The Man in the Glass Booth
The Man in the Glass Booth | |
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Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
Written by |
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Produced by | Ely Landau |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sam Leavitt |
Edited by | David Bretherton |
Distributed by | American Film Theatre |
Release date |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Man in the Glass Boothis a 1975 American drama film directed byArthur Hiller.The film was produced and released as part of theAmerican Film Theatre,which adapted theatrical works for a subscription cinema series. The screenplay was adapted fromRobert Shaw's 1967 novel and stage play, both of the same name. The novel was the second in a trilogy of novels, preceded byThe Flag(1965), and followed byA Card from Morocco(1969).
The plot was inspired by the kidnapping and trial of the GermanNaziSS-Obersturmbannführer(lieutenant colonel)Adolf Eichmann,who was one of the major organizers of theHolocaust.[1]
Plot[edit]
Arthur Goldman isJewishand aNazideath campsurvivor. Now a rich industrialist, he lives in luxury in aManhattanhigh-rise. He banters with his assistant Charlie, often shocking him with his outrageousness and irreverence about aspects of Jewish life. One day, IsraeliMossadagents kidnap Goldman and take him to Israel for trial on charges of being a Nazi war criminal. Goldman's trial forces his accusers to face not only his presumed guilt, but theirs as well.
At the end, it appears that Goldman is neither a Nazi nor a war criminal after all; he falsified the dental records which the Israelis used to identify him to bring about the trial. When the deception is revealed by the Israeli prosecutor, Goldman is left standing in the trial court's bulletproof glass box, a broken man. The stress shatters his mental health and he becomescatatonic.He then relives in his mind a Nazifiring squadexecution and dies as those in the courtroom whisper the Jewish prayer,"Sh'ma Yis'ra'eil Adonai Eloheinu Adonai echad"( "Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD is one" ).
Cast[edit]
- Maximilian Schellas Arthur Goldman
- Lois Nettletonas Miriam Rosen
- Lawrence Pressmanas Charlie Cohn
- Luther Adleras Presiding Judge
- Lloyd Bochneras Dr. Churchill
- Robert H. Harrisas Dr. Weisburger
- Henry Brownas Jack
- Norbert Schiller as Dr. Schmidt
- Berry Kroegeras Joachim Berger
- Leonardo Ciminoas Dr. Alvarez
- Connie Sawyeras Mrs. Levi
Development[edit]
WhileThe Man in the Glass Boothwas being developed for the screen, Shaw disapproved of the screenplay and had his name removed from the credits.[2]Shaw viewed the completed film before its release and asked to have his name reinstated. In 2002, directorArthur Hillerrelated Shaw's objection to the screenplay and his change of heart,
When we decided that we needed more emotions in the film and leaned it towards that, we tried, obviously, to be honest to Robert Shaw, to keep that intellectual game-playing, but to create more of an emotional environment. And Robert Shaw became very disturbed. He did not like the idea and indeed, if you will watch the film, you will see that his name does not appear in the credits, nor does it even say, "based on the play,The Man in the Glass Booth"because he wouldn't let us do it. He just didn't like the idea until he saw the film. Then he phonedEddie Anhalt,the screenwriter, and congratulated him because he thought it was—just kept the tone he wanted and did it so well. And he phonedMort Abrahamsthe Executive Producer to see if he could get his name put on the final credits. But it was too late to restore his name, all the prints were all made.[3]
Production[edit]
The film was shot for $1 million, with 10 days of rehearsals and 23 days of filming in the summer of 1974. The exteriors of Goldman's penthouse were filmed atop theCrown Buildingin New York City, where the roof of the building was dressed to look like a balcony and garden. Interiors were filmed at the 20th Century Fox Studios inCentury City,California.
Awards and honors[edit]
Maximilian Schellwas nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Actorand theGolden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Dramafor his performance.Edward Anhaltwas nominated for theWriters Guild of America Awardfor Best Drama Adapted from Another Medium for his screenplay.
Reception[edit]
Roger Ebertwrote "Arthur Hiller's film for the AFT is a very good one, although it suffers from one basic problem. By its very nature, film tends to be a realistic medium, photographing the outsides of real world. Robert Shaw's play, even as adapted and made somewhat more realistic by Edward Anhalt, is nevertheless a symbolic and mannered one".[4]Raymond Bensonwrote in 2009, "The film is a riveting, first-rate drama featuring an Oscar-nominated, tour-de-force performance by Schell".[5]
Home video[edit]
The film was released as a region 1 DVD in 2003 and again in 2008.[6]A Blu-ray version was released in the US in 2017.[7]
See also[edit]
- List of American films of 1975
- List of Holocaust films
- "Duet",an episode ofStar Trek: Deep Space Ninebased on this film
References[edit]
- ^The Man In The Glass Booth,in: TV Guide
- ^"AFI|Catalog".catalog.afi.Retrieved2018-05-17.
- ^The Man In The Glass Booth;Transcription of interview with Arthur Hiller; 2003 DVD release; KINO VIDEO.
- ^Ebert, Robert (January 27, 1975)."The Man in the Glass Booth".The Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^Benson, Raymond(April 16, 2009)."Remember...The American Film Theater".Cinema Retro.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-06-01.
- ^The Man in the Glass Booth(DVD (region 1)). Kino International Corporation. 2008.OCLC840699642.
- ^Orndorf, Brian (June 4, 2017)."The Man in the Glass Booth Blu-ray Review".Blu-ray.
External links[edit]
- 1975 films
- 1975 drama films
- American drama films
- Films based on British novels
- American films based on plays
- Films about the aftermath of the Holocaust
- World War II war crimes trials films
- Films directed by Arthur Hiller
- Films produced by Ely Landau
- Films set in Israel
- Films set in Manhattan
- Films based on adaptations
- Films with screenplays by Edward Anhalt
- 1970s English-language films
- 1970s American films