"Phil Spector" with Helen Mirren and Al Pacino (2013)

You’ve got to admire a movie about a person as famous as Phil Spector which begins by telling you it is not the truth. But then again, with Phil Spector, you just never really know anyway. The movie, written by David Mamet, is narrowly focused on the Mr. Spector’s first trial for the murder of aspiring actress Lana Clarkson. Helen Mirren plays his attorney in this highly imaginative, yet oddly engrossing film.

Shifting between the events of the trial and the personal life of this famous icon as the trial takes place helps the viewer to decipher the oddities of Mr. Spector’s thinking. The beleaguered attorney, who at first despises her client, finally comes to have a begrudging respect for his self-proclaimed genius.

David Mamet both wrote this film and directs it. He may have an agenda in getting Mr. Spector’s sentence reduced; or at least mitigated. He is currently housed at California Health Care Facility (CHCF), which is located in Stockton. He was sentenced to 19 years to life for the murder, which he still denies having committed.

The highly fictionalized film does manage to recall some of the juicier moments of a career gone awry. Al Pacino, who plays the infamous record producer, does a great job in dress and mannerisms, although his dialogue is pure Al Pacino. During the scenes in Mr. Spector’s home I kept expecting him to pull a machine gun from beneath his robes, yelling, “Meet my little friend!” But dialogue aside, the choice of Mr. Pacino to play this part was a very good one. He is built roughly the same as Mr. Spector and they actually do look alike.

You will have to get over the shock of Mr. Pacino changing wigs for almost each scene, but then again, that’s what Mr. Spector did in real life. Just look at his trial photos and you will see a vast array of hairstyles ranging from long ringlets to an outrageous Afro which would be the envy of Angela Davis in 1968.

Mr. Mamet has written some great dialogue in his attempt to explore the bizarre world of Phil Spector, recalling some of his finest moments, as well as his worst. Along the way he reminds the viewer of some of Mr. Spector’s greatest successes. From the Ronnettes and the Righteous Brothers, to his producing the Beatle’s album “Let It Be”, Mr. Mamet has painted a picture of a man who is at once seriously talented, and fatally flawed.

The only assertion which I can actually take issue with in this film is the claim that his production of the Beatles “Let It Be” made it a hit. It should be noted that the Beatles had already moved on to record their real last album, “Abbey Road”, in the summer of 1969; leaving the disastrous and unmixed recordings from the “Let It Be” sessions unfinished.

With the Beatles themselves disinterested in working on the album, their regular producer; George Martin; allowed it to be “farmed” out to Mr. Spector, who proceeded to overdub it with orchestras and tape loops. The only Beatle even involved in that effort was John Lennon, who was not at his best at the time. The album has since been re-released; produced by George Martin; with all of the excessive layering removed. It has been retitled “Let It Be – Naked.” 

And, speaking of naked, here's Phil Spector without his wigs.

"The Case of Abraham Lincoln" by Julie M. Fenster

I have always been a fan of Abraham Lincoln. Although I do realize that some of his intentions in freeing the slaves were politically motivated, I have always held him in high regard. The Emancipation Proclamation is a prime example of his political prowess. Had it not been for the later passage of the 14th Amendment, the Proclamation would have kept slavery alive in the North until 1900, while abolishing it immediately in the South. But the man has always fascinated me, even in Kindergarten, where I first spied his face on the wall, alongside of George Washington.

Abraham Lincoln, by the spring of 1856, was considerd a former Congressman with a legal practice. His political capital was at an all time low, and he lamented that he would go down in history as just another lawyer, riding the circuit of the local courts. And it may have wound up just that way, were it not for a Mrs. Anderson and her husband's nephew, Theodore.

George Anderson, a blacksmith in Springfield, was married to Jane Anderson. They lived next door to the Masonic Hall, a very busy gathering spot for the towns politicos and aspiring office seekers. It was also the main gathering spot for news of the day. That spring the hall was unusually busy with the debate of two pressing national issues; the first being the spread of slavery into the new territories, and the second being the suppression of Catholicism as a growing "threat" to the naton. The focus in Springfield was about to become more local.

From April 22nd through May 15th, George Anderson was gravely ill. He was expected to pass away. His symptoms were fever, convulsions and extreme pain. The convulsions arched his back to the point of breaking. His weight dropped to the lowest point since his youth. The attending physicians, Dr. Lord and Dr. Fowler were certain that George Anderson was being poisoned with strychine, but were not sure by whom. The only person who administered his food and medicine was his wife, Jane. At the same time, Jane was having an affair with her husbands nephew, Theodore.

By all accounts, Geoge Anderson was a strong man. As a blacksmith he was very fit. When he became ill so suddenly, red flags were raised, and all through April and early May, Dr. Lord and Dr. Fowler were on hand, trying to determine the cause of Mr. Anderson's troubles. But a strange thing happened around the middle of May; Mr. Anderson seemed to be making a full recovery.

On May 15th he was well enough to leave his sickbed for the first time in almost a month. He went to the tailors and bought some new cothes to fit his now thinning body. He was also supposed to meet his wife at his brother's house for tea. They were celebrating his recovery. Mrs. Anderson never made it to the tea, electing instead to go home and have tea alone. Prior to that, she had been shopping, and was seen in the company of Mr. Anderson's nephew.

That evening, upon his return home, Mr. Anderson confronted his wife as to her absence from the tea. They fought briefly, in front of the servants, before retiring for the night. Sometime around 10 PM, Mr. Anderson, according to Mrs. Anderson, crept quietly from their bed to use the outhouse in the backyard. He took his pistol with him. He never returned.

