| Indictment: The McMartin Trial | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama Thriller |
| Written by | Abby Mann Myra Mann |
| Directed by | Mick Jackson |
| Starring | Lolita Davidovich Shirley Knight Mercedes Ruehl Henry Thomas Sada Thompson James Woods Nicollette Sheridan Roberta Bassin |
| Theme music composer | Peter Rodgers Melnick |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Abby Mann Oliver Stone Janet Yang |
| Producer | Diana Pokorny |
| Production location | Los Angeles |
| Cinematography | Rodrigo García |
| Editor | Richard A. Harris |
| Running time | 131 minutes |
| Production companies | HBO Pictures Ixtlan Abby Mann Productions Breakheart Films |
| Original release | |
| Network | HBO |
| Release | May 20, 1995 (1995-05-20) |
Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a 1995 Americanfilm made for television that originally aired onHBO on May 20, 1995.Indictment is based on the true story of theMcMartin preschool trial.
Oliver Stone andAbby Mann were executive producers of the film, which was directed byMick Jackson.
The cast includesJames Woods andMercedes Ruehl, as opposing defense and prosecuting attorneys in the McMartin trial.Henry Thomas,Sada Thompson andShirley Knight co-star as the defendants in the case, withLolita Davidovitch as a child-abuse therapist whose findings were crucial to the prosecution's case and Roberta Bassin as the mother who initiated the case.
A defense lawyer defends an average American family from shocking allegations ofchild abuse andsatanic rituals. After seven years and $15 million, the trial ends with the dismissal of all charges. George Freeman is the star witness in the trial.Kee MacFarlane andWayne Satz are in a romantic relationship. The poster and ads for the movie declare "The charges were so shocking, the truth didn't matter."[1]
John J. O'Connor, writing forThe New York Times:
This is a portrait of mass hysteria, fueled by panic-stricken parents, overzealous prosecutors, irresponsible talk shows and an out-of-control tabloid press ... Is "Indictment" balanced? Is it fair to the other side? No. As Mr. [Abby] Mann puts it, "What other side?" Watch it and shudder.[2]
Also writing forThe New York Times, Seth Mydans said:
The film makes no pretense at objectivity: There are good guys in the McMartin saga, and there are very, very bad guys ... Nor does the film try to examine difficult issues. It is a drama not so much about the painful process of assessing children's stories of abuse or about the fear and guilt their parents feel but about the destructiveness of a system run amok.[1]
TheLos Angeles Times described the docudrama as "HBO’s frothing, highly opinionated account of the case".[3]Variety reports this "fact-based HBO Pictures presentation ... makes no apologies for depicting the infamous child molestation case as a witch hunt" and leaves "little leeway for surprise. Even so, the well-acted cabler hits its targets with a take-no-prisoners gusto".[4]
The film is cited as a watershed in the shift of ideas aboutsatanic ritual abuse, recasting Ray Buckey as a victim of a hysterical conspiracy rather than a child abuser.[12]