Affaire Marcus Nelson

I agree with the other comment on this-I feel this is an excellent film and, when i voted for this film I noticed that many of the high votes were by people roughly the same age as me (18) who, like me, probably don't remember when this was originally shown- I feel this speaks volumes about how relevant and engaging this film remains after all these years... and don't get me wrong - I have hardly ever seen Kojak but this film as it stands on its own makes sense and is very good. I wont spoil the film but I'll just say that I also like how the film doesn't really have a definite answer and leaves the viewer to agree or disagree with the ending. I'd recommend buying this if you can as It's a good price these days but still a great film.

This generation of film makers are afraid to make something like this now. Distributors wont touch it.This should not have been a TV movie. Academy award worthy across the board here. The direction, the cinematography, one heck of a script, and you can take your pick of the actors whose performances went past the heart and right for the gut. The subject matter supporting the Kojak mythology puts the film right up there with any top civil rights documentary. I first saw it as the " The 3:30 movie" on channel seven in Chicago back in 74.I didn't know what I was looking at until I studied the King event. Abby Mann later wrote and directed "King" but this script is as close as you will get to a saturated gritty matter-of -fact telling of a story that still rightly embarrasses the legal system. I always wondered why the networks never bothered to show it again. I see why...and so will you.

"Kojak:The Marcus-Nelson Murders" was a made for television movie that premiered as a CBS Special Presentation on March 8,1973. It was based on the book by Selwyn Raab(who was a reporter for the New York Times)titled "Justice In The Back Room". Written by Abby Mann and Directed by Joesph Sargent,this Emmy-winning television drama was based on the 1963 Wylie-Hoffert "Career Girls Murders". The crime involves the brutal rape and murder of two young professional women in Manhattan. The movie serve as the basis as the pilot for the "Kojak" television series starring Telly Savalas. An African-American male by the name of Lewis Humes(Gene Woodbury)was arrested for a crime that he did not commit. To find the real killer,Lt. "Theo" Kojak conducts a second investigation with a different team of detectives(Ned Beatty, William Watson)along with his superior officer Sgt. Dan McCartney(Bruce Kirby). After illegally obtaining a confession,the police have identified the real suspect in the murders which exonerated the suspect and identified the culprit,who was a Puerto-Rican junkie.

"Kojak:The Marcus-Nelson Murders" was a gritty and intense police drama with a subtext focusing on institutionalized prejudice and the civil rights and suspects and witnesses. The opening and closing titles of the film emphasize that it was a fictional account of the events that led to the creation of "Miranda" rights by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1966. As for the TV-Movie on which the series "Kojak" was based on,there was no other actor out there that did it better than the great Telly Savalas. The supporting cast features Chita Rivera,to Tol Avery, Robert Walden,Jose Ferrer,Val Bisoglio,Lorraine Gary and Allen Garfield,many of these stars would make guest appearances later on for the "Kojak" television series during the early-to-mid 1970's.

If this had been released theatrically, it could have been a candidate for some Oscars, and likely on most "10 best" film lists for 1973. Probably can be easily said that it's at least one of the 10 best TV films ever made, and ranks right up there with DUEL. It's Telly Savales' best performance, and that means he's superb. It's the role he was meant to play and no wonder it became the popular KOJAK television series. I saw this when first broadcast in 1973, and found it completely absorbing, at a time when I was more interested in action and horror stuff, like most kids, and when I could barely sit still for anything dramatic, but Savales held my attention, and the storyline never sagged. Everything in the film is top-notch, and a later second viewing years afterward only confirmed this. You won't be disappointed!

This is amazing. Kojak is more low-key here than in the series. His voiceover, especially at the end, is excellent. It's got a semi-documentary tone, thanks to the narration, comparing favorably with The Naked City. The collection of actors is good too --Jose Ferrer, Ned Beatty, Marjoe Gortner, Bruce Kirby, Allen Garfield, etc. This is a little-remembered gem, like so many forgotten pilots for successful TV shows.