive him? The scenes between husband and wife, the dilemma of the case? The wife pleading with her husband, pleading with her daughter? Her discomfort at the opening of the trial, her collapse and death? Jed and his tribute to her at the funeral, his memories of the Mc Carthy cases? Father and daughter at home, sharing memories, Maggie and her condemnation of her father? The rivalry continuing in the case, the reconciliation, the mutual help? Familiar stories of family rivalries?

5. The opening and seeing Jed in operation in the courts, his manner, causes? Maggie and her success in court? Her place in the firm, with Fred and his approval of her, her relationship with Michael - and the affair?

6. The Argo case? Maggie asking Michael to have the case, his reluctance, giving it to her? The irony of Jed being for the plaintiffs? The talk between the two and her asking his advice? The challenge to each other? The opening hearing and the discussion about names, addresses and computers? The supplying of names? The techniques for investigating the witnesses - Fred asking Maggie to discredit the crippled witness with his weaknesses and police citations? The visit to Dr Pavel, finding out the truth about his report - but later exploiting his loss of memory with his phone number and birth date? The amount of papers found? Reports and the possibilities of hiding them?

7. Argo as a company, the engineering adviser, his discussions with the firm, giving the legal material to them ($8,000,000 a year)? His receiving of Dr Pavel's report, his explanation of bean-counting and not fixing the cars? The statistics about the possibility of explosions - and the statisticians being correct? Dr Pavel and his work for Argo? Their general success - their failure in this issue?

8. Michael, ambitious, relationship with Maggie? The revelation that he had given advice about the report? His trying to cover up, use Maggie for the case? His pressurising her to be quiet? His being put on the witness stand, his perjury, the expert unmasking him? Fred dropping him from the firm?

9. Gene Hackman as Jedediah: his strong screen presence, in the courts, relationship with his wife, tensions with his daughter? His past? Causes? Taking the case, his relationship with Nick and the other members of the firm? Their research? All Dr Pavel's papers coming? His presentation in the court, cross-examinations? The meeting with Maggie, their talking, resolving their differences after the fight after her mother's funeral? The technique in the court, the tricking of Michael?

10. Maggie, young, ambitious, memories of her childhood, antagonism towards her father, love for her mother? Grief at her mother's death? Looking through her mother's things, the photos, the explanation of the affairs, her mother's forgiveness? Ousted by her father? Going to work, badgering the witness? Fred and his promises of partnership? The discovery of Dr Pavel, the truth about the report and his notes, Michael taking them from her safe? Her anger, compliance with Fred? Meeting her father - and the technique of putting Michael on the stand, producing the Library of Congress witness? Her future?

11. The members of the staff, of Fred and his company, the personnel, collaboration? Jed and his assistants, overworked? The background for court cases?

12. Insight into the law, the pressure on lawyers, emotions and conscience, causes and truth, cover-ups, working within the letter of the law?