when newman first saw the black doctor, his face fell, presumably because he was black. then jack warden called him a "witch doctor" while discussing the case with newman. incredibly racist, was this set in the 50's or 60's? these sort of things would be a big deal in movies nowadays, not to mention the woman beating...
share[deleted]
I agree. He wasn't a witch doctor and he made valid points about the case.
shareI'm a Newman fan and an old school friend is in this movie also so maybe I was blinded the first time I saw this in the movie theater when it was released and I just never noticed.
But, upon watching it again tonight ... wow !! Newman dismisses the black doctor by saying 'You can go home now ..." Maybe it sounds petty but to me, here in 2015, it sounds like hes telling a kid what to do. I mean if the doctor is no longer needed, a simple 'thank you but your testimony is no longer needed, thanks again ...' would have sufficed and sounded like one man addressing another. "you can go home now ..." wow, really ?
"Thank you massa thank you !!"
Both Galvin (Newman) and the opposing attorney Ed Colcannon (James Mason) reacted as any good attorney in Boston circa 1980 would react -- they assumed the jury would never give full credit to the testimony of an elderly black man with a less-than-stellar resume.
Neither one expected Dr. Thompson (Ben Seneca) to make a difference, and he did not.
He already gave a terrible testimony. He said they she could have gone without air to the brain for 9 minutes without brain damage. While the doctor who wrote the book on it said she had low oxygen levels and therefore could get brain damage after just 2 minutes. Right then and there Newman's character knew that the black doctor was a terrible expert witness as he had overlooked a very obvious fact. So he could not use him for anything after that.
As to not acknowledging him as a good doctor before that? It had something to do with his age and experience. Race could be a part in it, but there is no way to know for sure.
Verdict: not racist
I just watched The Verdict again last night. One of my favorites. I came online to see if anyone else liked it as much as I did -- even after all these years -- and I stumbled on this topic.
Both Galvin (Newman) and the opposing attorney Ed Colcannon (James Mason) reacted as any good attorney in Boston circa 1980 would react -- they assumed the jury would never give full credit to the testimony of an elderly black man with a less-than-stellar resume.
They had to let the audience know that the doctor would be leaving town and no longer participating in the trial. If Newman had said "You can leave now." We wouldn't have know what he meant. Did he mean he could leave the building? Leave the city? If he would've said what I just said: "Thank you. You can leave town because we no longer need you to participate in the trial." That would've been the worst, expository, clunky dialogue in a movie ever. Movies are about economy: Conveying as much information as possible with as little dialogue as possible. Newman's short, terse line conveys to us (the audience) exactly the information we need with as few words as possible. If he had said what you suggested: "Thank you. Your testimony is no longer needed." Again, it wouldn't have been clear. Is Newman telling him he's no longer needed for today? Telling him he's no longer needed for the remainder of the trial? What exactly? It's unclear.
shareGet real! In the context the doctor is validated and useful. What's your thing?
shareI too was shocked and amazed by the level of seemingly casual racism and condescension. The defense doctor clearly knew his stuff and could adequately testify as an expert medical witness, but he is practically dismissed by the two lawyers who were paying him to be there before he even makes it to the stand. (Note Newman burying his head in his hands behind the doctor as Jack Warden is working to prep him for the stand the next day.). I was pleased to see the actor Joe Seneca bring such dignity, intelligence and screen presence to what is a relatively minor supporting role. I was wondering if anyone else had a similar reaction and if there was anything I was missing or not understanding.
shareThey didn't dismiss him because he was black. They dismissed him because he didn't have the expertise needed to rebut the testimony of the defendants. He was just a plain M.D. whereas the defendants were experts in their field who had written textbooks on anesthesiology. Plus Newman & Warden knew the black doctor's credibility would be compromised in the minds of the jury when the defending lawyers brought out the fact that their "expert" witness practically made a profession out of testifying against other doctors (which the defending lawyers in fact did).
shareNope, they pretty much dismissed him from the door based on the color of his skin. Not only did he have a look of bewilderment and discontent upon first meeting the Doctor, but right after he puts him in the cab upon their 1st meeting he goes straight for the pay phone and the conversation goes:
Mickey: How's our new witness doing?
