The Incident (1990 film)

The Incident is a 1990 American made-for-television drama film directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Walter Matthau and Harry Morgan which was originally broadcast on CBS on March 4, 1990. The film marked Matthau's return to television after over 20 years.[1]

For other uses, see The Incident.
The Incident
Written byMichael Norell
James Norell
Directed byJoseph Sargent
StarringWalter Matthau
Susan Blakely
Robert Carradine
Peter Firth
Harry Morgan
Barnard Hughes
Music byLaurence Rosenthal
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersBill Brademan
Edwin Self
CinematographyKees Van Oostrum
EditorDebra Karen
Running time100 minutes
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseMarch 4, 1990 (1990-03-04)
Related
Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore

The film was followed by two sequels: Against Her Will: An Incident in Baltimore (1992) and Incident in a Small Town (1994).

Plot

The story takes place in the year 1944 in Lincoln Bluff, a fictional, small Colorado town.[2] The Second World War is still raging when the town's only doctor, George Hansen, is murdered at a local US Army camp, Camp Bremen, holding German prisoners of war.

Harmon J. Cobb, a local lawyer, is railroaded by Judge Bell into being the defense attorney for Geiger, the German prisoner accused of killing the doctor, who also happened to have been Cobb's friend.[3] Cobb has no desire for Geiger to be acquitted; in addition to sharing in the wartime anti-German sentiment, Cobb's son is an American soldier fighting the Germans. However, to preserve his hard-earned standing as a top-notch attorney, he begins to build a nominal defense by asking several of Geiger's subordinates who are also prisoners at Camp Bremen to act as character witnesses. However, they all refuse to testify, and when Cobb asks Geiger to pull rank on them to get them on the stand, he refuses. Moreover, he angrily accuses Cobb of being disinterested in the real goings-on in the camp.

Cobb does not press Geiger for more explanation of his comments. However, when a local acquaintance comes forward with more information, Cobb begins to suspect not only that Geiger is in fact innocent, but that Hansen's death is only the tip of the iceberg in illicit operations at Camp Bremen.

Cast

Reception

John J. O'Connor gave the film a highly positive review in The New York Times, deeming it "a first-rate production". While he found a number of details in the script didn't make sense, he praised the historical authenticity of both the story and the production, as well as Matthau's immense presence in the lead role.[1]

Awards
YearAwardResultCategory
1990Emmy AwardWon (tied with Caroline?)Outstanding Made for Television Movie
1990Emmy AwardWonOutstanding Casting for a Miniseries or a Special
1990Emmy AwardNominatedOutstanding Writing in a Miniseries or a Special (Michael Norell and James Norell)
1991Christopher AwardWon(category unknown)
1991Edgar Allan Poe AwardNominatedBest Television Feature or Miniseries
1991Writers Guild of America AwardWonOriginal Long Form

References
  1. O'Connor, John J. (March 3, 1990). "Review/Television; Walter Matthau Is Back After a 2-Decade Hiatus". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 6, 2012.
  2. "The Incident (TV Movie 1990)". IMDb. 4 March 1990. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
  3. "The Incident at Hollywood.com". hollywood.com. Archived from the original on 25 July 2008. Retrieved 8 August 2015.
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