{"id":20404,"date":"2023-11-24T23:14:19","date_gmt":"2023-11-25T04:14:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=20404"},"modified":"2023-11-24T23:14:19","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T04:14:19","slug":"the-trials-of-alan-dershowitz-doc-nyc-film-review-a-principled-and-controversial-man","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=20404","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The Trials of Alan Dershowitz\u2019 DOC NYC Film Review \u2013 A Principled and Controversial Man"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Alan Dershowitz is a lawyer about whom many have complicated feelings. Throughout his career, he has defended a number of clients who were considered to be pariahs in society and few lawyers would have wanted to be associated with in any way. Three decades after being portrayed in the Oscar-winning film <strong><em>Reversal of Fortune<\/em><\/strong> by actor Ron Silver, Dershowitz gained more notoriety for defending President Donald Trump in his impeachment trial. The documentary <strong><em>The Trials of Alan Dershowitz<\/em><\/strong> offers a complete and fascinating portrait of the exceptional lawyer who has few regrets about the choices he has made over the course of more than half a century of practicing law.<\/p>\n<p>Dershowitz speaks directly to the camera for a good portion of this thorough profile, explaining his early beginnings and how he came to be involved in some of the most prominent cases in recent memory. His Jewish upbringing was formative in his understanding of the law and his ability to grasp its complexities, and how few professional opportunities were open to him when he graduated from law school due to anti-Semitism. More than anything, he conveys a true enthusiasm for the law and the fact that he believes everyone is entitled to a defense.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s the crux of who Dershowitz is, as relayed by interviews with the man himself and those who know him, whether or not they find his behavior and actions responsible. Dershowitz expresses that, in his opinion, the job of the defense is not to achieve justice but instead to represent his client, whereas the justice system is meant to ensure a proper result. He was no fan of Richard Nixon\u2019s politics and has similar feelings about Trump, but he has strong feelings about the idea of impeaching a president, who he believes is entitled to a defense just like anyone else.<\/p>\n<p>Dershowitz\u2019s unapologetic nature may rub some people the wrong way, but it\u2019s something that\u2019s he stuck to throughout his life. What this documentary concludes, more than anything, is that he is consistent, retaining the same values and principles no matter who his client may be. He\u2019s well aware that those who are perceived to be guilty are less likely to receive an adequate defense, and in most cases believes that he\u2019s the right man for the job. Being associated with the likes of Jeffrey Epstein and Harvey Weinstein has done him few favors, and in the case of Epstein, even got him in hot water as he was accused of impropriety that he vehemently denies.<\/p>\n<p>The unfettered access to Dershowitz is a truly worthwhile and rewarding endeavor, and he speaks freely and openly, never holding anything back. It\u2019s clear that, while he remains steadfast in his opinions about what cases he\u2019s taken, he finds it deeply troubling that there are those who don\u2019t understand him. His support of Israel\u2019s right to exist, which the film covers towards its end, is one such instance, where he notes that his regular criticism of governmental policies is typically ignored by those who consider him a staunch defender of the country\u2019s every move.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to those who don\u2019t revere Dershowitz and instead argue that his incredible influence should prompt him to take moral positions rather than purely legal ones adds dimensions to this profile that, dispiriting as they surely are to its subject, are a perfect example of how he might attest that every side of an issue deserves to be examined and presented. This film is highly informative and entirely interesting, shining a light on a man whose frequent courting of controversy is simply a biproduct of his deeply held sense of the law and why it matters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/author\/abe-friedtanzer\/\">Check out more of Abe Friedtanzer\u2019s articles<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong><em>The Trials of Alan Dershowitz<\/em><\/strong> is screening online at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.docnyc.net\/film\/the-trials-of-alan-dershowitz\/\">DOC NYC<\/a> through November 26<sup>th<\/sup>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alan Dershowitz is a lawyer about whom many have complicated feelings. Throughout his career, he has defended a number of clients who were considered to be pariahs in society and few lawyers would have wanted to be associated with in any way. Three decades after being portrayed in the Oscar-winning film Reversal of Fortune by&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":20405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[19062,5081,18933,86,19064,19065,19066,19063],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u2018The Trials of Alan Dershowitz\u2019 DOC NYC Film Review \u2013 A Principled and Controversial Man | Cinema Daily US<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The celebrated and controversial lawyer takes center stage in The Trials of Alan Dershowitz, screening at DOC NYC.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cinemadailyus.com\/?p=20404\" \/>\n<meta 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