The Paper Chase (1973) - SON OF A BITCH KINGSFIELD

[Encom7]

He should be expelled just for that hair.

[telamon2011]

After seeing the incredibly large size of law school classes such as this one, it is no wonder that there has long been a glut of lawyers in this country.

[BenAliGtor]

Friend of mine-retired judge- attended Harvard Law in the late 1950's when this actually went on. He still looks back upon it with a great measure of loathing.

[telamon2011]

@BenAliGtor

I believe it was until that time, perhaps a bit later, that male and female law students at Harvard were taught separately? And the male students were taught by the more celebrated faculty? (Elizabeth Dole, who is in her seventies, was one of only half a dozen women in what was one of the first coeducational classes at Harvard).

[Landaux]

"That really BURNS-MY-BUTT!"

[Commonsence345]

talk about a real, know in days nothing original or classic is being made

[McCoy348]

"Constitutional contracts, marriage contracts, historical contracts, french contracts, african tribal contracts, religious contracts...NOWW..." Frightened, I am.

[NorthAmericanSkies]

Kingsfield is a sort of hero. I was not much like Hart, and I cannot stand most lawyers. Interestingly enough, Timothy Bottoms looked almost exactly like me at the same time (mid 70s). He was considered much more hansome, and I was nowhere near as smart as Hart was supposed to be, but we looked like twins at the time, includng the hair, the moustache and the jacket.

[MarcusCMarcellus]

Pre-Affirmative Action America = Standards. Can you imagine Michelle Obama in such a classroom being treated as an intellectual equal? Neither can I. (NB: Columbia Law).

[MazerRackhamX]

@MarcusCMarcellus Good point.

[bubbahotep6]

@MarcusCMarcellus Yeah, back when the standards were you had to be white and male.

[MarcusCMarcellus]

@bubbahotep6 "had" not hat. I see lots of women in those scenes and a few blacks as well - qualified blacks, not degraded, shameful AA students. Why don't Jews and Asians need AA?

[wjk2109]

@MarcusCMarcellus Yeah because the top law schools are cluttered with blacks now, get real, stop blaming african americans for you not getting into your top choice, your like the kid in this movie who tried to kill himself, always looking to blame some one else

[cochranexyz]

@bubbahotep6 And that was all. It worked for the Bush family. 

[bubbahotep6]

@MarcusCMarcellus Yeah back when the standards were you hat to be white and male.

[MoManny]

@MarcusCMarcellus .. I wonder how the black guy at 1:43 got in..

[vnisanianisback]

@MoManny It was probably a different take, and whatever available extras there were for the filming.

[airdriver]

@MarcusCMarcellus

I have no problem WHATSOEVER picturing MRS. Obama being in that classroom. Whether you agree with her husband or not, you have to agree that she is an articulate, attractive intelligent woman. 

[MarcusCMarcellus]

@airdriver Anyone who say that woman is attractive with a straight face is an ideologue. You may like her cultural Marxism; you may agree with her hatred of Western Civilization, her racism and her ideas, but not even a paid-up African Marxist can find her "attractive."

thehouseoffabulous.blogspot.co­m/2010/05/michelle-obamawhite-­house-second-state.html

And no, it's been affirmative action from the very start for those two.

[airdriver]

@MarcusCMarcellus

I'm not an ideologue, Marcus, I just know a good looking woman when I see one. I've heard her speak and she's no idiot. As far as their benefiting from Affirmative Action over thirty years ago, WHO THE HELL CARES? Obviously they've made a success out of themselves so it didn't go to waste.

[npagano05]

@MarcusCMarcellus

Drama Queen

[ADAMSIXTIES]

@MarcusCMarcellus First of all Affirmative Action was well under way by the time this film came out (1973). 2nd of all Michelle Obama's only real accomplishment was marring someone who became president.

[flubblert]

@MarcusCMarcellus What a racist idiot. Way to ruin a classic movie scene.

[niggapleeeze]

@MarcusCMarcellus

Agreed!

...or sarah palin, any tea party member, billionaires, the majority of people who received social benefits(white women.), etc. I cannot imagine any of them being is such a classroom either. Since it is about standards you might as well add every person who, either through action or apathy, allowed slavery, racism, sexism, ageism, rape/murder-by-US-soldiers, and corporate-greed. Hell, is there anyone in the class now?

[TheWizardtits]

i wish my collage professor was this guy ><

[444sabo444]

loved the TV series....with the exception of PBS and a handful of cable channels, it's terrible how empty and intellectually starved television has become.

[laminage]

Yeah, I was terrified of Kingsfield but looking back, he was one of the best teachers in any American Movie about Education. When he did what he did to Hart, it was his way of putting Hart in his place. Kingsfield knew that Hart was The Best Student in the Class, but in the Thirty Years he had taught at Harvard, he had a Student like "Hart" each year. I think in his own way he felt that Hart was getting a little too pompous and self-righteous for his hown good.

[vizylists]

Great movie. Great example of a great educator.

[PlayIt4MeAgainSam]

Houseman was the quintessential Law Prof.

(One of the few times that the AMPAS got it right!)

[KyrieEleison46]

Timothy Bottoms is great in this movie.

[Majortom71]

I watched this movie when I was 10 and it scared me away from Law School and being a lawyer.

[LibationExpedition]

@Majortom71

My father was in law school in 1973, and he refused to watch this movie for fear that it would scare him off it. He's still a lawyer, and has still never seen it.

[ktxed]

@LibationExpedition He must see it! He doesn't realize what he is missing :)

[kosmosleha]

fucking youtube, firefox and google. Everything is freazing with danm commercials and you can't leave a damn comment without registering.

[OpieJohansen]

What's weird is that although I would certainly be the 'Hart' character, I too, would like to be friends with Ford. I find it weird how understanding of personality the screenwriter was for this film. One of my fav films of all time---and I was only a couple years old when it was released! ;)

[cswpride]

@OpieJohansen That was in the original novel by John Jay Osborn Jr. He graduated from Harvard, and from Harvard Law School, just like Ford, went on to do graduate work at Yale Law, and still teaches Contract Law and other subjects. He is also a descendent of John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States. The film is one of my all time favorites as well, but I highly recommend the book.

[pastout1]

It is amazing. 10 years after graduating from law school, I have such fond memories of the first year agony.

[britfan310]

Kingsfield made me want to go to Law School I wasn't even seven years old at the time. I spent all of law school praying to find my own Kingsfield and feeling robbed. Now I realize, I did have one. For me it was con law, and it wasn't the shroud or the dime, but just the mere expression of disapproval

[thx291]

He ought to be expelled just for that hair.

[cochranexyz]

@thx291 Hair can change. What of the freakish tattoos people have today?

[Jdeman]

That's sad. I definitely think someone like Mr. Kingsfield, and it seems your professor, will be the most effective teachers for me.

[Jdeman]

I love Kingsfield. I wanna have law professors like him.

[FlawdaFootball]

No you don't. The material is hard enough as it is, and I have a nice Contracts professor

[Jdeman]

I actually do.

[Tominstl]

I had one that was identical in most ways. Most memorable professor by far, and the most effective teacher. Sadly, my professor just passed away last week. 50 years worth of attorneys will be at the funeral.