Phil Spector

Synopsis: Record producer Phil Spector hires Bruce Cutler to defend him when he's accused of murder. Cutler persuades Linda Kenney Baden to advise him. While the prosecution's story is contradicted by facts in the case, there is convincing circumstantial evidence against Spector, not the least of which is his appearance. As Baden gradually takes over the defense, even as she is ill with pneumonia, she must find a way to introduce ballistic evidence in a dramatic enough fashion to plant doubt in the jury's mind. Calling Specter to testify may be the only way to stage the evidence. She coaches him and rehearses him: can he (and she) pull it off?
Director(s): David Mamet
Production: HBO Films
  Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 35 nominations.
 
IMDB:
6.3
Rotten Tomatoes:
50%
TV-MA
Year:
2013
92 min
543 Views


MAN:
Phil Spector interview.

Roll 28.

DIFFERENT MAN:
OK.

GOOD. GO.

[Coughs]

MAN:
Good. Here we go.

[Clears throat]

[Coughs]

MAN ON VIDEO:
There. Yeah.

What is this?

INTERVIEWER:

He's wearing a button

that says "back

to mono."

MAN ON VIDEO:

"Back to mono."

Yeah. All right.

"The wall of sound."

All it is is, it's reverb.

You cook it down.

You mix it down time and again.

Oh, that reverb--what

it is is, it's mud. It's--

Good morning, Maggie.

Hello.

Excuse me. Could I have

a glass of water, please?

WOMAN:
Of course.

Thank you.

MAN ON VIDEO:

He has us in there--

40 musicians,

20 hours a day,

working on one note--

one note...

until it's perfect.

Thank you.

Thank you very

much. [Laughs]

Not at all.

Not at all.

WOMAN:
Excuse me.

Here you are.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

INTERVIEWER:

Wasn't much of

a singer, but..

MAN ON VIDEO:
OK.

[Laughs]

Linda!

Where's she staying?

Someone!

Get her bags

to the hotel!

Get her installed.

whatever she needs!

MAGGIE:
New York's

on the phone.

About what?

MAGGIE:
Your

television show.

Television show--

it can wait.

The gun,

the blood spatter,

that whole wall.

Lana Clarkson, suicide threats,

depression--James,

you know what I'm

looking for.

Did they feed you

on the plane?

What do you think

I am--crazy?

Get her something

to eat.

I don't need

anything to eat.

I need a doctor.

Nick Stavros,

RPI--

Linda Kenney Baden.

Hi. I won't touch you.

I'm very sick.

I need the case laws

on televised,

federal and California.

Grounds for exception,

grounds for appeal.

At least we can

slow them down.

Linda!

Could you get me

a cup of tea, please?

Here's the part

never cut in.

Raw footage.

MAN:
Phil Spector

interview.

Roll 28.

That was fantastic.

Some wonderful

material.

I'm so grateful

to you.

Oh, thank you.

INTERVIEWER:

Excellent.

Who is the girl

in the picture?

MAN IN VIDEO:

I don't know her name.

INTERVIEWER:

Phil didn't, either.

Phil--he can attract

a girl?

Why not?

He can attract a girl.

He can get her

to his house.

Afterwards,

he's on his track.

How can he

keep her there?

You tell me.

With a gun.

He thinks he has to

have a gun..

INTERVIEWER:
I think

we've covered just

about everything.

Ah.

INTERVIEWER:

Some questions at...

OK. All right, all right.

Linda, please.

Come on. We've got

3 days' worth to do

in half an hour.

MAN ON VIDEO:

..how far this goes back.

To the desert.

to the moors...

Thank you for coming.

You said that.

"Telegraph," London,

fax to Phil.

Day of the shooting.

"Lost genius of

rock 'n' roll".

Yeah, I know

about the article.

What you

don't know--

read the article--

he's been cold sober

for 10 years.

Cold sober.

That night,

House of Blues

and Lana Clarkson.

Uh-huh.

Article

sets him off.

Hmm. That's a shame.

It sets him off.

Yes, but how does that

help your case?

My case, in court

tomorrow, all right?

How does it help your

case that he's nuts

and he's drunk?

He still put the gun

in the girl's mouth.

We've got

right there...

