The Law Library has a popular movie collection that is housed in the lower reading room. The popular movies all have some connection to law. Some examples of movies in the collection are:
A Civil Action
Amistad
Erin Brokovitch
My Cousin Vinny
Many of these movies have been mentioned in actual court opinions. In the case S.C. v. State, 224 So. 3d 249, 251 (Fla. Dist. Ct. App. 2017) there is the following text:
S.C., in response to the confession, makes a My-Cousin-Vinny defense. There are many gems in the 1992 movie My Cousin Vinny - rated by the American Bar Association Journal as the third greatest legal movie of all time - about trial lawyering and procedure, but in one particular scene an arrestee is being asked about shooting a store clerk after inadvertently taking a can of tuna fish. The sheriff asks:
Sheriff: When'd you shoot him?
Arrestee: What?
Sheriff: At what point did you shoot the clerk?
Arrestee: I shot the clerk?
Sheriff: Yes. When did you shoot him?
Arrestee: I shot the clerk?
The sheriff then gets interrupted by a staff member and the interrogation abruptly ends. At the subsequent trial for the murder of the store clerk, the sheriff, recounting the confession, reads the transcript of the arrestee's statement, "I shot the clerk," as a declaration rather than as a question, which changed the meaning.
S.C., in My-Cousin-Vinny fashion, argues that the "he" in his confession can be read another way. S.C. contends the "he" in his statement, "He has no idea I took them," was referring to his friend, and not the friend's brother. S.C. claims he stole the driver's licenses from his friend - who may have had authorization or permission to have the driver's licenses - and not from his friend's brother. How one views the "he" makes all the difference, S.C. says, because section 322.212(1)(a) requires the driver's license be stolen from the person to whom it was issued, and not a third party.
The library encourages you to look over the movies in the collection. The movies can be checked out and watched at home. If you do not have access to a DVD player the overhead projectors and computers in 136,139, and 143 can be used to watch a movie. If you want to use one of these rooms for a movie please use the room reservation system so that you have dedicated access to the room while you watch the movie.
The library also encourages you to be critical viewers of the movies in the collection. Consider looking at articles that discuss the movies or the court cases related to them. For example, the United States Supreme Court ruled on the Amistad case - United States v. Libellants & Claimants of The Schooner Amistad, 40 U.S. 518 (1841). The case is challenging to read because of its age and other factors. But looking at this case in conjunction with the film would provide an introduction to a historical case.
Here is an excerpt from an article on the Amistad movie:
Moviemakers believe that history can be made more dramatic. They add and subtract characters, invent dialogue and scenes, make heroes more heroic, make villains more villainous, correct incorrectness, make ends happier, and turn shades of gray into black or white. They even tell lies--all in the interest of providing a good show, of course. Steven Spielberg, producer-director of the 1997 historical drama "Amistad," is no exception. 1
Whether Hollywood's reshaping of history is good or bad depends upon whether one believes it is more important to be thoroughly entertained or to have a clear sense of history. Right now, on this side of the Millennium, few people seem worked up about the fictionalizing of history.
The Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce is probably not the first source that most viewers of "Amistad" will consult to see if they got their history straight from Spielberg, but it is the aim of this article to make it a good choice for those who do. As the title of this journal suggests--and as its editor insists--special attention will be given in this article to the role admiralty law played in the improbable drama that began in 1839.
Cite to article: PART TWO: COMMERCIAL SHIPPING: Salvaging Amistad, 31 J. Mar. L. & Com. 559, 559
If you need assistance finding materials related to a movie please reach out to the law library reference librarians. They would be glad to assist you in finding materials.