Citizen Cohn

*Citizen Cohn*
Citizen Cohn
	DVD cover
Genre	Biographical drama
Based on	Citizen Cohn; by Nicholas von Hoffman
Written by	David Franzoni
Directed by	Frank Pierson
Starring	James Woods
Music by	Thomas Newman
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Linda Gottlieb; Mark Rosenberg; Paula Weinstein;
Producers	Doro Bachrach; Cynthia Fitzpatrick;
Cinematography	Paul Elliott
Editor	Peter Zinner
Running time	111 minutes
Production companies	Breakheart Films; Spring Creek Productions; HBO Pictures;
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	August 22, 1992

Citizen Cohn is a 1992 American biographical drama television film about the life of Joseph McCarthy's controversial chief counsel Roy Cohn. It was directed by Frank Pierson and written by David Franzoni, based on the 1988 biography by Nicholas von Hoffman. James Woods stars as Cohn, alongside Joe Don Baker (as McCarthy), Ed Flanders (as Cohn's courtroom nemesis Joseph Welch), Frederic Forrest (as writer Dashiell Hammett), and Pat Hingle (as Cohn's onetime mentor J. Edgar Hoover).

Citizen Cohn was filmed on location in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It aired on HBO on August 22, 1992. Woods was nominated for both a Primetime Emmy and a Golden Globe for his performance.

Synopsis

The film spans Cohn's life from childhood through his initial rise to power as Joseph McCarthy's right-hand man in the Senate subcommittee hearings of the 1950s, and eventually to his public discrediting a month before his death from AIDS in 1986. It is told mostly in flashback as Cohn lies dying at a hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, hallucinating that his many enemies — from Robert F. Kennedy to Ethel Rosenberg, a convicted Communist spy Cohn had sent to the electric chair — are haunting him.

The film deals with troubling aspects of Cohn's life, such as his closeted homosexuality and the measure of his culpability during the McCarthy era. While the movie portrays Cohn in a decidedly unsympathetic light, it also depicts episodes in his life, such as the death of his beloved mother, in which he showed a more humane, compassionate side.

Cast

James Woods as Roy Cohn
Joe Don Baker as Senator Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Bologna as Walter Winchell
Ed Flanders as Joseph N. Welch
Jeffrey Nordling as G. David Schine
Frederic Forrest as Dashiell Hammett
Lee Grant as Dora Cohn
Pat Hingle as J. Edgar Hoover
John McMartin as 'Older Doctor'
Karen Ludwig as Ethel Rosenberg
Josef Sommer as Albert C. Cohn
Daniel Benzali as Cardinal Francis Spellman
Tovah Feldshuh as Iva Schlesinger
John Finn as Senator Charles Potter
Fritz Weaver as Senator Everett Dirksen
Frances Foster as 'First Annie Lee Moss'
Novella Nelson as 'Second Annie Lee Moss'
Allen Garfield as Abe Feller
David Marshall Grant as Robert F. Kennedy
Daniel von Bargen as Clyde Tolson
Lester Hoffman as Executioner #1

Score

Thomas Newman composed the largely minimalist film score.

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Nominee(s)	Result	Ref.
1992	Peabody Awards		Home Box Office	Won	^[1]
1993	American Cinema Editors Awards	Best Edited Television Special	Peter Zinner	Won	^[2]
	American Society of Cinematographers Awards	Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in a Movie of the Week or Pilot	Paul Elliott	Nominated	^[3]
	Artios Awards	Best Casting for TV Movie of the Week	Mary Colquhoun	Won	^[4]
	CableACE Awards	Movie or Miniseries	Mark Rosenberg, Paula Weinstein, Doro Bachrach, Frank Pierson, and David Franzoni	Won	^[5]
		Actor in a Movie or Miniseries	James Woods	Nominated
		Directing for a Movie or Miniseries	Frank Pierson	Won
		Writing a Movie or Miniseries	David Franzoni	Nominated
		Art Direction in a Dramatic Special or Series/Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries	Gary Kosko	Nominated
		Direction of Photography and/or Lighting Direction in a Dramatic or Theatrical Special/Movie or Miniseries	Paul Elliott	Nominated
		Editing a Dramatic Special or Series/Theatrical Special/Movie or Mini-Series	Peter Zinner	Nominated
		Make-Up	Deborah La Mia Denaver and Matthew W. Mungle	Nominated
	Directors Guild of America Awards	Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Dramatic Specials	Frank Pierson	Nominated	^[6]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television		Nominated	^[7]
	Golden Globe Awards	Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television	James Woods	Nominated	^[7]
	Primetime Emmy Awards	Outstanding Made for Television Movie	Mark Rosenberg, Paula Weinstein, Linda Gottlieb, and Doro Bachrach	Nominated	^[8]
		Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special	James Woods	Nominated
		Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special	Lee Grant	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Miniseries or a Special	Frank Pierson	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Miniseries or a Special	David Franzoni	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Art Direction for a Miniseries or a Special	Stephen Marsh, Gary Kosko, and Diana Stoughton	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Casting for a Miniseries or a Special	Mary Colquhoun and Donna Belajac	Won
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Miniseries or a Special	Jill M. Ohanneson	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Editing for a Miniseries or a Special – Single Camera Production	Peter Zinner	Won
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Special	Mona Orr	Nominated
		Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Miniseries or a Special	Lynne K. Eagan, Matthew W. Mungle, John E. Jackson, and Deborah La Mia Denaver	Won
		Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Miniseries or a Special	John Pritchett, Dan Wallin, Anna Behlmer, and Richard Portman	Nominated

References

↑ "Citizen Cohn". Peabody Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
↑ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 3, 2019.
↑ "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011.
↑ "1993 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. October 19, 1993. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
↑ Herbert, Steven (November 18, 1992). "HBO Dominates CableACE Nominations With 104". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
↑ "45th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
↑ "Citizen Cohn". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
↑ "Citizen Cohn". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

External links

[1] "Citizen Cohn". Peabody Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

[2] "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved April 3, 2019.

[3] "The ASC Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography". American Society of Cinematographers. Archived from the original on August 2, 2011.

[4] "1993 Artios Awards". Casting Society of America. October 19, 1993. Archived from the original on September 6, 2023. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

[5] Herbert, Steven (November 18, 1992). "HBO Dominates CableACE Nominations With 104". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

[6] "45th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

[7] "Citizen Cohn". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

[8] "Citizen Cohn". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved September 21, 2023.

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