The Paper Chase

I cant say this movie is anything at all like law school, but I have been in a PhD program for seven years and I know this: The Paper Chase is far and away the most accurate representation of the first year of graduate school as depicted in film. Not there are really *any* depictions of graduate school in film, at least this one gets it right. The students at once detest and seek approval from a professor who cares very little about whether or not they make it. They must rely on one another to get through the year but in the end it is up to each one as individuals whether or not they succeed and go on, or even if they want to continue. Some may knock what might appear to be a cliched cast of first year law students(not unlike a World War II movie) including the arrogant one, the kooky one, the rich guy, the brainy one, the selfish one, the self doubting one--but honest, all of these stereotypes exist in every first year grad program in every department across the country.

If you think you want to go to grad school, this movie may (and hopefully will) cure you.

As hard as it is to believe, this film makes studying exciting. The Paper Chase shows the difficulty of a first year law student. The endless studying sessions are followed by frustrating classroom encounters. The point of this film is that to succeed one must not sellout their ideals. People are changed by their experiences in this film. To win, one must place perspective on the pursuit of academic goals. Are good grades worth sacrificing love and friendship? Is flunking out truly the end of the world? At the end of the film Hart has come to realize that he has been just chasing after a paper diploma.

I had dropped out of Harvard Law school in 1969, not because of a girl, but because I wanted to see life before I saw Vietnam. I later found out about the Marine Reserves and avoided Vietnam, but I had always wondered if I had made a BIG mistake (I did have a successful career in data processing, however).

When I saw this film, I immediately knew I had made the right choice. Most of my professors were just blustering blowhards who were trying as much to intimidate me as teach me (Kingsfield must have taken lessons from one professor of mine in particular, although Houseman was not half as intimidating as he was!).

Hart's realization that experience is almost as important as education( although sometimes not as lucrative) was a turning point in my life, and I have never looked back.

Not enough credit is given to Lindsay Wagner in without a doubt what was her best performance--brava!

I started seeing a ton of movies in '73, which was mostly cause of "The Exorcist", which was an extremely big deal that year. I saw it twice the night I graduated from grammar school so after that, my Mother could hardly say that anything else was too 'mature' for a 13 year old.

1973 was also an interesting year for movies in general. Several 'low-key' movies like "Scarecrow", "Cinderella Liberty" and "The Paper Chase" represent the year (for me) much more than one of the most puzzling Best Picture winners, "The Sting."

I had enjoyed Timothy Bottoms in "The Last Picture Show" and sensed this deep, inner sadness in the characters he portrayed. I never felt that coming from another actor. Its like he's brooding to the nth degree, but you don't mind.

Four things happen: (1) Timothy goes to law school, a class run by John Houseman (2) Timothy tries to have a relationship with Lindsay Wagner (3) Timothy obsesses about John Houseman, and (4) Timothy goes to study group and socializes w/some study group buddies, It may sound dull but for some reason the movie is extremely watchable. And for some reason I found it fascinating that someone would brush their teeth and shave while in the shower, and have been doing both ever since I first saw this movie. 8/10.

I saw this on an early VHS video transfer that was just awful. I then saw it years later on TCM in widescreen DVD format and was blown away by all I'd missed on that c****y video version. This is a first rate drama of a harried Harvard law student. Make sure you see this in widescreen so you can get the full effect of the wonderful scenes like the one where Hart and his buddy sneak into the upstairs library with the glass lighted floor to sneak a peek at Kingsfield's law student notes. I especially liked the way director James Bridges reflected the lighted floor off of Hart's glasses. A very nice touch from an underrated director. No car chases, no action sequences, no over the top plots, just a simple character driven story set in the beautiful Harvard law school. This is what great filmmaking is all about.