Indictment: The McMartin Trial

Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a 1995 American film made for television that originally aired on HBO on May 20, 1995. Indictment is based on the true story of the McMartin preschool trial.

Indictment: The McMartin Trial
Genre	Drama Thriller
Written by	Abby Mann Myra Mann
Directed by	Mick Jackson
Starring	Lolita Davidovich Shirley Knight Mercedes Ruehl Henry Thomas Sada Thompson James Woods Nicollette Sheridan Roberta Bassin
Theme music composer	Peter Rodgers Melnick
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Abby Mann Oliver Stone Janet Yang
Producer	Diana Pokorny
Production location	Los Angeles
Cinematography	Rodrigo García
Editor	Richard A. Harris
Running time	131 minutes
Production companies	HBO Pictures Ixtlan Abby Mann Productions Breakheart Films
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	May 20, 1995 (1995-05-20)

Oliver Stone and Abby Mann were executive producers of the film, which was directed by Mick Jackson.

The cast includes James Woods and Mercedes Ruehl, as opposing defense and prosecuting attorneys in the McMartin trial. Henry Thomas, Sada Thompson and Shirley Knight co-star as the defendants in the case, with Lolita Davidovitch as a child-abuse therapist whose findings were crucial to the prosecution's case and Roberta Bassin as the mother who initiated the case.

Summary

A defense lawyer defends an average American family from shocking allegations of child abuse and satanic rituals. After seven years and $15 million, the trial ends with the dismissal of all charges. George Freeman is the star witness in the trial. Kee MacFarlane and Wayne Satz are in a romantic relationship. The poster and ads for the movie declare "The charges were so shocking, the truth didn't matter."^[1]

Cast

• James Woods as Danny Davis
• Mercedes Ruehl as Lael Rubin
• Lolita Davidovitch as Kee MacFarlane
• Henry Thomas as Ray Buckey
• Sada Thompson as Virginia McMartin
• Shirley Knight as Peggy Buckey
• Alison Elliott as Peggy Ann Buckey
• Roberta Bassin as Judy Johnson
• Mark Blum as Wayne Satz
• Richard Bradford as Ira Reiner
• James Cromwell as Judge Pounders
• Chelsea Field as Christine Johnson
• Richard Portnow as Judge George

Reception

John J. O'Connor, writing for The New York Times:

This is a portrait of mass hysteria, fueled by panic-stricken parents, overzealous prosecutors, irresponsible talk shows and an out-of-control tabloid press ... Is "Indictment" balanced? Is it fair to the other side? No. As Mr. [Abby] Mann puts it, "What other side?" Watch it and shudder.^[2]

Also writing for The New York Times, Seth Mydans said:

The film makes no pretense at objectivity: There are good guys in the McMartin saga, and there are very, very bad guys ... Nor does the film try to examine difficult issues. It is a drama not so much about the painful process of assessing children's stories of abuse or about the fear and guilt their parents feel but about the destructiveness of a system run amok.^[1]

The Los Angeles Times described the docudrama as "HBO’s frothing, highly opinionated account of the case".^[3] Variety reports this "fact-based HBO Pictures presentation ... makes no apologies for depicting the infamous child molestation case as a witch hunt" and leaves "little leeway for surprise. Even so, the well-acted cabler hits its targets with a take-no-prisoners gusto".^[4]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1995	CableACE Awards	Movie or Miniseries	Abby Mann, Oliver Stone, Janet Yang, Diana Pokorny, Mick Jackson, and Myra Mann	Nominated	[5]
		Actor in a Movie or Miniseries	James Woods	Nominated
		Actress in a Movie or Miniseries	Mercedes Ruehl	Nominated
		Supporting Actress in a Movie or Miniseries	Lolita Davidovitch	Nominated
			Shirley Knight	Nominated
		Directing a Movie or Miniseries	Mick Jackson	Nominated
		Editing a Dramatic Special or Series/Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries	Richard A. Harris	Won
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Oliver Stone, Janet Yang, Abby Mann, and Diana Pokorny	Won	[6]
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	James Woods	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special	Shirley Knight	Won[a]
			Sada Thompson	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special	Mick Jackson	Nominated
		Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries or a Special	Abby Mann and Myra Mann	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting	Mali Finn	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production	Richard A. Harris	Won
1996	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Motion Picture for Non-Commercial Television		Won	[7]
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials	Mick Jackson	Won	[8]
	Edgar Allan Poe Awards	Best Television Feature or Miniseries	Abby Mann and Myra Mann	Won	[9]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television		Won	[10]
		Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	James Woods	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Henry Thomas	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	Shirley Knight	Won
	Young Artist Awards	Best Performance by a Young Actor – TV Special	Shane Sweet	Nominated	[11]

Impact

The film is cited as a watershed in the shift of ideas about satanic ritual abuse, recasting Ray Buckey as a victim of a hysterical conspiracy rather than a child abuser.^[12]

Notes

1. Tied with Judy Davis for Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story.