''Heavens Fall'' is a 2006 American film based on the
Scottsboro Boys incident of 1931.
Plot
In the film, two young white women (portrayed by
Leelee Sobieski and
Azura Skye
Azura Dawn Storozynski (born November 8, 1981), known professionally as Azura Skye, is an American actress who first gained recognition for her role as Jane on The WB television sitcom ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane''. She also had a 2-episode role ...
) accuse nine black youths of rape in the
segregated South.
Timothy Hutton stars as criminal defense attorney
Samuel Leibowitz.
The film begins after the first trial of the nine in the bustling city of Scottsboro, Alabama. Samuel Leibowitz, a successful Jewish lawyer from New York is called down past the
Mason–Dixon line
The Mason–Dixon line, also called the Mason and Dixon line or Mason's and Dixon's line, is a demarcation line separating four U.S. states, forming part of the borders of Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and West Virginia (part of Virginia ...
to defend the nine black youths.
Cast
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Timothy Hutton ...
Samuel Leibowitz
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David Strathairn ... Judge James E. Horton
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Leelee Sobieski ... Victoria Price
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Anthony Mackie
Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his pe ...
... William Lee
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Bill Sage
William Sage III (born April 3, 1962) is an American actor and alumnus of State University of New York at Purchase. He is known for his collaborations with director Hal Hartley. Sage has appeared in more than 80 movies, most notable ''American Ps ...
...
Thomas Knight, Jr.
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Azura Skye
Azura Dawn Storozynski (born November 8, 1981), known professionally as Azura Skye, is an American actress who first gained recognition for her role as Jane on The WB television sitcom ''Zoe, Duncan, Jack and Jane''. She also had a 2-episode role ...
... Ruby Bates
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James Tolkan ... Thomas Knight, Sr.
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Bill Smitrovich
William Stanley Zmitrowicz Jr. (born May 16, 1947), known professionally as Bill Smitrovich ( ), is an American actor.
Personal life
Smitrovich was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, the son of Anna (née Wojna) and Stanley William Zmitrowicz, a t ...
... George Chamlee
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Maury Chaykin ... Lyle Harris
*
Joseph Lyle Taylor ... Joseph Brodsky
*
B. J. Britt
B. J. Britt (born April 20, 1982) is an African-American actor best known for his role as Antoine "Trip" Triplett on ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,'' set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe''.'' He is also known for his roles as Paul Patterson Jr. on ...
... Haywood Patterson
*
Francie Swift
Francie Swift is an American actress best known for her role as Cynthia in ''Thoroughbreds'' and her recurring roles as Haylie Grimes on '' Outsiders'' and Anne Vanderbilt Archibald on ''Gossip Girl''.
Life and career
Swift was born in Amarill ...
... Belle Leibowitz
Production
A train from the
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum was used in the filming.
Release
''Heavens Fall'' was released on DVD in the US in 2007.
See also
*
Timeline of the civil rights movement
This is a timeline of the civil rights movement in the United States, a nonviolent mid-20th century freedom movement to gain legal equality and the enforcement of constitutional rights for people of color. The goals of the movement included sec ...
External links
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2006 films
2006 crime drama films
American crime drama films
Films about miscarriage of justice
Crime films based on actual events
Films set in Alabama
Films set in 1931
Films about racism
African-American drama films
2000s English-language films
2000s American films
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