Silent Witness (1985 film)

Last updated
Silent Witness
Silent Witness DVD cover.jpg
DVD cover
GenreDrama
Written by Conrad Bromberg
Directed byMichael Miller
Starring Valerie Bertinelli
John Savage
Theme music composer Michael Hoenig
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producers Joe Wizan
Robert Greenwald
ProducerConrad Bromberg
Production location Pittsburgh
Cinematography Rexford L. Metz
Editor Robert Florio
Running time100 minutes
Production company Robert Greenwald Productions
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseOctober 14, 1985 (1985-10-14)

Silent Witness is a 1985 American television film starring Valerie Bertinelli and John Savage, directed by Michael Miller. It premiered on October 14, 1985 on NBC and is based on a true rape case in Massachusetts, the Cheryl Araujo case. [1]

Contents

Plot

Anna and Kevin Dunne are a newlywed couple who have recently moved to Pittsburgh. She is working in a discount department store, he is a garbage man. She leads a very happy life, until one night she, along with her husband, witnesses the kidnapping and rape of Patti Mullen from a bar. To her shock, she recognizes Michael, her brother-in-law, as one of the three kidnapper-rapists. The following days, Anna is dealing with a great dilemma. On the one hand, she sympathizes with Patti, a mentally unstable alcoholic who depends on witnesses, and she wants the rapists to be punished. On the other hand, she knows testifying against her brother-in-law will ruin the very close Dunne family.

Kevin advises Anna to remain quiet, which she initially does. She does visit Patti, though, who does not remember the kidnap-rape completely. Anna admits to her about the rape, after which Patti presses charges. Kevin and Anna avoid being summoned to testify, which puts a great deal of feeling guilt on Anna's shoulders. She knows that Patti, because of her alcoholic background, can rely only on Anna. During the highly publicized trial, Michael's lawyer Huffman does not have any trouble proving Patti is unreliable. Not much later, it is revealed Patti has committed suicide.

Now feeling extremely guilty, Anna is finally ready to testify. When Kevin tries to prevent her from doing so, she decides to leave him, telling him the case is driving them apart. Soon after the testimony, the Dunne family, with the exception of Kevin, starts committing perjury, telling in court Anna is holding a grudge against them for being teased because she, unlike Jean Dunne, hasn't ever got pregnant. They claim Kevin had an affair with a co-worker. They try to convince the judges that Anna's testimony is false and that she is only trying to take revenge against the family.

One night, Anna receives a visit from Joey Caputo, an old friend who left the bar shortly before the kidnapping and rape occurred. They have sex that night and the next day, Joey gives a false testimony in which he claims that Anna only cares about the publicity. Kevin notices how his relatives are destroying Anna and finally decides to denounce his family. He tries to convince Anna to run away with him, but she is determined to stay to serve justice. She goes back on stand, but once again, the defense is able to twist her words. In the end, Kevin comes to the rescue, finally giving a testimony. Afterwards, Anna and Kevin are reunited.

Cast

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patty Hearst</span> American kidnapping victim (born 1954)

Patricia Campbell Hearst is a member of the Hearst family and granddaughter of American publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. She first became known for the events following her 1974 kidnapping by the Symbionese Liberation Army. She was found and arrested 19 months after being abducted, by which time she was a fugitive wanted for serious crimes committed with members of the group. She was held in custody, and there was speculation before trial that her family's resources would enable her to avoid time in prison.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottsboro Boys</span> Racism-based miscarriage of justice

The Scottsboro Boys were nine African-American male teenagers accused of raping two white women in 1931. The landmark set of legal cases from this incident dealt with racism and the right to a fair trial. The cases included a lynch mob before the suspects had been indicted, all-white juries, rushed trials, and disruptive mobs. It is commonly cited as an example of a legal injustice in the United States legal system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexandra Cabot</span> Fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Alexandra "Alex" Cabot is a fictional character within the Law & Order universe portrayed by Stephanie March. She is a primary character in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Conviction.

<i>Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough</i> American TV series or program

Wild Things: Diamonds in the Rough is a 2005 erotic thriller film directed by Jay Lowi and starring Sandra McCoy, Sarah Laine, Linden Ashby, Dina Meyer and Brad Johnson. It is a sequel to Wild Things 2 (2004) and the third film in the Wild Things series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)</span> Fictional character

The Huntress is an antiheroine appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She is the third DC character to bear the name Huntress. Originally introduced as a new interpretation of Helena Wayne, no longer depicted as the future daughter of Batman and Catwoman as part of DC's post-Crisis on Infinite Earths relaunch, she was later established to be the modern-day equivalent, namesake and predecessor of Helena Wayne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vizconde murders</span> Massacre in Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines

