Reversal of Fortune

Please remember, everyone, that Jeremy Irons won his "Reversal Of Fortune" Oscar for the film "Dead Ringers". Confused? Let me quickly explain. The Academy Awards snubbed what was easily the best performance of Irons career (so far - as well as being David Cronenberg's greatest film), not even nominating him for the brilliant turn in "Dead Ringers" when he had been nominated (and won) for the performance by many other film critics circles. But Oscar 'made-up' for this snubbing 2 years later by giving him the award for "Reversal Of Fortune" in a year when there was no clear 'runaway' winner. Those who doubt this fact need only listen to Irons' acceptance speech when accepting the Oscar ("... and, for those of you who understand, thank you, David Cronenberg..."). Not that his performance in this film was unworthy of praise, but it was quite clear at the time (and still is, for that matter), what performance the Oscar was really awarded for.

source: Reversal of Fortune

Moviecut—Reversal of Fortune

Reversal of Fortune

Barbet Schroeder's darkly comic murder mystery 'Reversal of Fortune' was actually better than I thought it would be. It surrounds a social climber Claus Von Bulow (Jeremy Irons - Lolita) who is Charged and convicted with the double counts of attempted murder on his obnoxious and drunken wife Sunny Von Bulow (Glenn Close - Fatal Attraction) with insulin. Claus needs a lawyer to appeal so he contacts a stereo-typical Jewish lawyer, Alan Dershowitz, played incredibly by Ron Silver. Alan takes on Claus' case even though he believes him to be guilty and Alan and his team try to prove him innocent. Glenn Close gives a small but engrossing performance in this as the not so sympathetic victim while Jeremy Irons steals the entire film with his creepy and neurotic yet brilliant and amazing performances as the could-be murderer Claus. The screenplay is really solid and although kind of predictable offers nice thrills and very dark humor. 'Reversal of Fortune' rightfully won Jeremy Irons the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role. If you want something kind of out-there be sure to rent 'Reversal of Fortune' one of these days. Grade: B

Reversal of Fortune is a dramatization of a real-life attempted murder case, as documented in the book by the same title which was written by Alan M. Dershowitz, defense attorney to the main suspect, Claus von Bülow. The film works as a solid little courtroom drama with an intriguing story, a clever script and an impressive cast; but it doesn't go the extra mile into something more than a daytime TV movie. It tries hard to break the mold - most notably, by having much of the film narrated by the victim - but at heart, it remains a very plain legal drama; and emotionally, it maintains a dry, distant coldness that doesn't allow the viewer to care about anything that's going on. That feeling of emotional disconnection leads to a film with a steady pace, with no highs and lows, and with no real climaxes or tension. In other words - rather dull, and unless you really pay attention to the details of the case, there's nothing much to grab onto. It's also worth mentioning that the film's poster, as well as Jeremy Irons's Oscar win, is more than a bit misleading, because Irons and Glenn Close aren't really the main characters, though the story revolves around them; and in fact Irons's performance is completely over-the-top and certainly not up to the standards he set two years earlier with his masterful work on Dead Ringers. The majority of the film revolves around Ron Silver, who plays Dershowitz himself; and while Silver's performance is understated and quiet, it's also the strongest one in the film. But it's just not enough to give it any emotional or moral weight and to keep the whole thing together, because the viewer doesn't care about Dershowitz winning or losing the trial any more then they do about Von Bülow being found guilty or not.

Claus von Bulow was accused and convicted of twice attempting to kill his wife, Sunny von Bulow. The film is about the appeal Nicholas Kazan takes a huge risk, and has Sunny von Bulow (Glenn Close, who is marvelous) narrate the story, while in a coma. It pays off beautifully. We learn the lifestyle in which they inhabit, there daily arguments about Claus' "extra-curricular" activities, work, etc. In comes Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver), who is hired by Claus to do the appeal. Fascinating and provocative, we see the way Ron Silver tries to find out if his client is guilty or innocent. The cast is a treat to watch, down to even the smallest roles. But it's Jeremy Irons who dominates with his chilling performance. By the end of the movie, we don't really care whether or not Claus is guilty, a testament to Barbet Schroeder, and Nicholas Kazan.

