A Civil Action

A Civil Action is a 1998 film, starring John Travolta (as plaintiff's attorney Jan Schlichtmann) and Robert Duvall, based on the book of the same name by Jonathan Harr. Both the book and the film are based on a true story that took place in Woburn, Massachusetts in the 1980s.

The real life case at the heart of the book and film is Anne Anderson, et al., v. Cryovac, Inc., et al.. The first reported decision in the case is at 96 F.R.D. 431 (denial of defendants' motion to dismiss).

Plot

Environmental toxins in the town of Woburn, Massachusetts contaminate the area's water supply, and become linked to a number of deaths of neighboring children. Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta), a cocky and successful attorney who zips around town in his Porsche, and his small firm of personal injury lawyers are called upon to take legal action against those responsible.

After originally rejecting a seemingly unprofitable case, Jan finds a major environmental issue that has a lot of impact potential and a couple of defendants with deep pockets. A tannery production company could be responsible for several deadly cases of leukemia, but also is the main employer for the area. Jan decides to go forward against two giant corporations with links to the tannery, thinking it's another case that could possibly earn him millions, as well as a name for him and his firm.

With a class action lawsuit to file, Jan represents families who demand acknowledgment and an apology. However, it develops into a case that could ruin Jan and his firm. The lawyers of the leather company's parent company are not easy to intimidate, a judge rules against him, and soon Jan and his friends find themselves in a battle for mere survival.

Schlichtmann stubbornly declines several settlement offers, gradually coming to believe that the case is about more than just the money. But he allows his pride to take over, and decides that he must win at all cost. Pressures begin to take their toll, Jan and his associates going deeply into debt. The case is dismissed in favor of the one of the two defendants. Jan is forced to accept a settlement with the other that barely accounts for his expenses.

His own colleagues no longer wish to work for him and break up the firm. Later, on his own, Jan comes up with an idea that is able to win a settlement for the families, but his life remains in shambles. He ends up alone, filing for bankruptcy.

Cast

• John Travolta as Jan Schlichtmann
• Robert Duvall as Jerome Facher
• Tony Shalhoub as Kevin Conway
• William H. Macy as James Gordon
• Zeljko Ivanek as Bill Crowley
• Bruce Norris as William Cheeseman
• John Lithgow as Judge Walter J. Skinner
• Kathleen Quinlan as Anne Anderson
• Peter Jacobson as Neil Jacobs
• Mary Mara as Kathy Boyer
• James Gandolfini as Al Love

Music

The music score was written by Danny Elfman.

Other songs include:

• "There's a Rainbow 'Round my Shoulder"
• Brian Setzer Orchestra
• "Hard Workin' Man" (featured on the opening credits)
• Written by Jack Nitzsche, Ry Cooder, Paul Schrader
• Performed by Captain Beefheart
• Courtesy of MCA Records; under license from Universal Music Special Markets
• "Little Drummer Boy"
• Written by Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati and Harry Simeone
• Performed by Vienna Boys Choir; London Symphony Orchestra
• Courtesy of Sony Music Special Products, a division of Sony Music Entertainment
• "Take Me To The River"
• Written by Al Green and Mabon Hodges
• Performed by Talking Heads
• Courtesy of Sire Records Company, by arrangement with Warner Special Products and licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd.
• Version used is the live version from Stop Making Sense
• "Theme From A Summer Place"
• Written by Max Steiner

Certification

• MPAA: Rated PG-13 for some strong language (certificate #36309)
• Iceland:L
• Argentina:13
• Australia:M (original rating)/Australia:PG (TV rating)
• Chile:14
• Finland:K-12
• France:U
• Germany:12 (w)
• Norway:7
• Peru:14
• Portugal:M/12
• Spain:T
• Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) /Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud)
• UK:15
• Singapore:PG

Awards

• Academy Awards, USA
• Nominated: Oscar Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Duvall)
• Best Cinematography (Conrad L. Hall)
• Blockbuster Entertainment Awards
• Nominated: Favorite Actor - Drama (John Travolta)
• Favorite Supporting Actor: Drama (Robert Duvall)
• Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
• Won: BSFC Award Best Supporting Actor (William H. Macy, also for Pleasantville (1998) and Psycho (1998).)
• Tied with Billy Bob Thornton for A Simple Plan (1998).
• Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
• Nominated: CFCA Award Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall)
• Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
• Won: FFCC Award Best Supporting Actor (Robert Duvall)
• Golden Globes, USA
• Nominated: Golden Globe Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Robert Duvall)
• Political Film Society, USA
• Won: PFS Award Human Rights
• Satellite Awards
• Nominated: Golden Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture - Drama (Robert Duvall)
• Screen Actors Guild Awards
• Won: Actor Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role (Robert Duvall)
• USC Scripter Award
• Won USC Scripter Award (Jonathan Harr (author), Steven Zaillian (screenwriter))
• Writers Guild of America, USA
• Nominated: WGA Award (Screen) Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published

See also

• Anderson v. Cryovac
• Beatrice Foods
• W. R. Grace and Company
• Trichloroethylene

External links

• A Civil Action: Before the book and before the movie (early newspaper articles by reporter Charles C. Ryan)
• Beyond A Civil Action hosted by W. R. Grace & Co.
• In Toxic Tort Litigation, Truth Lies at the Bottom of a Bottomless Pit by Eric Asimow, Picturing Justice: The On-Line Journal of Law & Popular Culture, February 1999
• Anderson v. Beatrice Foods Index and copies of every pleading filed in the Woburn suit, maintained by Florida State University College of Law