The Vizconde murder case, colloquially known as the Vizconde massacre, was the multiple homicide of members of the Vizconde family on June 30, 1991, at their residence at 80 Vinzons Street, Banco Filipino Homes – Parañaque, Metro Manila, Philippines. Estrellita Vizconde, 49, suffered thirteen stab wounds; Carmela Vizconde, 19, suffered seventeen stab wounds and had been raped before she was killed; and Anne Marie Jennifer, 6, had nineteen stab wounds. Lauro Vizconde, Estrellita's husband and the father of Carmela and Jennifer, was in the United States on business when the murders took place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Windass</span> Fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street

Anna Windass is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Debbie Rush. The character was introduced in the episode first broadcast on 14 November 2008. Rush announced her decision to leave the series in July 2017 and Anna departed in the episode first broadcast on 22 January 2018. She appeared in two further episodes first broadcast on 31 May to 1 June 2018.

<i>Trial by Jury</i> (film) 1994 American film

Trial by Jury is a 1994 American legal thriller film directed by Heywood Gould and starring Joanne Whalley-Kilmer, Gabriel Byrne, Armand Assante and William Hurt.

<i>Jaago</i> (2004 film) 2004 Indian film directed by Mehul Kumar

Jaago is a 2004 Indian crime thriller film. It stars Sanjay Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, Manoj Bajpayee and Hansika Motwani. The film is based on a true incident from August 2002, in which a mentally challenged 10-year-old girl was raped on her local commuting train. The plot deals with the rape and death of a ten-year-old schoolgirl and the dramatic quest for justice by a lone but determined police inspector.

Rockabye is a 1986 made-for-TV crime drama film, directed by Richard Michaels and starring Valerie Bertinelli, Rachel Ticotin, Jason Alexander, and Jimmy Smits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lumen Pierce</span> Fictional character from the television series Dexter

Lumen Ann Pierce is a fictional character portrayed by Julia Stiles in the Showtime television series Dexter, season 5. Lumen is introduced in the third episode as a survivor of rapist-serial killer Boyd Fowler. She remains for the rest of the season, and leaves following the season 5 finale, "The Big One".

<i>Sydney</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Sydney is an American sitcom television series starring Valerie Bertinelli, Matthew Perry, and Craig Bierko that aired on CBS from March 21 to June 25, 1990. It was created and written by Michael J. Wilson and Douglas Wyman. This series marked Valerie Bertnelli's return to a CBS series after One Day at a Time had ended in 1984.

Behave (<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i>) 3rd episode of the 12th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

"Behave" is the third episode of the twelfth season of the police procedural Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and the 251st episode overall. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 29, 2010. The episode, which was inspired by rape kit backlogs, follows Detective Olivia Benson helping a repeat rape victim stand up to her attacker, and finding the evidence to put him away. Meanwhile, the rapist could possibly walk because the evidence against him has been misplaced, poorly stored and even accidentally destroyed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rafael Barba</span> Fictional character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Rafael Barba is a fictional character portrayed by Raúl Esparza, who joined the cast of the long-running NBC crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on a recurring basis during the 14th season episode "Twenty-Five Acts". The character was promoted to a series regular for the 15th season and exited the series during season 19. He has since made guest appearances in the 21st, 22nd and 23rd seasons and a brief appearance in the spin-off series Law & Order: Organized Crime.

Pat Phelan (<i>Coronation Street</i>) Soap opera character

Pat Phelan is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Connor McIntyre. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 2 October 2013. The character was introduced as an acquaintance of builder Owen Armstrong, who he soon goes into business with as part of a revenge plot. He departed on 14 April 2014.

The Ford Heights Four were formerly imprisoned convicts, who were falsely accused and convicted of the double murder of Lawrence Lionberg and Carol Schmal in Ford Heights, Illinois, and later exonerated. Jimerson and Williams were sentenced to death, Adams to 75 years in prison and Rainge to life. Following the murder in 1978, the four spent almost two decades in prison before being released in 1996. This miscarriage of justice was due to false forensic testimony, coercion of a prosecution witness, perjury by another witness who had an incentive to lie, and prosecution and police misconduct. The DNA evidence uncovered in the investigation to clear their names eventually led to the arrest and conviction of the real killers.

<i>Taken Away</i> 1989 American television film

Taken Away is a 1989 American made-for-television film starring Valerie Bertinelli, Kevin Dunn, Anna Maria Horsford and Juliet Sorci. The film was directed by John Patterson and premiered on CBS on November 5, 1989.

The Maggie dela Riva Story: God... Why Me? is a 1994 Filipino crime drama film co-written and directed by Carlo J. Caparas. The film stars Dawn Zulueta in the title role, alongside Miguel Rodriguez, John Regala, Michael de Mesa, and Ricky Davao as the rapists. The film dramatizes the case of actress Maggie de la Riva's ordeal in 1967.

References