Reversal of Fortune (1990)
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, (more)
- Director(s):
- Barbet Schroeder
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R
- Format(s):
- DVD
View All Versions to rent and buy
Synopsis of Reversal of Fortune
This film is a darkly humorous, determinedly ambiguous adaptation of Alan Dershowitz's book about his successful legal appeal of Claus von Bulow's conviction for the attempted murder of his wife, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow. Sunny (Glenn Close) -- who remains in a "persistent vegetative state" resulting from a suspicious injection of insulin -- narrates the film, summarizing the first murder trial, which ended with Claus (Jeremy Irons) convicted and released on bail pending appeal. Claus approaches Harvard Law professor Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to handle the case. Working with a small group of law students recruited from his classes, Dershowitz presents sufficient new evidence to cast doubt as to Claus' guilt and the veracity of the star witness, her maid. Jeremy Irons' extraordinary, Oscar-winning performance dominates the film. He plays the role of Claus with a alternatively pompous, aloof snobbishness and an engagingly enigmatic, kinky, sly humor. Barbet Schroeder was also nominated for an Academy Award for his extraordinary, off-beat, direction of this sophisticated, exceptionally intelligent legal drama. Reversal of Fortune with its sharp, witty, Oscar-nominated screenplay by Nicholas Kazan is unusual in its understanding that legal guilt and moral culpability are not the same thing -- making for an unusually provocative tragicomedy of bad manners and bad behavior among the rich. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 112 mins
Complete Cast of Reversal of Fortune
- Glenn Close - Sunny Von Bulow
- Ron Silver - Alan M. Dershowitz
- Uta Hagen - Maria
- Christine Baranski - Andrea Reynolds
- Felicity Huffman - Minnie
- Sarah Fearon - Ala von Auersberg
- Stephen Mailer - Elon Dershowitz
- Johann Carlo - Nancy
- Thomas Dorff - Brillhoffer
- Mitchell Whitfield - Curly
- Christine Dunford - Ellen
- J.D. Cullum - John
- Julie Hagerty - Alexandra (uncredited)
- Keith Reddin - Dobbs
- Michael Wikes - Steve Famiglietti
- Jeremy Irons - Claus Von Bulow
- Annabella Sciorra - Sarah
- Fisher Stevens - David Marriott
- Mano Singh - Raj
- Alan Pottinger - Chuck
- Jad Mager - Alexander von Auersberg
- Frederick Neumann - Judge
- Conrad McLaren - Sheriff
- Lisa Gay Hamilton - Mary
- Tom Wright - Jack
- Gordon Joseph Weiss - Tom Berman
- Jack Gilpin - Peter MacIntosh
- Leo Leyden - Englishman
- Malachy McCourt - Englishman
- Director(s):
- Barbet Schroeder
- Writer(s):
- Nicholas Kazan
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- R(Adult Language, Questionable for Children, Mild Violence, Profanity, Adult Situations)
- 1990 - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- 1989 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Actor
- 1989 - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Screenplay
- Looking for special editions of Reversal of Fortune?
- See All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
BY MAIL
