1. Adam’s Rib (1949), directed by George Cukor, has husband and wife on opposing sides of a case in which a woman is accused of shooting her husband.

2. The Caine Mutiny (1954).

3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947).

Comments:

“Adam’s Rib is one of my favorite movies of all time. Katharine Hepburn is so overwhelmingly brilliant as the accused wife’s lawyer, she almost single-handedly made it acceptable (or at least truly plausible) for women to practice law. Like Rosalind Russell in His Girl Friday, Hepburn is more competent than the men around her—including her husband (and we all know that even today women who practice law have to be twice as good as their male counterparts in order to be viewed as equally competent). She works harder and shows more determination to thoroughly represent her client than Spencer Tracy’s character, who—although clearly smart—takes for granted that he is going to win simply because he says so. The only thing that would have been better in this film is if Hepburn’s character had children—which I realize is an outrageous concept for that era.” —Bonnie Eskenazi

“While some of the scenes in Adam’s Rib are dated, and seem exaggerated to today’s audiences, its message of gender inequality still resonates today, particularly given the witty script and terrific performances. Bogart’s performance in The Caine Mutiny lifts the film into the realm of the classics. Miracle on 34th Street still invites us to believe in ourselves and our commitment to the legal profession.” —Christine Corcos

“For me, there are two great law and lawyer movies on the list in this post-war decade (1945-54): The Caine Mutiny and Adam’s Rib. The two movies couldn’t be more different. Both are masterful in terms of story, plot, character, and the cinematic realization of a story. Both movies seem as alive now as when they were made, and speak—accurately I think—to who we are and who we pretend to be. Adam’s Rib makes me laugh out loud. Tracy and Hepburn are at their best in the loving professional and personal clash of the Bonners in court and at home (and in the gentle hypocrisy of it all). The Caine Mutiny makes me want to cry. Bogart’s performance as Captain Queeg—driven by his small and selfish dreams of glory and chased by his own paranoiac fantasies—is pitch perfect; embodying qualities of a demon that, perhaps, may infect us as well. It is not just a legal story about Captain Queeg’s trial, but a cautionary tale about our leaders too.” —Philip N. Meyer

“Another all time favorite movie of mine is Miracle on 34th Street. Many great themes here—the underdog lawyer who uses the government’s evidence (U.S. Mail) against the government, and the single mother who manages to hold a real job and raise a terrific child at the same time. Those great themes blended with the spirit and embodiment of Christmas makes for a magical Christmas movie that inspires us all to believe not only in true love and the benefits of giving of ourselves unselfishly (especially during the holiday season), but in the ability of justice and right to prevail in the courts. One of my favorite scenes is when Tommy (the prosecutor’s son) takes the stand and testifies that his “Daddy” told him Santa really exists. Great use of irony! The whole cast is really perfect, but Maureen O’Hara is stellar as the feisty, accomplished working mom, and Edmund Gwynn is lovable and completely believable as Kris Kringle. There have been several remakes of this film, but none has ever managed to achieve the perfection in casting that this original version exemplifies.” —Bonnie Eskenazi