REVERSAL OF FORTUNE (1990)

Based upon true events, this legal drama focuses on the appeal process of Claus von Bulow (Jeremy Irons who won an Oscar for this role) after he was convicted for the attempted murder of his wife Sunny von Bulow (Glenn Glose) who was in a prolongued coma during this process.  His lead representation was Alan Dershowitz (Ron Silver) who lead an extensive team of his own legal students towards crafting a new defense for Claus.  The Von Bulows were extremely wealthy socialites living in Rhode Island and as the story progresses, we delve further into their twisted world as Dershowitz digs further into both of their pasts.  The screenplay was co-adapted by the real-life Dershowitz from his own novel recouting all of these events named, "Reversal of Fortune."  As directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Barbet Schroeder (Single White Female, Barfly, Our Lady of the Assassins), this film ended up being way more entertaining than any one could have expected and has endured over the past 35 years since its initial release as a colorful, quotable, and often funny tale about the dark side of high society.  Just HOW entertaining is it?    You have no idea.....

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

REVERSAL OF FORTUNE - 1990

Directed by Barbet Schroeder

Starring Jeremy Irons, Glenn Close, Ron Silver, Annabella Sciorra, Uta Hagen, Fisher Stevens, Jack Gilpin, Stephen Mailer, Christine Dunford, Felicity Huffman, Mano Sing, Johann Carlo, Keith Reddin, Alan Pottinger, Julie Hagerty, and Christine Baranski

Genre: True Crime Legal Comedy/Drama (Audio clip)

Considering the subject matter, this film could have gone any number of crazy directions: dry upscale drama OR trashy exploitation OR moralistic legal theatrics.... 🤔  And yet director Barbet Schroeder and writer Nicholas Kazan find something unique...a dry comedy of manners with genuine pathos underneath. I have no idea if the real Klaus or Sonny Von Bulow were THIS colorful in real life but it makes the movie fly because beyond that, they're pretty entitled and unsympathetic. 

On paper, it's hard to imagine Klaus Von Bulow as a "good hang" but the way Jeremy Irons plays him, I could watch him for hours....every line reading is droll and dripping with superiority, Irons is clearly inhabiting a very complicated character yet having a blast doing it. 🙂 It's an all-time performance which deservedly won him the Best Actor Oscar and let's face it, this performance has pretty much cast a huge shadow over everything Irons has played since then from Scar in The Lion King to Hans' brother in Die Hard 3 to various LOTR/Harry Potter knock-offs to Ozymandius in Watchman...however much make-up or surreal costumes you have him buried, you just keep expecting Irons to be play THIS guy - he's THAT good. 🙂 

And yet Irons' is just one third of a trio of great performances: Glenn Close is genuinely funny, creepy and sympathetic playing Sonny literally half the time while she's in a coma - just the way her thoughts and opinions are Integrated into the story (mostly through voice-over) should REALLY not work and even be considered somewhat offensive considering that the real Sonny was still in a coma when the film was first released. But it works because Close plays her with pure "who gives a f$%k" brashness - she deserved an Oscar for this too. There's a flashback scene towards the middle when she and Klaus are attending a swanky society party and sitting at the table, she initiates a conversation with Klaus about who he's having an affair with, also inquiring as to why he just can't see hookers as he had in the past. Close is quietly discussing this with a serene smile while smoking a cigarette...it's the kind of scene that could make a lesser actress just seem shrewish and ridiculous, yet Close plays it perfectly.

Ron Silver fills out the trio with a balls-out performance as the legendary (now infamous?) Alan Dershowitz - the character of Deshowitz is esentually a grab-bag of various tropes relating to lawyers, Jews, Celtics fans, and bleeding heart Liberals...but Silver's charisma had me rooting for this guy and his merry band of former students-turned-parallegals. 🙂 He's truly fun to watch ESPECIALLY his interplay with Irons. 

The film delves into the minutiae of Von Bulow's appeal process and yet is never dull...even though you spend hardly actual time in the courtroom. It all comes down to watching these folks figure things out while they're figuring out each other. I never had the pleasure of seeing this in a theater but watched it on HBO incessantly throughout the '90's - if you haven't seen it, I cannot recommend it enough! 

