Product Description

A tragic true story that began in the spring of 1931 when nine black men were pulled off an Alabama freight train and accused of raping two young white women. The nine young men were quickly tried and sentenced to the electric chair. News of their convictions spread, forcing an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. New York attorney Sam Leibowitz (Timothy Hutton) traveled to Alabama in 1933 during segregation to defend the nine young men - setting in motion a legal battle that ultimately changed the lives of everyone involved as well as the course of American jurisprudence.

*A Well-Crafted Historical Drama!
*In The Vein Of To Kill A Mockingbird, Twelve Angry Men and The Shawshank Redemption

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #17219 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-11-06
• Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• ESRB Rating: Teen
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
One of the most shameful chapters in America's ugly racial history is dramatized in writer-director Terry Green's Heavens Fall, an account of Alabama's infamous "Scottsboro Boys" trials in the 1930s. As the film opens (in '33), nine young black men have already been convicted and sentenced to death for the rape of two white girls, based almost entirely on the girls' dubious testimony. When an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court results in a new trial, New York defense lawyer Sam Leibowitz (Timothy Hutton, sporting a thick NY accent) agrees to represent the boys. While he's an unqualified success on his own turf, having never lost a capital case, Leibowitz faces enormous, if not insurmountable, odds once he arrives in Alabama. Not only is he a Northerner among Southerners and a liberal Jew among conservative Christians; the bigger issue, of course, is the South's culture of racism, an ethos so endemic, so matter of fact, that it's almost banal. As the trial of defendant Haywood Patterson proceeds, it's pretty obvious how it will turn out; despite the transparent perjury of accuser Victoria Price (an effectively nasty Leelee Sobieski), the recanting of the testimony of the other "victim," Ruby Bates (Azura Skye), and Leibowitz's skillful dismantling of the prosecution's case (not to mention the almost total lack of actual incriminating evidence), another conviction is as inevitable as the sunrise. Still, there is some occasional shading here amidst all the black and white extremes: the presiding judge, James Horton (a low-key David Strathairn), appears to have a conscience, as does Leibowitz's court adversary, Alabama Attorney General Thomas Knight, Jr. (Bill Sage), who knows his case is weak but is hamstrung by the region's racist "traditions." As it happened, the trial depicted in Heavens Fall (the title comes from the saying "Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall") wasn't the last for the Scottsboro Boys. But this movie, with its period feel enhanced by its excellent cinematography (by Paul Sanchez), costumes, sets, and bluesy musical score (by Tony Llorens), is a compelling slice of a very big but not very tasty pie. Bonus features include two mini-documentaries, one a standard "making of" and the other depicting the filmmakers' struggle to withstand the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan while filming on location in 2004. --Sam Graham

Review
Timothy Hutton, as always, is exceptional... --GreenCine Daily

Review
It s a story worthy of attention... well-acted --eFilmCritic.com

Customer Reviews

Well Done Historical drama
History comes alive in this well done drama about a racial trial that the outcome of which appeared decided by the jury before the first witness took the stand. Nevertheless, it portrays the players in the legal system as real people who believe they are doing what is right. Persons who like good acting and fine drama will truly enjoy this movie. For full disclosure, I must point out that I was one of many who provided a small portion of the money needed to make this movie. However, it also must be pointed out that this movie won first place in the Hollywood film festival.

"Heavens Fall" - Superb Acting, Beautiful Cinematography, and Splendid Score
"Heavens Fall" tells the story of the Scottsboro Boys, nine black men who were convicted of raping two white women in Alabama in the early 1930's. New York defense attorney Samuel Leibowitz travels to Decatur, AL to defend the men in a retrial ordered by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Timothy Hutton gives a riveting performance as Samuel Leibowitz - Hutton's best since his equally fine portrayal of Archie Goodwin in "Nero Wolfe." Bill Sage as prosecuting attorney Thomas Knight, Jr. and David Strathairn as Judge Horton are also excellent in their roles. Bill Smitrovich as co-defense attorney, Maury Chaykin in a cameo role, Francie Swift as Leibowitz' wife, Belle, and James Tolkan as Thomas Knight, Sr. (four other great "Nero Wolfe" actors) were exceptional, too, as was B.J. Britt, as Haywood Patterson, in his film debut. LeeLee Sobieski and Azura Skye as Victoria Price and Ruby Bates were marvelous in their extremely difficult roles.

The score by Tony Llorens was haunting - a perfect accompaniment for the plot and the beautiful cinematography by Paul Sanchez.

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Great Acting, Cinematography
Great acting-- Timoty Hutton is intriguing, always looks like he's thinking. David Strathairn played the part of a judge to perfection-- forceul yet reserved. Azura Skye completely won me over. Beautiful cinematography, captured the feel of the deep south. Shot on a relatively low budget (less than two million), this is a brilliant work. I wish it had been longer. There was so much more I wanted to know about the characters. The DVD has some great features, including two documentaries.

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