What it’s about
Like most of his peers, brilliant first-year Harvard law student James Hart (Bottoms) lives in fear and awe of crusty, demanding, no-nonsense Professor Kingsfield (Houseman). Seeking the great man’s favor and respect proves challenging for this ambitious attorney-in-training, particularly after James falls for Kingsfield’s daughter, Susan (Wagner). Will our hero earn a passing grade?
Why we love it
At a time of heightened competitiveness in academia, James Bridges’s “Chase” makes for incisive, relevant viewing. Set in one of the most demanding environments Harvard Law School the film portrays learning at its most pressurized, where the depth and breadth of the curriculum represents a marathon, testing the brain and body’s endurance. Bottoms is wonderful as the student who may be in over his head, but it’s Houseman’s performance that earns the film a solid A: the former Mercury Theatre producer actually snagged an Oscar for this!