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

One of the more subtle yet underrated aspects of this film has to be the elegant orchestral score from New York City’s own Mark Isham.  We don’t hear it that often throughout the movie, more during the flashbacks featuring Sonny….it’s also a pretty spare score featuring light percussion, heavy strings, and the occasional synth note.  The musical highlight occurs when we hear the main theme playing over the opening credits over a helicopter shot panning over the coast of Newport, Rhode Island where the Von Bulow’s lived…..just a series of GORGEOUS palatial estates surrounded by lush forests and isolated picturesque beaches mostly made of rocks.  Both eerie and mysterious, this track is fittingly called, “A Reversal of Fortune.” (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

Pretty much using a category from The Rewatchables podcast – one of my favorites – the mere idea of the late, great Ron Silver playing Alan Dershowitz….yeah that aspect has definitely aged the WORST about this movie.  But to be perfectly fair, even though Silver’s personal politics ramped up in the early ‘00’s with him becoming one of the MORE prominent celebrities openly supporting the Iraq war….I can personally get past that as he was STILL a phenomenal actor right up until the end.  And 1990 was a pretty spectacular year for him as an actor with this, a sterling turn in Enemies: A Love Story….and his frightening turn as a homicidal yuppie killer in previous episode Blue Steel.  His performance here is often chewing the scenery but still SO compelling. (Audio clip) 

That’s he’s playing Alan Dershowitz and that Dershowitz’s own novelized account of this trial is the basis for this film’s screenplay AND that Dershowitz is undoubtedly presented as the upright hero of this particular story…..well for me, it doesn’t hurt the movie overall but it gives me pause.  Because since then, Dershowitz has become increasingly infamous for not only consulting the defense team for OJ Simpson and serving as THE main defense attorney for Donald Trump during his second impeachment trial – UGH - but also serving as a defense attorney for Jeffrey Epstein.  As portrayed by Silver, he is not only so likeable but he comes off as the most morally upright character in this story.  NOW knowing what I know about Dersh since then….it’s just a tougher pill for me to swallow.  In retrospect, WAS he just representing Von Bulow more for the money and exposure than SAY an earnest desire to protect the law?  We’ll simply never know for sure…..as to how that might keep you from enjoying this movie, mileage may vary. Regardless that doesn’t change the fact that without Dershowitz’ exhaustively detailed source material, we wouldn’t have this movie….. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

This was quite the tough call as this film basically glides from one punchy dialogue exchange to the next and it’s also the RARE legal drama with virtually no scenes taking place within the courtroom….most of the action occurs in the field, often via research and interviews.  That said, my favorite sequence likely occurs about half-way through when Claus Von Bulow comes to meet with Alan Dershowitz’ entire legal research team…. (Audio clip) 

It's fun to not only see how drolly Von Bullow greets every student he meets but also their taken back reactions.  But even better, we then cut to them to ALL sitting down for a big Chinese lunch….and with Von Bullow sitting at the head of the table, WHAT is his ice-breaker for this group?  He tells a few jokes…..about him related to this case. (Audio clip)  

Pretty priceless stuff and this also leads into an essential sequence of the students plugging him for information – it’s an elegant way of delivering both further procedural details of the case AND the clearcut class divide between the plaintiff AND the legal team establishing his defense. (Audio clip) 

MVP (person most responsible for the success of this film):

There are many folks who now remember the REAL Claus Von Bulow as a homicidal monster who got away with it…..and I certainly wouldn’t argue with them for not wanting to see this movie.  But as far as I’m concerned, that takes nothing away from Iron’s performance which is not only undeniably entertaining but also complex – his character’s occasional attempts throughout this adaptation of showing remorse veer between appearing sincere and just mocking his predicament, you can never quite tell. (Audio clip) 

And THAT’s also the point – it’s a bravura performance which not only drives this story but makes it just SO damn watchable.  Next to his incredible turn in David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers just a couple of years prior, it likely remains his best overall performance.  Jeremy Irons is the clearcut MVP. (Audio clip) 

Final Rating: 5 stars out of 5 

Happy 35th Anniversary to a film which is WAY more entertaining than it has any right to be, featuring one of the most quotable performances of the ‘90’s.  One of the most rewatchable films of its era.... 

Streaming on crunchyroll

And that ends another MY WORD AS A GENTLEMAN review!