A Civil Action with John Travolta: DVD Cover

    A Civil Action Director: Steven Zaillian Cast: John Travolta, Robert Duvall, Tony Shalhoub, William H. Macy

    DVD - Wide Screen Learn more

    BUY THIS ITEM

    • $14.99 Online price
      $13.49 Member price
      Join Now
      • skip to cart
    • Add To List uiAction=GetAllLists&page=List&pageType=list&ean=717951001917&productCode=DV&maxCount=100&threshold=3

    GET FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF $25 OR MORE

    DELIVERY & GIFT DETAILS:

    Usually ships within 24 hours

    Delivery Time and Shipping Rates

    Eligible for gift wrap & gift message.

    Enter a zip code

    • DVD Release Date: 07/13/1999
    • Original Release: 1998
    • Rating: Rated PG13
    • Sales Rank: 5,918

    Viewer Rating: (2 ratings)

    Detailed Rating: "Intellectual Stimulation" See All

     
    • Overview
    • Editorial Reviews
    • Scenes
    • Customer Reviews
    • Cast & Crew
    • Full Product Details

    Features

    Closed Caption; Widescreen 1.85:1 aspect ratio; Dolby Digital 5.1 audio; French-language track; Production featurette; Theatrical trailer; Chapter search

    Full Product Details

    Scene Index

    Side #1 --
    1. Program Start [:12]
    2. A Plaintiff's Worth [:15]
    3. Opening Credits [:15]
    4. On the Spot "On the Air" [:02]
    5. The Concerned Parents [:50]
    6. The Scene of the Crime [:04]
    7. Declaration of War [:04]
    8. A Motion of Dismiss [2:35]
    9. Chapter 9 [:14]
    10. Preliminary Questioning [:27]
    11. Questioning Riley [:27]
    12. A Visit to Uncle Pete [:23]
    13. A Witness [1:09]
    14. A Turning Point for Jan [1:09]
    15. Jan's Terms [3:20]
    16. The Back Left Hand Corner [2:19]
    17. Never Ask "Why?" [2:56]
    18. The Judge's Plan [:42]
    19. Waiting in the Corridor [5:20]
    20. Al Eustis [1:28]
    21. The Settlement [2:13]
    22. Jan's on His Own [6:13]
    23. Lake of Fire [1:41]
    24. Epilogue [4:50]
    25. End Credits [:46]

    Scene Index

    Editorial Reviews

    Directed by Schindler's List screenwriter Steve Zaillian, this courtroom drama is based on a true story and non-fiction book by Jonathan Harr. The case revolves around an incident in 1979 in East Woburn, MA, where two drinking wells supplying water to the town were found to be contaminated with industrial solvents. When toxic waste was discovered later that year, suspicions arose that the local factories caused the pollution. The residents felt these companies were responsible for the unusually high rate of leukemia deaths amongst the town's children. Anne Anderson (Kathleen Quinlan), a mother who lost her son Jimmy to leukemia, fronts an effort to bring a lawsuit against the major conglomerates Beatrice Foods and W. R. Grace & Co for their pollution crimes -- a heavy-duty problem, because these companies have the money to squash the less powerful citizens. Enter Jan Schlichtmann (John Travolta), a personal injury lawyer whose small law firm is hired to sue these industrial giants for millions of dollars in damages. He's up against Jerome Facher (Robert Duvall) and William Cheeseman (Bruce Norris), high-priced lawyers who represent the big companies. Most of the film takes place in the courtroom during the trial. It also features William H. Macy as Schlichtmann's accountant and John Lithgow as the judge. Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide

    Customer Reviews

    • Viewer Rating:
    • Ratings: 2Reviews: 1

    Tragic story of average Americaby Anonymous

    Reader Rating:
    See Detailed Ratings

    December 15, 2008: There is a lot which this movie and the book do not tell about victims never mentioned in the book. An interesting point is there is a man who wrote a book prior to this detailing to some degree his experiences in Woburn as a handicaped youngster probably affected by the water and who may have been mentioned in the book in a disguised form. That man was later befriended and apparently monitored by women in the book selling industry.The man is alleged to have been monitored by such person who in turn relayed personal information gathered to a third party as well as discreetly obtained contact info for friends and associates of the man without his knowledge.

    I Also Recommend: Black Mass: The True Story of an Unholy Alliance Between the FBI and the Irish Mob, The Puzzle Palace: A Report on America's Most Secret Agency, The Brothers Bulger: How They Terrorized and Corrupted Boston for a Quarter Century.