In one of the most famous trials of the 1980s, European aristocrat Claus von Bülow (Jeremy Irons, who won an Oscar for his portrayal) was accused of the attempted murder of his millionairess wife Sunny (Glenn Close), whom he supposedly sent into a permanent coma with an overdose of insulin.
This film – based on a book by von Bülow’s lawyer Alan Dershowitz (played in the film by Ron Silver) – cleverly guides us through the events leading up to the trial, using flashbacks and narration from the comatose Sunny, intercut with the two trials whose outcome has been well reported (von Bülow was found guilty at his first trial and then acquitted on appeal at the next).
Sharply scripted by Nicholas Kazan, we get a look at how rich people with far too much time on their hands live (or, in Sunny’s case, do not).
This isn’t a documentary of the case, but absorbing and beautifully played out drama. The film doesn’t answer the question “Did he do it?” but leaves you to draw your own conclusions.
Martha ‘Sunny’ von Bülow died on 6 December 2008, at the age of 76. She spent the last 28 years of her life in a coma.
Martha ‘Sunny’ von Bülow
Glenn Close Claus von Bülow
Jeremy Irons Alan Dershowitz
Ron Silver Sarah
Annabella Sciorra Maria
Uta Hagen David Marriott
Fisher Stevens Peter MacIntosh
Jack Gilpin Andrea Reynolds
Christine Baranski Elon Dershowitz
Stephen Mailer Ellen
Christine Dunford Minnie
Felicity Huffman Raj
Mano Singh Nancy
Johann Carlo Dobbs
Keith Reddin Chuck
Alan Pottinger Curly
Mitchell Whitfield Jack
Tom Wright Tom Berman
Gordon Joseph Weiss Ed
Michael Lord Mary
LisaGay Hamilton Bill
Bill Camp John
JD Cullum Alexander von Auersberg
Jad Mager Ala von Auersberg
Sarah Fearon Older Cosima
Kristi Hundt Young Cosima
Kara Emerson Steve Famiglietti
Michael Wikes Brillhoffer
Thomas Dorff Alfie von Auersberg
Bruno Eyron Dr Paultees
Redman Maxfield
Director
Barbet Schroeder
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Martha ‘Sunny’ von Bülow died on 6 December 2008, at the age of 76. She spent the last 28 years of her life in a coma.
