The Paper Chase

"You may be looking at a future President, Supreme Court Justice, Secretary of State or a dropout."

1973 1h 53m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 123

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A first-year law student struggles with balancing his coursework and his relationship with the daughter of a stern professor.

“You may be looking at a future President, Supreme Court Justice, Secretary of State or a dropout.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Timothy Bottoms
James T. Hart
Lindsay Wagner
Susan Fields
John Houseman
Charles W. Kingsfield Jr.
Graham Beckel
Franklin Ford III
James Naughton
Kevin Brooks
Edward Herrmann
Thomas Craig Anderson
Craig Richard Nelson
Willis Bell
Robert Lydiard
O'Connor

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: James Bridges
Writers: James Bridges
Languages: English, Latin
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

53 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by James Bridges, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Walter Thompson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Timothy Bottoms and Lindsay Wagner and John Houseman carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You may be looking at a future President, Supreme Court Justice, Secretary of State or a dropout.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0070509 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

James Bridges directs. Gordon Willis behind the camera. John Williams scores. Walter Thompson cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Latin.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

153 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Latin.
3Directed by James Bridges, shot by Gordon Willis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by John Williams. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Walter Thompson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Timothy Bottoms and Lindsay Wagner and John Houseman carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "You may be looking at a future President, Supreme Court Justice, Secretary of State or a dropout.".
8IMDB entry: tt0070509 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 8 themes, including "based on novel or book", "harvard university", "college", "law student".