By 11 PM, Mrs. Anderson had awakened, and peering out the window, saw her husbands body lying on the ground. She summoned the servants to see to him. She never went to check on him herself, falling into hysterics instead.

The town sheriff concluded that Mr. Anderson had been struck over the head with a board as he exited the outhouse. The board was found about twenty feet away from the body with blood on it. By the next morning, though, bloodied sheets and a ball peen hammer were found in the bushes, raising the possibility that Mr. Anderson had been killed in bed and then moved outside. Moreover, Mrs. Anderson was now charged with her husband's murder.

What ensues after that is a quickly paced book, which not only covers the trial of Mrs. Anderson and her husband's nephew, but also offers a glimpse at a country struggling with the divisive issue of slavery. It also gives us some new insights into the law career of Abraham Lincoln, a man who fought for both sides of every issue that came his way. His work in the Fugitive Slave Act cases underscores his ability to argue, and win, cases for which he had previously argued against. From 1836 to 1861, Lincoln argued more than 5,000 cases. More than just a debt lawyer, Lincoln was involved in over 30 murder trials. The Anderson case came on the scene just in time to revitalize his political career, and offers one of the best insights into his years as an attorney.

The Anderson trial began on November 19th, 1856. Lincoln had not returned to Springfield until June, a month after the murder took place. The State's attorney, Amzi McWilliams, needed help to prosecute the case, and to that end offered Lincoln $200 to be the Special Prosecutor. Lincoln turned him down, citing an overload of cases, but offered instead to assist in the Defense for $75.

I will not go any further into the case. It is one of the most overlooked episodes of Lincoln's 25 year career as an attorney, and as such, offers some new perspective into both the man himself, and the volatile times in which he lived. If you like Lincoln, you will love this book.

"Rising Road" by Sharon Davies

America at the close of World War One was a diverse mixture of nationalities and religions. By the early 1920’s the Ku Klux Klan had re-organized and begun a campaign of xenophobia and hatred that spread across the land. At the same time there was a growing Socialist movement involved in labor organization. All this served to pit one American against another, either along the lines of religion or race, politics or money.

Beneath the emerging prosperity there was a growing discontent and intolerance for views that differed from ones own. By 1925 the Klan was marching in Washington, DC, unopposed, down Pennsylvania Avenue and past the White House.

Catholicism was under severe attack. Its adherents were likened to “cross kissers” and “papists.” Into this seething cauldron that was America in the summer of 1921, two people married. This seemingly innocent event would turn into a sensational murder trial involving the girl’s father, Edwin Stephenson,(a former barber turned lay minister)Reverend James Coyle,(the local Catholic Priest) and Hugo Black,(a KKK sympathizer who would go on to become a Supreme Court Justice.)

Ms. Davies has done the seemingly impossible with this book. She has at once presented us with a true life murder-mystery, as well as a complete and accurate overview of the social issues of the time. No easy task.

The two lovers who bought about this commotion are of great interest. The girl, Ruth Stephenson, a Protestant,who is fascinated by the Catholic Church, meets Pedro Gussman at the age of 13 when he is doing some work at her family's home. He is a practicing Catholic from Puerto Rico. He is 24 years older. This is a doomed relationship from the start. The three strikes of race, religion and age make it imposssible for the couple to begin dating a few years after they meet.

Added to this combustible mix is Mr. Stephenson's lack of work as a barber. After accidentally shooting himself in the foot he can no longer stand for long periods of time. He becomes a Protestant lay preacher. Birmingham was a thriving town where many runaways went to get married in civil ceremonies. Mr. Stephenson takes to wandering the steps of the court house in an effort to seek out and marry these young wayward couples in the eyes of God. This effort is frowned upon by the Reverend Coyle, who feels not only that his church is being cheated of the revenue afforded by these marraiges, but also that these marraiges are not valid in the eyes of God.

Ruth's growing relationship with Pedro only fuels her passion for the rituals of his Catholicism and she decides to convert and marry him in the Catholic Church. She is 18 and does not need, nor does she seek, her parents consent. This enrages Mr. Stephenson to the point of confronting Reverend Coyle on the porch of his rectory. What happens there triggers this sensational trial for the Reverends' murder.

There is no doubt that Mr. Stephenson did it, there were witnesses to the act. The trial, instead turns on the "why" behind the murder. Was Ruth brainwashed into becoming Catholic? Aren't Puerto Ricans merely light skinned blacks, as claimed by future Justice Black? And therefore not entitled to marrying outside of their race? The fact that Hugo Black would go on to become such a stalwart advocate of Civil Rights only makes the book more interesting.

The motivations of all the characters involved is mind boggling. Every one has an ulterior motive for the verdict they wish to see. Race, religion and politics, a volatile mixture back in the 1920's, has not changed all that much. The racists seek to keep another group down socially, while the religious crowd tries to force their particular God down your throat and the politicians attempt to walk a fine line, attempting to satisfy us all, on their way to higher office at our expense. One of the arguments presented by the Defense touches upon what would later become known as the "Miranda Decision", in which a defendants right to counsel is affirmed by the arresting authority. This was not done in Mr. Stephenson's case, and Hugo Black skillfully uses this argument to cast doubt upon the evidence for the Prosecution, which included Mr. Stephenson's confession on the night of the murder.

Mr. Stephenson is freed by a jury that takes it's course from the Bible, rather than enacted law. Mrs. Gussman never reconciles with her parents, citing "years of abuse" as her reason. This is a riveting book with applications to today's world and our continued division over these same issues.