In this second edition of Favorites from Fiction, I chose my own personal favorite characters that play lawyers in films and television. These selections include two French films, a Polish film/television episode, and a Swedish and American television series.
1. Piotr from A Short Film About Killing
Originally made for Polish television by director Krzysztof Kieślowski, A Short Film About Killing (1988) is the fifth installment in the ten hour-long Dekalog series. Each film focuses on the residents of a housing complex in late-Communist Poland, whose lives become subtly intertwined as they face emotional dilemmas that are at once deeply personal and universally human. The ten films, pull from the Ten Commandments for thematic inspiration and an overarching structure, grapple deftly with complex moral and existential questions concerning life, death, love, hate, truth, and the passage of time. A Short Film About Killing portrays a very relatable defense attorney named Piotr who represents a young boy that has murdered and stolen from a taxi driver. Although Piotr fully invests himself in the trial, sympathizing with his client (even realizing he was present in the very same cafe with the boy just hours before the murder took place), the boy is found guilty and executed in a brutal fashion. Early on in the film, we see Piotr in an interview scenario with what can be presumed to be the Polish government for a character assessment to hire him on as a public defender. A panel of judge-like authorities questions him – why do you want to be a lawyer? Piotr’s words say a lot about his humble aspirations to do good:
“I hesitate not because I do not know what to say… I’ve been asked this question twice before. When taking entrance exams, the answer seemed simple then. The short answer is: I don’t know. It attracts me. I’ve seen many cases in the last four years. You could describe the work as a social function. I think that’s very important. But most of all… if all goes well… I’ll have the opportunity to meet and understand people I couldn’t meet in any other profession. I believe that as the years pass the answer becomes more elusive. Everyone wonders if what they do makes sense. I fear we have more and more doubts.”
He is then asked what, in his view, deters crime, and gives his opinion on punishment:
“In general terms it is the impact of punishment not on the criminal, but on others to discourage them… shall I put it precisely? … It intimidates others. Article 50 of the Penal Code, it’s a doubtful justification for the severity of the sentences – it is often unjust. Since Cain, no punishment has proved to be an adequate deterrent.”
An extremely moving work, you will find yourself empathizing with the Piotr as he grapples with the realities of an un-feeling legal system that shows no mercy to a soul he believes committed an unlawful and awful act yet whose life circumstances somehow led him down a path to an unavoidable fate he did not really deserve.
2. Lucie from Out 1
1971 epic mystery by French director Jacques Rivette can be viewed in 8 parts totaling nearly 13 hours, or you can opt for a very different theatrical version spanning 4 hours. Either way, the film and plot are difficult to decipher but always intriguing as a sprawling cast explores parallel subplots with seemingly loosely connected characters uncovering new characters with their own subplots. All plots and characters seem to be at least partially connected to the existence of a secret society based on Balzac’s “History of the Thirteen”.
One of the most mysterious characters is female lawyer (and apparent member of the Secret 13 group) Lucie. Obviously smart and sexy, she stands out among the cast as one of only three females not directly involved in theatre groups. Her cleverness is showcased multiple times including a grand moment on a rooftop in which another character attempts to blackmail her, but Lucie is too sly for that!
3. Marianne from Scenes from a Marraige
Swedish director Ingmar Bergman’s 1973 television drama stars successful career women, wife and mother Marianne. In early episodes you see and hear Marianne giving advice to both close friends and clients in her practice of Family Law matters, advising them on divorce. She and her husband Johan even submit to an interview touting the longevity and happiness of their marriage despite their separate and fulfilling professional lives. However, a veil is quickly lifted when Marianne suddenly finds herself in the throws of separation and divorce. Chronicled in a way that makes empathy unavoidable, blind yet strong Marianne sifts through the turmoil, all the while maintaining her career as a lawyer and a good yet strained friendship with her ex.
4. The Young Man from The Bakery Girl of Monceau
The nameless narrator in French director Eric Rohmer’s 1963 short film (23 minutes) is love struck law student. Initially attracted to a beautiful young woman he passes on the street, the student looses faith in his pursuit when she seems to disappear. In his searching the streets of Paris for her, he happens across a bakery and has increasing interactions with the girl working there. After the bakery girl finally agrees to go out with him, the woman he was originally infatuated with resurfaces and he stupidly makes a commitment with her for the same time. He arrives at his choice which is a cold one showing little regard for the feelings of the rejected woman. He rationalizes with himself: “My choice had been above all, moral. One represented truth, the other a mistake, or that was how I saw it at the time.” Although not necessarily a likable character, he is a truly believable and often relatable young man grappling with tough decisions even within a simple and short plot. There are many scenes in which you view him pouring over his case books, studying like a good but stressed law student.
5. Lionel Hutz from The Simpsons
Who doesn’t love Lionel Hutz? This popular American animated television series is one I fell in love with during college, and for nearly eight years now it has been a nightly watching ritual. My family and I have quite a collection of early Simpsons seasons on DVD. He’s the lawyer you love to hate; a humorous example of what a terrible lawyer looks like. What better way to enjoy Hutz than with a few classic clips:
Sanford Stadium is walking distance form the law school and law library! The university will have the eclipse broadcast onto the jumbotron at the stadium for those who do not have viewing glasses. They will also hand out a select amount of glasses to the first people to show up between 1 and 4 pm today! Here is more information from UGA’s Archnews email about the event:
By 
hen take sidewalks lining Herty Drive until you see the law library’s picture windows in front of you. Turn left onto the sidewalk that will take you around the law library, and right onto the sidewalk which puts you at the law library entrance.
r that you cannot walk by Gilbert Hall at all, but if you take the stairs up to Gilbert’s entrance and you are feeling adventurous, you can walk the small path behind the trees alongside Gilbert. Beware the sprinkler hose underfoot, and possibly campus cats who are the original purveyors of this path. This path puts you out on a sidewalk leading to steps that walk up to a gorgeous view of Herty Field’s fountain. Walk around the fountain, cross 
Herty Drive, and take the sidewalk to the left of the law library picture windows. Then take a right onto the sidewalk which puts you at the law library entrance. If you try this route as you leave the library, there is a “sidewalk closed” sign – disregard; just be sure you stay behind the yellow caution tape.
kin Street, take the sidewalk on either side of Bocock street, and cross the street to access the sidewalk that passes in front of Denmark Hall. Denmark will be on your right, and a nice statue on your left. This sidewalk winds around Denmark and through a covered area between Denmark and Caldwell. Take a left onto the next sidewalk and follow it up an incline between Caldwell 
and Brooks until you reach Herty Drive with the law school in front of you. Enter the law school through the doors into the McManning Cafe area on the first floor. Once inside, if the law library is your destination, you will need to take interior stairs to the 2nd floor where the library entrance is.
4. Through the Garden: Possibly the most scenic route to take is to walk from Lumpkin Street’s sidewalk through the Founder’s Memorial Garden, then to take the sidewalk between Denmark/Caldwell and Brooks and enter the law school’s first floor. This route in beautiful, but perhaps the longest walking time and has the most incline. It may be more ideal if you are leaving the library 
rather than approaching it so you walk downhill instead of up. Once inside, go to the 2nd floor of the law school and into the law library.
Each summer for many years now the law library has hosted our always popular “Pass the Ice Cream Bar” event. It is a fun way to offer some relief from the summer heat to those students studying for the Georgia Bar Exam. It is that time of year again! Today, July 20th from 1 to 4 pm, University of Georgia Law students, faculty and staff are invited to stop by the law library entrance and enjoy a free ice cream! Dairy and gluten free options are available as well.