MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

In this legal drama from director Sydney Pollack, Sally Field stars as Megan, an ambitious newpaper reporter who, based on information from FBI investigator Rosen, played by Bob Balaban, writes a scathing article that implicates Gallagher, a reclusive business-owner played by Paul Newman, in the recent disappearance of a labor leader. When Gallagher confronts Megan and sets her straight, the two team together to prove his innocence and have a few romantic interludes along the way. Wilford Brimley and Melinda Dillon also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: PCM Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV, Pan and Scan
• Subtitle: Spanish, English, French
• Features:
  • • Languages: English, Spanish, French
    • Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
    • Theatrical trailer
    • Scene selections
    • Widescreen and full screen formats

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Actor - 1981 (Paul Newman)
•     Nominated Best Original Screenplay - 1981 (Kurt Luedtke)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1981 (Melinda Dillon)

• Berlin International Film Festival

•     Won Special Mention - 1982

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Nominated Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1981 (Sally Field)
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1981 (Kurt Luedtke)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Sydney Pollack

• Producer:

  Terence Marsh, Sydney Pollack

• Screenwriter:

  Kurt Luedtke

• Cinematographer:

  Owen Roizman

• Composer (Music Score):

  Dave Grusin

• Editor:

  Sheldon Kahn

• Production Designer:

  Terence Marsh

• Executive Producer:

  Ronald L. Schwary

• Set Designer:

  John Franco, Jr.

• Costume Designer:

  Bernie Pollack

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Bert Hallberg

• Makeup:

  Don L. Cash

• First Assistant Director:

  David McGiffert

• Camera Operator:

  James Glennon

• Production Manager:

  Ronald L. Schwary

REVIEW:

• Kurt Luedtke translated his own experiences as a big-city newspaper editor at the Detroit Free Press to write his first feature film. He earned an Academy Award nomination for original screenplay for his journalistically credible story about a naïve, eager-beaver young reporter (Sally Field) misled by a federal investigator into fingering the wrong man (Paul Newman) in the murder of a longshoreman's union official. Directed by Sydney Pollack, the film was a box-office hit and also earned Oscar nominations for Newman and supporting actress Melinda Dillon. Most memorable is the scene in which Newman barges into the newspaper's city room to confront Field. Like most Pollack films, Absence of Malice is a showcase for its actors, who give depth and color to a polished though fairly conventional entry in the fading genre of newspaper movies. Luedtke later wrote an Oscar-winning screenplay for Pollack's Out of Africa and had a co-writer credit on the acclaimed Schindler's List. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi