November 1, 2011 (XXIII:10) Ulu Grossbard, TRUE CONFESSIONS (1981, 108 min.)

Directed by Ulu Grosbard Written by John Gregory Dunne, Joan Didion and Gary S. Hall (uncredited) Produced by Robert Chartoff and Irwin Winkler Original Music by Georges Delerue Cinematography by Owen Roizman Film Editing by Lynzee Klingman Robert De Niro...Father Des Spellacy Robert Duvall...Det. Tom Spellacy Charles Durning...Jack Amsterdam Kenneth McMillan...Frank Crotty Ed Flanders...Dan T. Campion Cyril Cusack...Cardinal Danaher Burgess Meredith...Msgr. Seamus Fargo Rose Gregorio...Brenda Samuels Dan Hedaya...Howard Terkel Gwen Van Dam...Mrs. Fazenda Thomas Hill...Mr. Fazenda Jeanette Nolan...Mrs. Spellacy Joseph G. Medalis...Deputy Coroner James Hong...Coroner Wong ULU GROSBARD directed only seven films: 1999 The Deep End of the Ocean, 1995 Georgia, 1984 Falling in Love, 1981 True Confessions, 1978 Straight Time, 1971 Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, and 1968 The Subject Was Roses. JOHN GREGORY DUNNE (May 25, 1932, Hartford, Connecticut – December 30, 2003, New York City) is a novelist who has eight screenwriting credits: 1996 Up Close & Personal, 1995 “Broken Trust”, 1990 “Women and Men: Stories of Seduction”, 1981 True Confessions (novel / screenplay), 1976 A Star Is Born, 1972 Play It As It Lays, 1971 The Panic in Needle Park, and 1965 “Kraft Suspense Theatre”. JOAN DIDION (December 5, 1934, Sacramento, California) is a novelist and literary journalist who has nine screenwriting credits: 1996 Up Close & Personal, 1995 “Broken Trust”, 1990 “Women and Men: Stories of Seduction”, 1981 True Confessions, 1976 A Star Is Born, 1972 Play It As It Lays (novel

Play It As It Lays / screenplay), 1971 Such Good Friends, 1971 The Panic in Needle Park, and 1965 “Kraft Suspense Theatre”. ROBERT CHARTOFF (August 26, 1933, New York City, New York) shared a best picture Oscar with Irwin Winkler for Rocky 1976. Some of the other 35 films he produced were 2011 The Mechanic, 2010/II The Tempest, 2006 Rocky Balboa, 2004 In My Country, 1992 Straight Talk, 1990 Rocky V, 1985 Rocky IV, 1985 Beer, 1983 The Right Stuff, 1982 Rocky III, 1981 True Confessions, 1980 Raging Bull, 1979 Rocky II, 1978 Uncle Joe Shannon, 1978 Comes a Horseman, 1977 Valentino, 1977 New York, New York, 1976 Nickelodeon, 1976 Rocky, 1975 Breakout, 1975 Peeper, 1974 The Gambler, 1974 S*P*Y*S, 1974 Busting, 1972 Up the Sandbox, 1972 The Mechanic, 1972 Thumb Tripping, 1972 The New Centurions, 1971 The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, 1971 Believe in Me, 1970 The Strawberry Statement, 1970 Leo the Last, 1969 They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, 1968 The Split, and 1967 Point Blank. IRWIN WINKLER (May 28, 1931, New York City, New York) shared a best picture Oscar for Rocky (1976) with Robert Chartoff. Some of the other 52 films he produced are 2011 The Mechanic, 2006 Rocky Balboa, 2006 Home of the Brave, 2002/I Enough, 2001 The Shipping News, 2001 Life as a House, 1999 At First Sight, 1992 Night and the City, 1990 Rocky V, 1990

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Goodfellas, 1989 Music Box, 1988 Betrayed, 1985 Revolution, 1985 Rocky IV, 1983 The Right Stuff, 1982 Author! Author!, 1982 Rocky III, 1981 True Confessions, 1980 Raging Bull, 1979 Rocky II, 1977 Valentino, 1977 New York, New York, 1976 Nickelodeon, 1976 Rocky, 1975 Breakout, 1975 Peeper, 1974 The Gambler, 1974 S*P*Y*S, 1974 Busting, 1972 Up the Sandbox, 1972 The Mechanic, 1972 Thumb Tripping, 1972 The New Centurions, 1971 The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, 1970 The Strawberry Statement, and 1969 They Shoot Horses, Don't They? OWEN ROIZMAN (September 22, 1936, Brooklyn, New York City, New York) has 28 cinematographer credits, including 1995 French Kiss, 1994 Wyatt Earp, 1991 Grand Canyon, 1991 The Addams Family, 1990/I Havana, 1985 Vision Quest, 1982 Tootsie, 1981 Taps, 1981 Absence of Malice, 1981 True Confessions, 1980 The Black Marble, 1979 The Electric Horseman, 1978 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1978 Straight Time, 1976 Network, 1976 The Return of a Man Called Horse, 1975 Three Days of the Condor, 1975 The Stepford Wives, 1974 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, 1973 The Exorcist, 1972 The Heartbreak Kid, 1972 Play It Again, Sam, 1971 The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, and 1971 The French Connection. ROBERT DE NIRO (August 17, 1943, NY, NY) won a best actor Oscar for Raging Bull (1980) and a best supporting Oscar for The Godfather: Part II (1974). Some of his other 86 roles were in 2012 The Wedding (post-production), 2012 Red Lights (post-production), 2012 Freelancers (post-production), 2011 New Year's Eve (post-production), 2012 Being Flynn (completed), 2011 Killer Elite, 2011 Limitless, 2010 Little Fockers, 2009 Everybody's Fine, 2007 Stardust, 2006 The Good Shepherd, 2004 The Bridge of San Luis Rey, 2004 Meet the Fockers, 2002 Analyze That, 2001 The Score, 2000 Meet the Parents, 1999 Analyze This, 1998 Ronin, 1998 Great Expectations, 1997 Jackie Brown, 1997 Wag the Dog, 1997 Cop Land, 1996 Marvin's Room, 1996 Sleepers, 1996 The Fan, 1995 Heat, 1995 Casino, 1994 Frankenstein, 1993 A Bronx Tale, 1993 This Boy's Life, 1993 Mad Dog and Glory, 1992 Night and the City, 1992 Mistress, 1991 Cape Fear, 1991 Backdraft, 1990 Goodfellas, 1989 Stanley & Iris, 1987 The Untouchables, 1987 Angel Heart, 1986 The Mission, 1985 Brazil, 1984 Once Upon a Time in America, 1983 The King of Comedy, 1981 True Confessions, 1980 Raging Bull, 1978 The Deer Hunter, 1977 “The Godfather: A Novel for Television”, 1977 New York, New York, 1976 The Last Tycoon, 1976 1900, 1976 Taxi Driver, 1974 The Godfather: Part II, 1973 Mean Streets, 1973 Bang the Drum Slowly, 1971 The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight, 1971 Born to Win, 1971 Jennifer on My Mind, 1970 Bloody Mama, and 1968 Greetings. Robert Duvall (January 5, 1931, San Diego, California) won a best actor Oscar for Tender Mercies (1983). He has 137 acting credits, some of which were 2013 Jayne Mansfield's Car (post-production), 2009 Crazy Heart, 2009 The Road, 2005 Thank You for Smoking, 2003 Gods and Generals, 2002 Assassination Tango, 1998 Deep Impact, 1997 The Apostle, 1996 Sling Blade, 1995 The Scarlet Letter, 1994 The Paper, 1993 Falling Down, 1991 Convicts, 1991 Rambling Rose, 1990 The Handmaid's Tale, 1989 “Lonesome Dove”, 1988 Colors, 1984 The Natural, 1983

Tender Mercies, 1981 The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, 1981 True Confessions, 1979 The Great Santini, 1979 Apocalypse Now, 1978 The Betsy, 1977 “The Godfather: A Novel for Television”, 1977 The Greatest, 1976 The Eagle Has Landed, 1976 Network, 1976 The Seven-Per-Cent Solution, 1975 The Killer Elite, 1974 The Godfather: Part II, 1974 The Conversation, 1973 Badge 373, 1972 Joe Kidd, 1972 The Great Northfield Minnesota Raid, 1972 The Godfather, 1971 THX 1138, 1970 MASH, 1965-1969 “The F.B.I.” (6 episodes), 1969 The Rain People, 1969 True Grit, 1968 Bullitt, 1968 The Detective, 1966 The Chase, 1961-1965 “The Defenders”, 1963-1965 “The Fugitive”, 1963 “The Virginian”, 1963 “Twilight Zone”, 1963 “The Untouchables”, 1962 To Kill a Mockingbird, 1961-1962 “Naked City”, 1962 “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (TV series), and 1956 Somebody Up There Likes Me. CHARLES DURNING (February 28, 1923, Highland Falls, New York) has been in 203 films and tv series, among them 2004-2011 “Rescue Me” (26 episodes), 2011 The Life Zone, 2011 The Great Fight, 2011 Naked Run, 2010 An Affirmative Act, 2010 The Waiter, 2008 The Golden Boys, 2006 Local Color, 2002 Mother Ghost, 2002 Turn of Faith, 1998-2002 “Everybody Loves Raymond” (7 episodes), 2002 “First Monday” (13 episodes), 2000 O Brother, Where Art Thou?, 1999-2000 “Now and Again” (20 episodes), 1998 “A Chance of Snow”, 1998 “Homicide: Life on the Street”, 1995 The Grass Harp, 1990-1994 “Evening Shade” (98 episodes), 1994 The Hudsucker Proxy, 1991 V.I. Warshawski, 1990 Dick Tracy, 1989 Brenda Starr, 1986 Tough Guys, 1982 Tootsie, 1982 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, 1981 True Confessions, 1981 “The Girls in Their Summer Dresses and Other Stories by Irwin Shaw”, 1980 The Final Countdown, 1980 Die Laughing, 1980 “Attica”, 1979 When a Stranger Calls, 1979 Starting Over, 1979 North Dallas Forty, 1979 The Muppet Movie, 1978 The Greek Tycoon, 1978 An Enemy of the People, 1977 The Choirboys, 1977 Twilight's Last Gleaming, 1976 Harry and Walter Go to New York, 1975-1976 “The Cop and the Kid” (13 episodes), 1975 The Hindenburg, 1975 Dog Day Afternoon, 1973 The Sting, 1973 “All in the Family”, 1971 The Pursuit of Happiness, 1970 I Walk the Line, 1963 “East Side/West Side”, and 1953 “You Are There”. KENNETH MCMILLAN (July 2, 1932, Brooklyn, New York – January 8, 1989, Santa Monica, California) appeared in 63 films and TV series, among them 1989 Three Fugitives, 1987 “Magnum, P.I.”, 1987 “Murder, She Wrote”, 1986 “Moonlighting”, 1986 Armed and Dangerous, 1985-1986 “Our Family Honor” (13 episodes), 1985 Runaway Train, 1984 Dune, 1984 Amadeus, 1984 The Pope of Greenwich Village, 1983 Blue Skies Again, 1981 Whose Life Is It Anyway?, 1981 Ragtime, 1981 True Confessions, 1981 Eyewitness, 1980 Hide in Plain Sight, 1980 Little Miss Marker, 1979 Chilly Scenes of Winter, 1978 Oliver's Story, 1977-1978 “Rhoda” (16 episodes), 1978 “The Rockford Files”, 1978 “Starsky and Hutch”, 1978 Bloodbrothers, 1978 Girlfriends, 1976-1978 “Kojak”, 1975-1976 “Ryan's Hope” (17 episodes), 1975 The Stepford Wives, 1974 The Taking of Pelham One Two Three, and 1973 Serpico. Ed Flanders (December 29, 1934, Minneapolis, Minnesota – February 22, 1995, Denny, California) appeared in 55 films and

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TV series, some of which were 1995 Bye Bye Love, 1994 “The Road Home” (6 episodes), 1992 “Citizen Cohn”, 1990 The Exorcist III, 1989 “The Final Days”, 1982-1988 “St. Elsewhere” (120 episodes), 1981 “Skokie”, 1981 The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper, 1981 True Confessions, 1979 “Backstairs at the White House”, 1977 MacArthur, 1976 “Eleanor and Franklin”, 1969-1975 “Hawaii Five-O” (7 episodes), 1973 “Kung Fu”, 1972 “Banyon”, 1972 “M*A*S*H”, 1972 “Ironside”, 1972 “The Trial of the Catonsville Nine”, 1971 “Mission: Impossible”, 1971 “McMillan & Wife”, and 1967 “Cimarron Strip”. CYRIL CUSACK (November 26, 1910, Durban, Natal, South Africa – October 7, 1993, London, England) has 126 acting credits, some of which are 1993 “The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles”, 1992 As You Like It, 1992 Far and Away, 1990 The Fool, 1989 My Left Foot, 1988 “The Ray Bradbury Theater”, 1988 Little Dorrit, 1984 Nineteen Eighty-Four, 1984 The World of Don Camillo, 1983 “The Comedy of Errors”, 1981 True Confessions, 1980 “Strumpet City” (6 episodes), 1978 “Les Miserables”, 1978 Poitín, 1973 The Homecoming, 1973 The Day of the Jackal, 1972 The Italian Connection, 1972 “The Golden Bowl” (6 episodes), 1972 “Clochemerle” (6 episodes), 1971 Harold and Maude, 1971 Sacco & Vanzetti, 1971 King Lear, 1968 Galileo, 1968 Oedipus the King, 1967 The Taming of the Shrew, 1966 Fahrenheit 451, 1966 Time Lost and Time Remembered, 1965 The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, 1962 Waltz of the Toreadors, 1959 Shake Hands with the Devil, 1957 The Rising of the Moon, 1956 The Man Who Never Was, 1950 Gone to Earth, 1949 The Blue Lagoon, 1947 Odd Man Out, 1941 Mail Train, and 1918 Knocknagow. BURGESS MEREDITH (November 16, 1907, Cleveland, Ohio – September 9, 1997, Malibu, California) has 173 acting credits, some of which are1995 Grumpier Old Men, 1995 Across the Moon, 1995 Tall Tale, 1994 Camp Nowhere, 1993 Grumpy Old Men, 1990 Rocky V, 1990 State of Grace, 1988 Full Moon in Blue Water, 1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie, 1982-1983 “Gloria” (21 episodes), 1982 Rocky III, 1981 True Confessions, 1981 Clash of the Titans, 1979 Rocky II, 1977 “Tail Gunner Joe”, 1977 “Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye”, 1976 Rocky, 1976 Burnt Offerings, 1975 The Hindenburg, 1975 The Day of the Locust, 1974 Golden Needles, 1972-1973 “Search” (14 episodes), 1972 “McCloud”, 1968-1972 “Ironside”, 1971 Such Good Friends, 1968-1971 “The Virginian”, 1970 There Was a Crooked Man..., 1969 Mackenna's Gold, 1966-1968 “Batman” (21 episodes), 1966 Batman, 1966 A Big Hand for the Little Lady, 1966 “12 O'Clock High”, 1965 “Mr. Novak” (17 episodes), 1965 In Harm's Way, 1961-1964 “Rawhide”, 1963 The Cardinal, 1959-1963 “Twilight Zone”, 1962 “Naked City”, 1962 Advise & Consent, 1947 Mine Own Executioner, 1946 The Diary of a

Chambermaid, 1945 Story of G.I. Joe, 1938 Spring Madness, 1937 There Goes the Groom, and 1936 Winterset. ROSE GREGORIO (1932, Chicago, Illinois) has 44 acting credits, among them 2003 “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, 2000 Maze, 1996-1999 “ER” (7 episodes), 1991 City of Hope, 1989 “Doogie Howser, M.D.”, 1981 True Confessions, 1979 “Charlie's Angels”, 1978 “The Rockford Files”, 1978 Eyes of Laura Mars, 1976 “Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman”, 1975 “Harry O”, 1971 Desperate Characters, 1971 Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me?, 1968 The Swimmer, 1963 “East Side/West Side”, and 1961 “Naked City”. DAN HEDAYA (July 24, 1940, Brooklyn, NY) has 124 acting credits, including 2010 The Extra Man, 1997-2005 “ER”, 2005 Strangers with Candy, 2001 Mulholland Dr., 2000 Shaft, 1998 A Civil Action, 1998 A Night at the Roxbury, 1997 “Homicide: Life

on the Street”, 1993-1997 “Law & Order”, 1997 Alien: Resurrection, 1996 Marvin's Room, 1996 The First Wives Club, 1995 Nixon, 1995 To Die For, 1994 Maverick, 1993 Searching for Bobby Fischer, 1991 Doubles, 1990 Pacific Heights, 1988-1990 “L.A. Law”, 1990 Joe Versus the Volcano, 1986 Wise Guys, 1986 “The Equalizer”, 1984-1986 “Miami Vice”, 1985 “The Twilight Zone”, 1985 Commando, 1981-1984 “Hill Street Blues” (5 episodes), 1984 Blood Simple., 1984 The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai

Across the 8th Dimension, 1984 Reckless, 1983 The Hunger, 1982 I'm Dancing as Fast as I Can, 1981 True Confessions, 1979 The Seduction of Joe Tynan, 1976 “Kojak”, 1975 “Ryan's Hope” (10 episodes), and 1970 Myra Breckinridge. JAMES HONG (February 22, 1929, Minneapolis, Minnesota) has appeared in 365 films and TV series, some of which are 2011 The Lost Medallion: The Adventures of Billy Stone, 2011/II Safe, 2011/I Junk, 2011 Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness, 2010 I'm in the Band, 2008 The Day the Earth Stood Still, 2008 Kung Fu Panda, 2002-2004 “Jackie Chan Adventures” (18 episodes), 2002 Hero, 2000-2002 “The West Wing”, 2001 “Alias”, 2000 The Art of War, 1999-2000 “Martial Law”, 1999 G2, 1996 “Nash Bridges”, 1996 “The X-Files”, 1995/I Bad Company, 1994 The Shadow, 1992 Gengis Khan, 1991 “Seinfeld”, 1990 The Two Jakes, 1989 Tango & Cash, 1988 “Beauty and the Beast”, 1987 “Miami Vice”, 1987 “Magnum, P.I.”1987 Black Widow, 1986 Big Trouble in Little China, 1983 “Falcon Crest”, 1983 “Dynasty” (5 episodes), 1983 “St. Elsewhere”, 1982 Blade Runner, 1981 True Confessions, 1981 “Dallas”, 1981 “Soap”, 1980 “Fantasy Island”, 1980 Airplane!, 1979 “Hart to Hart”, 1979 “Lou Grant”, 1978 “Charlie's Angels”, 1978 Go Tell the Spartans, 1976 Bound for Glory, 1976 “Black Sheep Squadron”, 1976 “The Streets of San Francisco”, 1976 “The Rockford Files”, 1976 “Baretta”, 1976 “Jigsaw John” (15

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episodes), 1972-1975 “Kung Fu” (9 episodes), 1973 “Barnaby Jones”, 1985 “Days of Our Lives”, 1965-1967 “I Spy”, 1966 The Sand Pebbles, 1966 “The F.B.I.”, 1965-1966 “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, 1965 “The Fugitive”, 1965 “Ben Casey”, 1962-1963 “Perry Mason”, 1962 “Have Gun - Will Travel”, 1961 Flower Drum Song, 1960 “Bonanza”, 1959 Never So Few, 1959 “The Loretta Young Show”, 1959 “Zorro”, 1959 “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin”, 1958 “Dragnet”, 1957-1958 “The New Adventures of Charlie Chan” (37 episodes), 1958 “G.E. True Theater”, 1957 China Gate, 1956 “Four Star Playhouse”, 1955 “Jane Wyman Presents The Fireside Theatre”, 1955 Blood Alley, 1955 Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing, and 1955 Soldier of Fortune. From Wikipedia: Ulu Grosbard (born 9 January 1929) is a Belgian-born, naturalized American theatre and film director and film producer. Born in Antwerp, Grosbard emigrated to Havana with his family in 1942. In 1948, they moved to the United States, where he earned Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees from the University of Chicago. He studied then at the Yale School of Drama for one year before joining the United States Army, and he became a naturalized citizen in 1954. Grosbard gravitated towards theatre when he relocated to New York City in the early 1960s. After directing The Days and Nights of BeeBee Fenstermaker off-Broadway, he earned his first Broadway credit with The Subject Was Roses, for which he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play in 1964. That same year he won the Obie Award for Best Direction and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Director of a Play for an off-Broadway revival of the Arthur Miller play A View from the Bridge, for which Dustin Hoffman served as stage manager and assistant director. Grosbard's additional Broadway credits include Miller's The Price; David Mamet's American Buffalo, which earned him Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations; Woody Allen's The Floating Light Bulb; and a revival of Paddy Chayefsky's The Tenth Man. In Hollywood, Grosbard worked as an assistant director on Splendor in the Grass, West Side Story, The Hustler, The Miracle Worker, and The Pawnbroker before helming the screen adaptation of The Subject Was Roses on his own. Additional screen credits include Who Is Harry Kellerman and Why Is He Saying Those Terrible Things About Me? and Straight Time, both with Dustin Hoffman; True Confessions and Falling in Love, both with Robert De Niro; Georgia for which he won the Grand Prix des Amériques at the Montréal World Film Festival; and The Deep End of the Ocean. Grosbard has been married to actress Rose Gregorio since 1965. Vincent Canby, New York Times, September 25, 1981

No need to pussyfoot. No need to mince words. Get straight to the point, even if it's not pretty or, for that matter, even if it is. Sometimes things do go right. It does happen. You know it first in the pit of your stomach. A nice feeling but unfamiliar - it's the bile vanishing as things look up. Like watching ''True Confes sions.''

True Confessions…is the tough, marvelously well-acted screen version of John Gregory Dunne's novel, adapted by him and Joan Didion and directed by Ulu Grosbard who, with this film, becomes a major American film maker. Quite simply it's one of the most entertaining, most intelligent and most thoroughly satisfying commercial American films in a very long time.

True Confessions, the film as well as the novel, owes a lot to a kind of 1940's, tough-guy, fringe-world Southern California fiction in which private eyes drink whisky instead of coffee for breakfast and calmly turn in their sweethearts on murder-one raps because, well, you can't trust a dame who shoots real bullets. She can kill you as easily as she burns toast.

Mr. Dunne's best-selling novel, loosely based on an actual Los Angeles murder case, uses history as the author sees fit, and though its syntax is familiar, its concerns are more far-reaching and more psychologically complex than the fiction it recalls. It's a big novel and True Confessions is a big film.

To begin with, it has America's two best actors in its leading roles, as brothers, one

an up-and-coming monsignor of the Roman Catholic Church, Desmond Spellacy (Robert De Niro), who is on his way toward some of the higher honors the church can bestow, and Tom Spellacy (Robert Duvall), Desmond's older brother, a Los Angeles detective of shabby background. Early in his career, when he was a member of the vice squad, Tom had been on the take. Now he is so embittered he has somehow come full circle. He's back pursuing justice at all costs, at least justice as he defines it.

The place is Los Angeles and the time is the late 40's, not long after World War II, before television had become a force in the world and when Hollywood was still turning out a couple of hundred program pictures a year. One morning, in an especially ugly vacant lot, there is discovered the naked, bisected body of a pretty part-time actress, a displaced person from the Middle West who has become what the papers used to call a ''party girl.'' It's a grisly murder, but at first, it doesn't seem to be an especially important one. Another case. That's all.

In the way of good fiction, as in life, nothing is quite as simple as it originally seems in ''the case of the virgin tramp,'' which is how the paper come to label the murder of Lois Fazenda. As the single-minded Tom Spellacy roots around in his investigation of the murder, he finds links between the victim and Tom's sometime mistress Brenda (Rose Gregorio), who runs what is crudely though accurately described as ''a $5 cathouse.'' There also are connections between Lois and Jack Amsterdam (Charles Durning), a big-time Los Angeles contractor and pillar of the Catholic Church, a fellow who is one of Msgr. Desmond Spellacy's softer touches. Jack Amsterdam, former pimp, now

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receives introductions to the Pope, builds church schools at cost and gets honored as ''the Catholic layman of the year.''

As the investigation continues, the connections become increasingly complicated and dangerous for just about everybody, except, perhaps, the urbane Cardinal Danaher (Cyril Cusack), who has made his archdiocese one the the country's wealthiest, and Frank Crotty (Kenneth McMillan), Tom Spellacy's partner. Crotty is a cheerfully crooked cop who takes small bribes but who would never railroad an innocent man to the gas chamber, as Tom might.

True Confessions has plot to spare, and even if it's not always possible to follow the ins and outs of the business dealings, the film is abundant with life and character. At the film's rich center is the relationship between the monsignor and the detective, the priest being far more worldly and self-aware than the policeman, who, somewhere down deep, still believes in the kind of hell-fire that his brother probably abandoned at age 15.

Mr. De Niro and Mr. Duvall are at the peak of their talents here. They work so beautifully together it sometimes seems like a single performance, two sides of the same complex character. But then the film is stuffed with memorable performances. They include those of Mr. Durning and Ed Flanders, as the most prominent laymen in the monsignor's parish; Burgess Meredith as Seamus Fargo, an ancient, crotchety, seriously committed monsignor who's being given the expedient sack in the course of the film; Miss Gregorio, who has never before had a film role to equal this one, which she brings to vivid life, and Mr. Cusack and Mr. McMillan.

The screenplay, of course, provides material that actors might die for. It sometimes reaches for its effects, but there's not a foolish line in it, nor a bland character. The movie is dense with period detail, but Mr. Grosbard makes sure that it never overwhelms a tale that is ironic and sad and very wise. True Confessions comes close to being a model movie of its kind.

Karl O’Toole, True Confessions, Brooklyn Rail:

On its surface, True Confessions recounts the story of the real life 1947 virgin tramp murder, a story revisited last year in De Palma’s failed The Black Dahlia. Beneath the whodunit, in pure noir style, bubbles a bleak tale of restrained sibling love, parochial corruption, loyalty and its cost, and finally, redemption.

Set against the clannish, back-scratching Irish Catholic Church society of a beautifully recreated 1940’s Los Angeles,

True Confessions studies the crossed moralities of two Irish American brothers: Monsignor Des Spellacy (De Niro), an up-and-coming Catholic star and church fixer, and Tom (Duvall), a murder detective once on the take (the immigrant Irish mother’s dream team of a priest and a cop). Neither brother ever stops to question doing wrong for what they perceive as a greater good—selling indulgences, intimidating prostitutes, offering bribes for zoning variances, collecting payoffs for gangsters. Whatever it takes to raise a few bob for the church or just get good old-fashioned revenge does not count as sin in the eyes of God or Man.

As bagmen for their retrospective institutions, their actions have repercussions. The good Monsignor’s cloistered superiority provides him the comfort of hypocrisy; the bad cop’s worldliness offers him the discomfort of self-awareness. Monsignor Des may visit his mother’s hospital bed, but he plays whore for his boss, the Cardinal. Tom is nobody’s bitch; he just likes whores. Tom, though the elder, remains the bane of his Ma’s existence. He has sinned and repented, but won’t be forgiven. Mom sees the world through the priest’s tinted glasses. The Black Dahlia victim lies cut in two in an L.A. wasteland, physically mirroring the moral tear separating the siblings. You can use two stretchers to carry her away or one, but she will never be whole. Both brothers suffer from the Irish male malady of emotional paralysis, unable to apologize or express love until too late (or drunk). Honesty can be expressed only through the darkened panel of a confessional; truths must be kept within the walls of that confinement. Truth, in this church, serves to imprison rather than free the soul. There is no state of grace to be found in this box.

True Confessions studies the loneliness of two stubborn men refusing to acknowledge their connection and similarity. Having shared a fanatical Catholic mother and an uncommunicative father, they should have each other but don’t. One has God, one is divorced (another sin), and they both sleep alone at night. When leaving L.A., Rose, the aged prostitute, meets Tom to say goodbye. “It’s nice to have someone to say goodbye to,” she says. Earlier she had said to him, “I need you like I need another fuck.” In this film, such a turnabout suffices as redemption.

True Confessions demonstrates that great Catholics can only attain purity through mortification and crucifixion. Only through self-realization can salvation be reached and self-realization is the true confession. But this is Noir and no good deed goes unpunished. For something as big as salvation, you get to pay a big price.

P.S. It’s a good murder mystery as well. The Black Dahlia murder, From Wikipedia:

"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short (July 29, 1924 – ca. January 15, 1947), an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful. Short was found mutilated, her body sliced in half at the waist, on January 15, 1947, in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Short's unsolved murder has been the source of widespread speculation, leading to many suspects, along with several books and film adaptations of the story.

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Elizabeth Short was born in greater Boston,

Massachusetts; she grew up and lived in Medford. She was the third of five daughters of Cleo Short and Phoebe Mae Sawyer. Her father built miniature golf courses until the 1929 stock market crash, in which he lost much of the family's assets. In 1930, he parked his car on a bridge and vanished, leading some to believe he had committed suicide. Short's mother moved the family to a small apartment in Medford, and found work as a bookkeeper. It was not until later that Short would discover her father was alive and was living in California.

Troubled by asthma and bronchitis, Short was sent to live for the winter in Miami, Florida at the age of 16. She spent the next three years living there during the cold months and in Medford the remainder of the year. At age 19, Short travelled to Vallejo, California to live with her father, who was working nearby at Mare Island Naval Shipyard on San Francisco Bay. The two moved to Los Angeles in early 1943, but an altercation resulted in her leaving there and finding work in the post exchange at Camp Cooke (now Vandenberg Air Force Base), near Lompoc, California. Short next moved to Santa Barbara, where she was arrested on September 23, 1943, for underage drinking. Following her arrest, she was sent back to Medford by the juvenile authorities in Santa Barbara. Short then returned to Florida to live, with occasional visits back to Massachusetts.

In Florida, Short met Major Matthew Michael Gordon Jr., a decorated United States Army Air Forces officer who was assigned to the 2nd Air Commando Group and in training for deployment to China Burma India Theater of Operations. Short told friends that Gordon wrote her a letter from India proposing marriage while he was recovering from injuries sustained from an airplane crash. She accepted his proposal, but Gordon died in a second airplane crash on August 10, 1945 before he could return to the United States. She later exaggerated this story, saying that they were married and had a child who died. Although Gordon's friends in the air commandos confirmed that Gordon and Short were engaged, his family denied any connection after Short's murder.

Elizabeth Short returned to Los Angeles in July 1946 to visit Army Air Corps Lieutenant Joseph Gordon Fickling, an old boyfriend she had met in Florida during the war. At the time Short returned to Los Angeles, Fickling was stationed at NARB, Long Beach. For the six months prior to her death, Short remained in southern California, mainly in the Los Angeles area.

The body of Elizabeth Short was found in the Leimert Park district of Los Angeles on January 15, 1947. Her remains had been left on a vacant lot on the west side of South Norton Avenue midway between Coliseum Street and West 39th Street. The body was discovered by local resident Betty Bersinger, who was walking with her three-year-old daughter. Short's severely mutilated body had been found nude and severed at the waist, completely drained of blood. Her face was slashed from the corners of her mouth toward her ears, called the Glasgow smile. The body had been washed and cleaned and she had been

"posed" with her hands over her head and elbows bent at right angles.

The autopsy stated Short was 5 feet 5 inches (1.65 m) tall, weighed 115 pounds (52 kg), and had light blue eyes, brown hair, and badly decayed teeth. There were marks on her ankles and wrists made by rope, consistent with being tied either spreadeagled or hung upside down. Although the skull was not fractured, Short had bruising on the front and right side of her

scalp with a small amount of bleeding in the subarachnoid space on the right side, consistent with blows to the head. The cause of death was blood loss from the lacerations to the face combined with shock due to a concussion of the brain.

William Randolph Hearst's papers, the Los Angeles Herald-Express and the Los Angeles Examiner, sensationalized the case; the

black tailored suit Short was last seen wearing became "a tight skirt and a sheer blouse" and Elizabeth Short became the "Black Dahlia", an "adventuress" who "prowled Hollywood Boulevard". As time passed, the media coverage became more outrageous with claims her lifestyle "made her victim material", when those who knew her all reported that Short did not smoke, drink or swear.

On January 23, 1947, the killer rang the editor of the Los Angeles Examiner, expressing concern that news of the murder was tailing off in the newspapers and offering to mail items belonging to Short to the editor. The following day a packet arrived at the Los Angeles newspaper containing Short's birth certificate, business cards, photographs, names written on pieces of paper and an address book with the name Mark Hansen embossed on the cover. Hansen, the last person known to have seen Short alive (on January 9), became the prime suspect. The killer would later write more letters to the newspaper, calling himself "the Black Dahlia Avenger", after the name given to Short by the newspapers. On January 25, Short's handbag and one shoe were found in a garbage bin a short distance from Norton Avenue. Due to the notoriety of the case, more than 50 men and women have confessed to the murder and police are swamped with tips every time a newspaper mentions the case or a book or movie about it is released. Sergeant John P. St. John, a detective who worked the case until his retirement, stated: "It is amazing how many people offer up a relative as the killer."

Gerry Ramlow, a Los Angeles Daily News reporter later stated, "If the murder was never solved it was because of the reporters ... They were all over, trampling evidence, withholding information." It took several days for the police to take full control of the investigation during which time reporters roamed freely throughout the department's offices, sat at officers desks, and answered their phones. Many tips from the public were not passed on to police as the reporters who received them rushed out to get "scoops".

Short was buried at the Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, California. After her other sisters had grown up and married, Short's mother moved to Oakland to be near her

Grossbard—TRUE CONFESSIONS—7

daughter's grave. Phoebe Short finally returned to the East Coast in the 1970s and lived into her 90s.

According to newspaper reports shortly after the murder, Elizabeth Short received the nickname "Black Dahlia" at a Long Beach, California drugstore in mid-1946, as a word play on the then-current movie The Blue Dahlia. Los Angeles County district attorney investigators' reports state that the nickname was invented by newspaper reporters covering the murder. Los Angeles Herald-Express reporter Bevo Means, who interviewed Short's acquaintances at the drug store, is credited with first using the "Black Dahlia" name.

A number of people, none of whom knew Short, contacted police and the newspapers claiming to have seen her during her so-called "missing week"—a time period between the time of her January 9 disappearance and the time her body was found on January 15. Police and district attorney investigators ruled out each of these alleged sightings, wherein in some cases, those interviewed were identifying other women they had mistaken for Short.

Many true crime books claim that Short lived in or visited Los Angeles at various times in the mid 1940s; these claims have never been substantiated and are refuted by the findings of law enforcement officers who investigated the case. A document in the Los Angeles County district attorney's files titled "Movements of Elizabeth Short Prior to June 1, 1946" states that Short was in Florida and Massachusetts from September 1943 through the early months of 1946 and gives a

detailed account of her living and working arrangements during this period. Although a popular portrayal amongst her acquaintances and many true crime authors was of Short as a call girl, the Los Angeles district attorney's grand jury proved there was no existing evidence that she was ever a prostitute and the district attorney's office attributes the claim to confusion with a

prostitute of the same name. Another widely circulated rumor holds that Short was unable to have sexual intercourse because of a congenital defect that left her with "infantile genitalia". Los Angeles County district attorney's files state that the investigators had questioned three men with whom Short had sex, including a Chicago police officer who was a suspect in the case. The FBI files on the case also contain a statement from one of Short's alleged lovers. Found in the Los Angeles district attorney's files and in the Los Angeles Police Department's summary of the case, Short's autopsy describes her reproductive organs as anatomically normal although the report notes evidence of what it called "female trouble". The autopsy also states that Short was not and had never been pregnant, contrary to what had been claimed prior to and following her death.

The Black Dahlia murder investigation was conducted by the LAPD. The case also enlisted the help of hundreds of officers borrowed from other law enforcement agencies. Owing to the nature of the crime, sensational and sometimes inaccurate press coverage focused intense public attention on the case.

COMING UP IN THE FALL 2011 BUFFALO FILM SEMINARS XXIII: November 8 Chunking Express/Chung Hing sam lam, Wong Kar-Wei (1994)

November 15 Richard III, Richard Loncraine (1995) November 22 Frida, Julie Taymor (2002)

November 29 Revanche, Götz Spielmann (2008) December 6 My Fair Lady, George Cukor (1964)

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