Yeah, I read that.

Maggie, play her

the f***ing audiotape,

First officers?

I read it.

I want you

to hear it.

Phil and the first

officers.

Let's go.

Uh.

PHIL:
This piece of sh*t!

I don't know what

the f***ing problem was,

but she certainly

had no right

to come to my f***ing

castle and blow her

f***ing head open!

I don't see the case.

No? He's drunk.

He's enraged.

He mouths off

to the cops.

Why is he enraged?

You heard it.

Is that a man who

just shot somebody?

That's hearsay. They'll

never allow it into court.

"The People vs. Cruz".

James?

"The People vs. Lou."

He put the gun

in the girl's mouth...

No.

He pulled

the trigger.

Where's the blood?

Where's the massive

blood spatter?

I don't know where

the massive blood

spatter is.

This is my vacation

in Venice--

first-class tickets,

You know, we have

a meeting with him

tonight.

Not me.

You're here.

Why are you here?

I do it for a living.

I'm listening.

of a vacation.

My hourly rate,

out of the office,

door to door,

and I'll give you 3 days,

if that's any use to you.

Thank you.

So is that

any use to you?

You give me

your assessment.

And you put back

my vacation

and you pay for it.

Stop negotiating.

And I need a shot.

Will you find me a doctor?

James!

James, drive her

to the hotel.

A doctor when she

gets there.

You walk her

to the room.

LINDA:
Other side have

those outtakes?

Not yet.

They're filing

to admit the testimony

of 5 women...

Yeah, I read the

Grand Jury testimony.

This is gonna

be your office.

Oh, 5 women.

Count them.

5 women on oath

before the Grand

Jury.

"He pulled a gun on me.

He wanted sex."

Cold sober for 10

years, and now he's

just getting--

Well, so what, Bruce?

You ever hear the phrase

"To hell with it?"

You've got a gun nut.

He goes around waving

loaded guns.

You've got 5 women

come out of the woodwork--

"He did the same

thing to me."

You've got the chauffeur.

The chauffeur

is on record--

"My boss came out:

I think I just

killed somebody."

Well, exclude

the woman.

How? On EWOL?

You bet.

No, I say the judge

allows it under Caitlyn.

In which case

it's reversible.

I'm doing a TV show.

Really? About the case?

No, independent of

the case.

Oh, great.

Now, the chauffeur.

Bruce, Bruce, Bruce,

he shot the girl.

He shot the girl, all right?

He's a freak.

Those are the public

who don't hate him.

He's a genius.

He transformed

the entire

music industry.

What's that--what's that

kid's name--James?

James. James?

I'm Linda Kenney

Baden.

Could you tell me

what this is?

I'll give you

a dollar if you can

tell me.

Is it something

to do with music?

Why would you

say that?

Because the case

has to do with music.

No, no, no.

The case has nothing

to do with music.

No. This is an insert

that allows a 45 RPM

record to be played

on an LP phonograph, OK?

Now...

OK.

What is this?

Something to do with

an early computer.

Mmm.

Put it on

your key chain.

It's a piece

of the past.

Mmm.

This kid doesn't know

what a phonograph is,

a 45, a--a transistor

radio.

Nobody on the jury

is gonna know anything

except your guy's

a murderer and a freak.

The girl killed herself.

Well, maybe, but

I don't want to take

that case.

There...

I don't like

that case.

There is no evidence.

There's no blood

spatter on his cuff.

Well, you've got--

as to the blood

spatter--

There is no blood spatter

on the back wall. Why?

Why?

Linda, the bullet

lodged in the skull.

The skull was intact.

All the blood

in the brain matter

had to come

out of the mouth

toward him.

Exact model of

the coat he wore.

Exact model.

Blood spatter?

You find it. Go ahead.

It's more than

a pinpoint, Bruce.

I read the report.

It's more than one,

and--

And it is inconsistent with

anything but a defensive--

Bruce...

a defensive movement.

and the angle of the shot

is inconsistent.

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David Mamet

David Alan Mamet is an American playwright, essayist, screenwriter, and film director. As a playwright, Mamet has won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony nominations for Glengarry Glen Ross and Speed-the-Plow. more…

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Submitted on August 05, 2018

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