Women on Trial
| Women on Trial | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Lee Grant |
| Produced by | Joseph Feury Lee Grant Virginia Cotts Roberta Morris Purdee |
| Narrated by | Lee Grant |
| Cinematography | Hart Perry |
| Edited by | Geof Bartz |
| Music by | Tom Carpenter |
| Distributed by | HBO Hope Runs High[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 57 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Women on Trial is a 1992 documentary film directed by Academy Award winner Lee Grant. The film follows a group of women navigating the family court system in Texas. Originally scheduled to aired on HBO, the film played only a single night before being pulled from the public after inciting a million dollar lawsuit initiated Texas family court judge Charles Dean Huckabee. The story unfolds as woman after woman loses custody of her children to fathers who have either a documented history of abuse, or admittedly do not want custody of the children.[2][3][4][5]
Development
[edit]Women on Trial was produced under Grant and husband/producer Joseph Feury's production deal with HBO. Grant became interest after seeing the number of women losing custody of their children to allegedly abusive fathers in Harris County, Texas.
Reception
[edit]The film received positive reviews. Before the film was pulled, disappearing for the next 27 years, Variety felt that it was "chilling...starkly moving."[6]
Legacy
[edit]The film is part of Grant's documentary collection and is expected to receive a digital and limited repertory cinema re-release in the Winter of 2019-2020 along with the majority of her non-fiction work. A screening at New York's Film Forum in December 2019 will mark the film's first public exhibition since its single night on HBO.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Film Forum · WOMEN ON TRIAL". Archived from the original on 2019-11-06. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
- ^ "Libel suit against HBO dismissed over proof of actual malice". May 11, 2000.
- ^ "FindLaw's Court of Appeals of Texas case and opinions". Findlaw.
- ^ "FindLaw's Supreme Court of Texas case and opinions". Findlaw.
- ^ Ford, Carole Bell (January 1, 2010). The Women of CourtWatch: Reforming a Corrupt Family Court System. University of Texas Press. ISBN 9780292781948 – via Google Books.
- ^ Hilsman, Hoyt (October 27, 1992). "Women on Trial". Variety.