Weakest of the three versions of the story of the Scopes Trial this version suffers from shortening, rewriting and worst of all commercials.
This isn't to say its bad, its not. The problem is that compared to the original Spencer Tracy film this film comes off as a good summer stock to the originals Broadway show case.
The cast is game. Kirk Douglas is perhaps a bit odd at first as the William Jennings Bryan character, but after a few minutes he slips into the groove and all is fine. Jason Robards' is excellent, unfortunately there is something about the way this was put together for TV that kills his momentum in the home stretch.
Seeing this with out commercials doesn't help since the pauses still are there.
If its on try it, but if you must see some version of this go for one of the other two.
This isn't to say its bad, its not. The problem is that compared to the original Spencer Tracy film this film comes off as a good summer stock to the originals Broadway show case.
The cast is game. Kirk Douglas is perhaps a bit odd at first as the William Jennings Bryan character, but after a few minutes he slips into the groove and all is fine. Jason Robards' is excellent, unfortunately there is something about the way this was put together for TV that kills his momentum in the home stretch.
Seeing this with out commercials doesn't help since the pauses still are there.
If its on try it, but if you must see some version of this go for one of the other two.