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27 October 2023 / John Cooper KC
Issue: 8046 / Categories: Features , Profession , Criminal
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The Goldman Case: True-life courtroom drama

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John Cooper KC trumpets a triumph of the big screen

At this time of year, we get a chance to check out some of the forthcoming movies with a legal flavour, that are showing in the next 12 months. Once again, the BFI London Film Festival showcases an impressive range of films.

The Goldman Case

One of them stands out as a ‘must see’. The Goldman Case is not only an example of exceptional film making but a graphic insight into the work of the courtroom and the complexities and contradictions that the search for justice can throw up.

The story is almost completely played out in the courtroom, which makes the narrative intense and utterly relenting. It really is as if you are sitting in the court watching the trial as it happens.

This is the real-life trial of Pierre Goldman, which was heard in 1976 and remains one of France’s seminal cases.

One of the main reasons for this is the very nature of who Pierre

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