Gideon's Trumpet

The real story of Clarence Earl Gideon was published in part on the famous The New Yorker Magazine and later into a book wrote by Anthony Lewis, the case had enormous impact in the media in 1963 due he got his case be overhauled over a hand-written letter sent to US Supreme Court, his petition is about he was sentenced to five years jail for a small felony without a council on courthouse in Florida which he could afford, after exhaustive studies on many Book's law Gideon finds out the answer for his case on US constitution according every person has a right to be a fair trial, under this premise US Supreme Court by unanimous granted to Gideon another trial with council on Courthouse, this was a hallmark for all case hereinafter.

Clarence Earl Gideon had a hard times with his parents on tender age, the egocentric boy was sent to reformatory on teenager years, aftermaths committed a small robbery of clothes, being arrested for first time, along these years just one time more on small burglary and even larceny were carried out by the troublesome Clarence, after his three marriages whereof he had children, he went to straight having a normal life when he was appointed by a witness of robbery of bottle of wine and broken a jukebox machine coins quarter at pool hall and beer bar, on Courthouse without any council he was sentenced in five years prison, anyway as above stays clear Clarence Earl Gideon wasn't a righteous citizen whatsoever, although he deserves a proper support from the state anyhow.

The heavyweight casting is another highlight as Henry Fonda playing a deep in thought Clarence, José Ferrer in very convincing acting, what a voice, John Houseman, William Prince, Sam Jaffe, Dean Jagger, Ford Rainey as Supreme Court members, the still young Lane Smith as defense attorney and the unforgettable Fay Wray on last appearance on a movie as landlady of Clarence Earl Gideon, rare movie to find out, just free in Youtube no subtitled at all.

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First watch: 1984 / How many: 2 / Source: TV-Youtube / Rating: 8.

"Gideon's Trumpet" is an exceptional made for TV movie. Part of it is the actors involved...with Henry Fonda, John Houseman and Jose Ferrer (all Oscar winners) appearing in the movie. It's also because I had never heard of this case and it's about one of the most important convictions the Supreme Court ever overturned.

In the early 1960s, Clarence Earl Gideon was arrested for a petty theft. At his trial, he was not represented by a lawyer, as he could not afford one and, amazingly, the state of Florida would not give him one! Apparently, at that time, states could decide whether or not and on a case by case basis to appoint counsel in any case! It's hard to imagine, but Gideon was forced to represent himself and, not being a lawyer, he was convicted.

Once in prison, Gideon became a 'jailhouse lawyer'. In other words, he read up on criminal law and actually petitioned the US Supreme Court to have his conviction overturned since he was not given legal counsel...even though he requested it. And, surprisingly, without a lawyer, he was able to get the Court to hear his case!! What happens next? See the film.

Overall, this is a fascinating movie...well acted, well written and important to see since it established a now recognized right for every American. Well worth seeing.

The historic value of this movie is awesome. Yes I recommend it. James Welch Henderson Arkansas 8/26/21.

This movie is slow moving but fascinating. The scenes with the Supreme Court held my attention, as their deliberations are something we seldom see. Henry Fonda is a pleasure to watch, in his portrayal of Clarence Gideon who petitioned the Supreme Court to allow indigent defendants to have a court-appointed attorney. It was a landmark case which is too little known. Mr. Fonda manages to make his role sympathetic while remaining a touch irascible, uncommunicative, and focused on his self-appointed task.

This is a movie which should be seen by more Americans.

I wouldn't define this movie as being great. It was good, but not great. It was interesting though. I had to watch this for my criminal justice class, and I was riveted to it. I learned a lot about how our courts worked and how reforms in them were made so people who couldn't afford an attorney still had the right to have one. Based on a true story, Clarence Gideon was convicted of a crime he did not commit. But the movie centers around how he was deprived of his right to an attorney, and how he fought in prison to make clear that he did not have a fair trial. I thought it was well done, and Henry Fonda was very good in the role of Clarence Gideon. Only drawback, this should have been released in theaters. The camerawork of the courtroom and the long shots of Clarence Gideon confessing his history are great. The opening shot is the best scene of the film, which is seen in it's entireity later. Henry Fonda looks right into the camera, right at you, and as Clarence Gideon, he gives you his background. Ingenious. I wish there could be more movies with scenes as subtle and as profound as this. The other scene I liked was when Gideon is retried with an experienced lawyer, and when the first witness falsely claims Clarence Gideon is the culprit, the lawyer cuts him down with words and facts. This movie is good, but it's not a monumental achievement. I would highly recommend it to you though. It's got the qualities a good film should have: a good story and good acting. And lawyers or people involved in law alike will find it very interesting.