This is one of the better dramas based on a true story because it portrays the fact that money doesn't buy happiness. The movie was about the appeal of Claus von Bulow who was convicted of attempting to murder his wife, Sunny. The movie only eluded to Claus's innocence and never revealed the events that actually took place. Although there were speculations about how Sunny fell into her coma, the truth will never be known. The truth is only relative and favorable to the storyteller. The purpose of the appeal was to show that Claus couldn't be proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Alan Dershowitz, Claus's appeal lawyer, did this by disproving the theory of the prosecutors. The reason Alan Dershowitz took the case wasn't because he believed Claus was guilty or innocent. He defended Claus because he disagreed with the idea that the wealthy can hire their own prosecutors, which allows them to decide what evidence should be used. Dershowitz hired a team of people to disprove every aspect of the prosecutors theory on how Claus attempted to murder Sunny. In conclusion, this was a good movie because it allows the viewer to convict or acquit Claus according to their speculations.

On 27 December 1979, the millionaire Sunny von Bülow (Glenn Close) is found in coma for the second time in her bathroom with an overdose of insulin. Her European husband Claus von Bülow (Jeremy Irons) is convicted for attempted murder of Sunny, but he hires the expensive Harvard Professor Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to revert his sentence. Dershowitz teams up with his students to collect evidences to disprove the accusation and prove the innocence of Claus. "Reversal of Fortune" is the dramatization of a true story based on the book of Alan M. Dershowitz. The originality of the screenplay is that it details the work of Dershowitz and his students to disprove the prosecution and the trial itself is just glanced. I do not like this type of inconclusive films based on true stories since the truth is not disclosed. My vote is six. Title (Brazil): "O Reverso da Fortuna" ("The Reversal of the Fortune")

I love this film. Every shot feels effortlessly dense. In every shot, one can see texture, whether it is in the landscape of a bedroom or a hotel room, or the structure of a man or woman's face. The cinematography is dark and gloomy. The story, as you likely know, as you have either seen the film, or have read the IMDb summary, is about Claus von Bulow, who has been accused of attempting to murder his wife twice, both times sending her into a coma, the first coma which lasts only a few hours, the second which lasted until 2008 and turned Sunny Bulow into a vegetable. The story is, as all good stories are, so multilayered that it seems to evolve as time goes along. Unlike most films made nowadays, and indeed most stories told in history, it is not linear and obvious. The story threatens to go in any direction at any time. All of the characters seem human, balancing on the line of their own soul and being, reaching out toward other people or retracting into themselves. The Main characters are Claus Von Bulow, Sunny Bulow, and Alan Dershowitz. They are each played by great actors. The film is expertly directed and represents each of these characters separate lives. The viewer sees each character as sympathetic but realizes at certain points throughout the film that the characters may have reached a turning point and made a bad choice or perverted their hearts goodness and done wrong towards another. The film has a lot of subtext. Though the characters do come out and state what they are thinking at various points, for the most part the film shows, not tells. Although all the actors do good jobs in this film, the crown must be placed on the head of Jeremy Irons, one of the greatest actors in history. Irons is often mocked for being very dense and inanimated, I personally think this is because most film watchers are used to actors who are less subtle and less skilled than Irons. His subtlety is extraordinary. This performance may be the most subtle in film history. The performance is mysterious and dark, unexpressibly creepy, but also sympathetic. At one point int he film(don't worry, this isn't a spoiler),Claus von Bulow leans slightly forward in a car, with his head almost completely in shadow and responds to Alan Dershowitz claim "You are a strange man," with the words "You have no idea." Irons is just brilliant. His performance must be seen. The film as a whole explores many theme, favoring emotion and thematic depth over bare bones plot. One of the more interesting themes is the idea that every moment is in the now, and so every human being is freshly born every minute and so they must be forgiven for wrong things they have done in the past. Another theme is the idea that no one truly knows another person, that all people have secrets, hidden characteristics and emotions that are hidden even to themselves as well as to other people. This is the theme I fell that this patient film expresses best. It is well paced and allows you to feel every scene before moving on to the next. The film also explores the importance of humor and the need for humor in humanity. This provides great unexpected moments throughout the film. This is one of my favorite films in history. It is so patient in the camera-work and performances. It feels like more than an interpretation. It feels like a reality or at least a possibility. This is a rare achievement. It is an uncategorizable experience, a great work of art, and a film of astonishing depth. It is one of the few that reaches the true depth of the soul. it does not only confirm something that other films have told us. It twists and turns, until the viewer and the film and the characters are all one. An excellent film.