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American Association of Law Libraries
2004 Annual Meeting, July 10-14
Boston, Massachusetts

Boston in the Movies

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A disproportionate percentage of films set in Boston or Cambridge seem to deal either with learning the law or with breaking it.

You may’ve probably already seen some of the best known, such as Love Story (1970) and The Paper Chase (1973). In the interests of full disclosure, we must note that the recent hit Legally Blonde (2001) was not filmed on the Harvard campus (though some of its scenes were filmed in Boston) and that the story itself is largely fictional.

Harvard undergrads are featured in Soul Man (1986) With Honors (1994), Harvard Man (2001), and Prozac Nation (2001). (A word of warning--in addition to made-up characters, many of these films contain key scenes shot elsewhere.)

Despite the high moral influence of area law schools and the Brahmins of Beacon Hill, the Boston crime scene has also received its fair share of coverage. Tony Curtis brought one of America’s best-known serial killers to the screen in The Boston Strangler (1968). Many of Boston’s fictional criminals have become almost as well known, including the thrill-seeking millionaire played by Steve McQueen in the first version of The Thomas Crown Affair (1968). Similarly, Robert Mitchum’s portrayal of a small-time thug running out of time and out of luck in The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973) proved to be an indelible cinematic image. The Brinks Job (1979) presents the true, heart-warming tale of a bunch of local boys making good, to the tune of $2,700,000. Less successful, but no less convincing, are the fictional Charlestown low-lifes of Monument Avenue (1997).

More recently, Sean Penn picked up an Oscar for his work in Mystic River (2003). And at press time, a feature film version of the life of Boston’s own Most Wanted, Whitey Bulger, was reported to be in the works. Keep an eye out for it—and for Whitey. “He is known to frequent libraries….”

Many celluloid Bostonians operate in a nebulous realm, traversing the shadowy border between right and wrong. These include Frank Skeffington of The Last Hurrah (1958), a thinly veiled portrait of Mayor James Curley, “The Rascal King”. Similar moral ambivalence is seen in the career of Paul Newman’s ambulance-chasing attorney in The Verdict (1982). Jan Schlictmann, the real-life role model for John Travolta in A Civil Action (1998), has experienced a number of ups and downs in his career.

Of course, some local films don’t revolve around the law at all. Good Will Hunting (1997) and Next Stop Wonderland (1998) both offer good views of the local scene, and the local scenery.

Boston has been around even longer than Hollywood. Constraints of time, space, and sanity prevent us from offering a truly comprehensive listing of Boston-based movies here so we’ve had to omit many cinematic highlights such as Harvard, Here I Come (1941 – “ ‘SLAPSIE' Takes Over Harvard . . . and every gal in sight!”) and Boston Horseless Fire Department (1899 - “Positively the most realistic and exciting fire run ever offered to exhibitors”). If you’re interested in seeing more, we strongly encourage you to visit the City of Boston’s Film Bureau web site, the Wicked Good Guide to Massachusetts Movies, or the Harvard Crimson’s “Harvard Movies Go Mainstream”

Most filmography links courtesy of The Internet Movie Database.
Link for Monument Avenue courtesy of Movie Magazine International