Frank: (sigh) Did you find the nurse?
Mickey: She's workin a night shift at the hospital, but she's home now, I'll take a run over there.
Frank: Well, give me the address, I'm going. (he looks back in direction of cab the Dr. got in) We're going to need her.
His whole demeanor in his 1st conversation after speaking to his new ace in the hole screamed of disappointment and skepticism, which is why he exclaims that he will absolutely need the other nurse (1st nurse who refused to testify for either side) on their side as well.
And that was all before they sat him down in the apartment to prep.
People hate what's popular and people jump on bandwagons. The rest of us are in the middle. Done.
Yes, Newman's character was clearly disappointed that he was black, but I took it that a black doctor would not carry as much weight on the stand due to normal bias among the jury, all of whom were white.
shareYep, I agree and great point. But the previous poster had some insane argument that it was not because of the color of his skin, when it clearly was.
People hate what's popular and people jump on bandwagons. The rest of us are in the middle. Done.
ALL doctors at trials are doing that.
"I too was shocked and amazed by the level of seemingly casual racism and condescension".
O you poor little thing you - maybe you should consider spending a week in a hospital to recover from this terrible experience?
"I was wondering if anyone else had a similar reaction".
I'm sure this comes as another earth shattering shock, but not quite everyone is brainwashed by the rampant political correctness and conditioned to see racism at every turn. Not yet, anyway.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
Hats off. Perfect.
share"I too was shocked and amazed by the level of seemingly casual racism and condescension".
O you poor little thing you - maybe you should consider spending a week in a hospital to recover from this terrible experience?
"I was wondering if anyone else had a similar reaction".
I'm sure this comes as another earth shattering shock, but not quite everyone is brainwashed by the rampant political correctness and conditioned to see racism at every turn. Not yet, anyway.
"He also said that they should have a black lawyer sitting at their table."
Did you notice, though, that no black associate was ever sitting with Concannon? I have pointed this out to Imdb as a goof, but they haven't added it to their list.
I disagree with what you are saying, but I will fight to your death for your right to say it;-)
Thank you for this.
shareBravo
shareI find all of this string nonsensical oversensitivity. He was viewed as good and helpful, and contributed to the eventual victory.
shareAgree.
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well people are racist in the movie. woopdie do.
shareI just watched the scene where he met the doctor. I don't know how anyone could say "his face fell". He didn't frown or anything! I think you were looking for something racist. He didn't jump for joy on seeing him, but his face didn't fall either.
shareIt was made clear that the lawyers for the defendants knew that Dr Thompson's testimony would be less effective on the virtue of him being black, of which Concannon reminds his clerk to treat Thompson with respect but also to "get a black lawyer on [their] bench." They were definitely counting on prejudice towards Thompson to count in their favour.
I don't believe there was any prejudice on Galvin's part, but I do think he wasn't expecting Thompson to be black, which is why he missed him at the bus stop.
~ I'm a 21st century man and I don't wanna be here.
Not only were the remarks about the black doctor racist but what about Mickey Morrisey's comment "it's refreshing anytime a doctor takes the stand and he is not a Jew". This film shows the racism that has existed in Boston for many years. Remember the Busing riots refereed to in the beginning of the the film "the Departed" ? I hope it's changed but at one time Boston was just as anti-black and anti Semitic as Jackson Miss was in the 1950's.
shareNewman and particularly Warden seemed a bit prejudiced against him, although this was at least partly from suspecting that the jury probably wouldn't take the word of a black doctor as seriously as a white one - particularly given his age and early signs of possible mental decline.
As it turned out, the doctor was pretty effective on the stand in describing the patient's brain damage. This despite a semi-lapse mentally when he was slow to answer one of James Mason's questions about the book Methodology and Practice in Anesthesiology, plus in Newman's office he didn't know what code blue was.
Also, Boston has it's faults, but was never as racist as Mississippi in the 1950's.