Paul Newman Stars in Award-Winning Movie "The Verdict", June 8

Paul Newman Stars in Award-Winning Movie "The Verdict", June 8



"The Verdict", one of Paul Newman's greatest dramatic roles, will be FOLA's next movie at theLudlow Town Hall Auditorium on Saturday, June 8, at 7 PM.


The Verdict is a 1982 courtroom drama film which tells the story of a down-on-his-luck alcoholic lawyer who pushes a medical malpractice case in order to improve his own situation, but discovers along the way that he is doing the right thing. Since the lawsuit involves a woman in a persistent vegetative state, the movie is cast in the shadow of the Karen Ann Quinlan case. The movie stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, and Lindsay Crouse.

Frank Galvin (Paul Newman), once a promising Boston lawyer, is now an alcoholic ambulance chaser who has lost all of his four cases over the last three years. As a favor, his former partner and friend Mickey (Jack Warden) throws him a medical malpractice case where it's all but assured that the defense will settle for a large amount. The case involves a young mother who was possibly administered the wrong anesthetic and is now in a coma. Her sister and brother-in-law are hoping for a settlement to properly care for the victim, and Frank assures them they have a strong case. Meanwhile, Frank becomes romantically involved with a woman he meets at a local bar, Laura.

Frank visits the coma-stricken young mother and is deeply affected. He then meets with the defendants: the Archdiocese of Boston, who run the Catholic hospital where the incident took place. As expected, the archdiocese offers a fairly substantial amount of money to settle out of court, but Frank declines the offer, as he fears that this may be his last chance to do something right as a lawyer, and that merely taking the handout would render him "lost." Everyone, including the presiding judge and the mother's relatives, is stunned by Frank's decision.

The Verdict garnered critical acclaim and box office success. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Actor in a Leading Role (Paul Newman), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (James Mason), Best Director (Sidney Lumet), Best Picture and Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (David Mamet).

The movie is free and open to everyone; donations to support the continuing display of movies are appreciated. Popcorn will be provided by the Berkshire Bank.  For further information, call 802-228-7239 or info@fola.us.  You can see a preview of the film at www.fola.us.