Doug Van Pelt

Heaven's Fall

Here was another could-be-a-blockbuster world premiere. This movie takes on the dramatic, important and historical story of the "Scottsboro Boys" case from the early 1930s. Nine black men were falsely accused of raping two white women in Alabama. A Supreme Court appeal results in a re-trial, where New York defense attorney Samuel Leibowitz (played by Timothy Hutton) takes on a defense of the boys. The two lawyers that face off (prosecuting attorney played by Bill Sage) treat each other with arms-length courtesy that warms up as the trial goes on. The terror and outrage of the times and issue are explored upclose and personal. Filled with a cast of stars, the movie successfully shakes its audience up without resorting to gratuitous violence, blood, or over-the-top fear. Quite inspiring.