It is a known fact that TV has been on a growing rise for the past few years. What we have become accustomed to watch is not mere TV series but really long movies with story arcs that last whole seasons (if not more) and characters who develop and grow (towards either becoming better or worse people). It is rather rare for a series, nowadays, not to catch our interest or draw our attention as they are so well-directed and nicely written that they have become a true antagonist to cinema. As Vincent Canby, the American film and theatre critic who worked for the New York Times for more than 20 years, has said,"[...] they are not open-ended series, or even mini-series. They are megamovies."
Such a thing was the first season of the so-called American Crime Story which dealt with the infamous trial case of former American football player and actor O.J. Simpson. The successful footballer was a winner of the Heisman Trophy, played for the Buffalo Bills ('69 to '77) and the San Fransisco 49ers ('78 to '79) and acted in rather well-known films such as The Towering Inferno (1974), Capricorn One (1978) and The Naked Gun Trilogy (1988, 1991, 1994). But it all came to a sudden halt when his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death on June 12th, 1994 and O.J. was considered a major suspect for the murders. His pursuit by the police, while being in a white Ford Bronco (a car associated with the murders) and not yet having turned himself in, did not help his case and was one of the most memorable televised scenes in modern American History as it even interrupted the coverage of the NBA Finals in 1994.
 |
| Cuba Gooding Jr. as O.J. Simpson |
As soon as O.J. (Cuba Gooding Jr.) realised that he was a suspect, he hired lawyer Robert Shapiro (John Travolta) who in turn made a dream team of defence lawyers by hiring Johnnie Cochran (Courtney B. Vance), F. Lee Bailey (Nathan Lane) and O.J.'s friend Robert Kardashian (David Schwimmer) -yes, that Kardashian- to try and get O.J. out of trouble. But as the prosecution team claimed the facts had been tremendously undeniable and accusatory. The latter team was led by Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson), her junior prosecutor being Christopher A. Darden (Sterling K. Brown), both feeling that they had a strong case they could easily win.
 |
| David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian |
But, well, that didn't turn out to be that easy after all. The People v. O.J. Simpson ended up being one of the craziest and most popular trials in American history receiving media coverage from the very beginning as it involved an American sports hero, a man who was admired and looked up to by sports and film fans all around. Judge Ito (Kenneth Choi) even allowed the presence of video cameras in the courtroom making the trial and the people involved, victims of constant unprofessional critique. It soon became apparent that people would care more about the fashion style of the lawyers than the actual incident that was being tried and Ito was criticised for tranforming the trial into a media circus not allowing neither the prosecution nor the defence to do their job.
All this is shown in the series produced by Scott Alexander [Big Eyes (2014)], Larry Karaszewski and Ryan Murphy [Nip/Tuck (2003-2010), Glee (2009-2015), American Horror Story (2011-now)]. The episodes follow the story in excruciating detail without becoming boring or tiring. Amazing attention has been given to the actual and objective portrayal of facts, places and people. The make-up artists, the costume and production designers as well as the casting directors have made an excellent job in bringing this jaw-dropping event to life. Moreover, the direction and the use of music was flawless throughout the 10 episodes of this mini-series. If you search for pictures or videos from 1994 you can see for yourselves that The People v. O.J. Simpson has managed to get almost everything right. What is more, the story is so intriguing and compelling that I could not take my eyes off the screen wanting to know what the ending result would be. Many were the moments when the story would go to unbelievable places, ensuring us that sometimes life can be a better story writer than anyone else.
 |
| Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark |
As for the actors, what can I say for the phenomenal performance that Sarah Paulson delivered? Paulson has managed to embrace prosecutor Marcia Clark's personality and presence in an astounding way. She does not play and resemble Clark. She is Marcia Clark. And what is more, she makes us feel all the torture and distress that she had to go through in order to prove that she is a good lawyer that does her job and her physical appearance is not and should not be a matter of discussion or gossip when it comes to a double homocide case.
You see, The People v. O.J. Simpson has the privilege to be more than just a dramatization of a trial. As these events took place in the USA of 1994, many things that are considered (or are on the way to be finally considered) a given nowadays, were not back then. Clark had to face tremendous sexism and objectification on behalf of her colleagues, the judge and the media, too. TPvOJS takes advantage of this opportunity to bring these issues forward and does not shy away from it.
 |
| Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran |
One other such issue was racism. It was apparent from the beginning of the trial that the "r" word would play a significant role in this case. O.J. is a black man and black people have been victims of unjust behaviour throughout American history. So, was O.J. framed by the racist L.A. police? Was the evidence planted on purpose, to put the blame on a successful black man who managed to overcome all obstacles and rise in the social -white- ladder? That could easily be claimed by the defence - and it was-. After all, defence lawyer Johnnie Cochran was a black man who wanted the race issue to be, at long last, raised and projected to the media.
So, did O.J. Simpson kill his ex-wife and her friend? Whether you are convinced by the prosecution or the defense, whether you agree or disagree with the jury's verdict, one thing is undeniable: American Crime Story is a successful attempt to bring such an iconic trial to our screens, and in terms of quality it is not only reminiscent but also equal to emblematic court/law films. The breathtaking depiction of these recent yet distant events is so dramatic and fascinating that you 'll most likely be glued to your seats wanting to see what happens next and discover the truth, and by the end of it you will certainly have some serious food for thought.
0 σχόλια :
Post a Comment