| Reversal of Fortune | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Barbet Schroeder |
| Screenplay by | Nicholas Kazan |
| Based on | Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case byAlan Dershowitz |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Luciano Tovoli |
| Edited by | Lee Percy |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $15.4 million |
Reversal of Fortune is a 1990 Americandrama film directed byBarbet Schroeder that was adapted from the 1985 bookReversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case, written by law professorAlan Dershowitz. It recounts the true story of the unexplainedcoma of socialiteSunny von Bülow, the subsequentattempted murder trial, and the eventualacquittal of her husband,Claus von Bülow, who had Dershowitz as his defense attorney.[1] The film starsJeremy Irons as Claus,Glenn Close as Sunny, andRon Silver as Dershowitz. ScreenwriterNick Kazan originally envisioned Austrian actorKlaus Maria Brandauer in the role of Claus von Bülow but was thrilled with Irons' performance. Irons earned the 1990Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in the film.
Sunny von Bülow, a millionaire heiress and socialite, lies in a hospital bed in apersistent vegetative state, after falling into a coma fromdiabetic shock on December 21, 1980. A year previous, she fell into a coma on December 26, 1979, but was revived. Her husbandClaus von Bülow is charged with attempted murder by injecting thehypoglycemic Sunny with an overdose ofinsulin. During the trial, it is discovered Claus was having an affair with actressAlexandra Isles, and stood to gain financially if Sunny had died. He is found guilty on two counts of attempted murder.
While Claus von Bulow is released on bond, he files an appeal and phonesHarvard law professorAlan Dershowitz for representation. Dershowitz agrees only if Claus pays him three hundred dollars an hour, as he tries to save two young black brothers from the electric chair. As he reviews the case, Dershowitz is convinced Claus is guilty based on the testimony of Maria, the von Bulows' maid. Dershowitz is given 45 days to file an appeal, and assembles several of his law students to review the case.
Dershowitz is later informed of David Marriott, a potential witness. At his New York apartment, Marriott confesses that he worked as a drug trafficker but Dershowitz believes he is an unreliable witness. Meanwhile, Dershowitz's legal team learn Robert Brillhoffer, the plaintiff's attorney, had illegally withheld notes that could help Claus's defense. They are also alerted to a magazine interview given byTruman Capote, who stated Sunny loved to mix drugs and alcohol and taught herself how to self-inject.
Claus lunches with Dershowitz's legal team, who question him about Sunny's overdose on aspirin three weeks before her second coma. Claus is unclear on what could have motivated her to suicide, but he presumes she was unhappy. Afterwards, Claus confesses he had told Sunny of his affair with Alexandra Isles during the summer of 1979. After Sunny is revived from her first coma, she reprimanded Claus for calling a doctor and suggested he would be better off if she had died.
Dershowitz's defense team receives the toxicology report of the encrusted needle, which reveals no trace of insulin. Afterwards, Marriott arrives at Dershowtiz's house and claims his affidavit is not accurate. While he covertly records the conversation, Marriot asserts that he delivered drugs directly to Sunny once. He then doctors the recording to make it appear Dershowitz agreed to pay Marriott as a witness. Before the trial, Claus details what led up to Sunny's second coma, in which he found her lying face down on the bathroom floor with the windows open in frigid room temperature. Based on Claus's testimony, Alan believes Claus is innocent and tells his team that he will seek to overturn his conviction based on insufficient evidence.
When Dershowitz dismisses his class, he is told by his students that the jury reversed two convictions and they have obtained Brillhoffer's notes. Dershowitz arrives at a New York hotel suite where Claus is staying. He hands him the notes having discovered conflictingcircumstantial evidence that could exonerate Claus in his second trial. Relieved, Claus agrees to pay Dershowitz his legal fees. While Dershowitz tells him it is a legal victory, he tells Claus: "Morally, you are on your own."
Claus is tried for a second time and acquitted, while the two young brothers remain on death row.
The film was shot in numerous estates inRhode Island andNew Jersey, and the Knole Mansion inOld Westbury, New York. At least one courtroom scene was shot at the Appellate Division, Second Judicial Department in Brooklyn, New York.
Despite the fact that the house where the facts happened wasClarendon Court, as also mentioned in dialogue, the establishing shot intentionally avoids the house and ends instead with a view ofThe Breakers, another grandiose property nearby built forCornelius Vanderbilt II.
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 92% of 53 critics' reviews are positive. The website's consensus reads: "Featuring exceptional performances and a cunning script,Reversal of Fortune doubles as a tantalizing mystery and ruthless satire of the rich."[2]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 93 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[3]
In 2015, the 25th anniversary ofEntertainment Weekly namedReversal of Fortune on its list of the 25 best films of the past 25 years.[16]
The film is recognized byAmerican Film Institute in these lists:
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