Main Street Media will present “Liberty under Law: The Robert H. Jackson Story,” Tues., July 30, at 5:30 p.m. at the Chautauqua Cinema, 25 Wythe Ave., Chautauqua, N.Y. The documentary screening is open to the public.
The program takes place during Week 5 of Chautauqua’s summer season, which is devoted to the exploration of “Crime and Punishment.”
This special screening is part of the Robert H. Jackson Center’s weeklong Special Studies series at the Chautauqua Institution on “The Practice of Justice Jackson’s Art: Talent & Responsibility in Public Communication.” U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Nina Morrison, senior attorney with the Innocence Project, are among the many notable speakers on the lecture platform during the week.
Liberty under Law chronicles the life and legacy of Robert H. Jackson from rural America to President Franklin Roosevelt’s inner circle as he becomes Solicitor General, Attorney General, U.S. Supreme Court Justice and Chief U.S. Prosecutor of Nazi war criminals at the Nuremberg Trial. Through the life of this remarkable American, the film examines the reaches of presidential power during wartime; the tenuous balance between civil liberties and national security; and the global application of international law.
Over the course of their work, producers Lisa and Rich Gensheimer visited numerous archival collections where they secured hundreds of images, documents, and newsreels. On-location scenes were filmed in the forests and farms of northwestern Pennsylvania, and the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, DC. as the producers explore how Jackson’s early life in rural northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York influenced his character and, ultimately, his contributions to the world.
The documentary was supported, in part, by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission; the Pennsylvania Humanities Council, the Federal-State Partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities; and the Community Foundation of Warren County.
Tickets, $9.50, are available directly at the theater.
Those attending the documentary screening from outside the grounds at Chautauqua Institution do not have to pay the regular Chautauqua gate fee for admission. At the gate, you will pay $1 per adult for a special Cinema-only grounds pass (available at Main and Hurst gates 1 hour before show times). Show this pass at the Cinema when paying for your movie admission and you will receive a $1 refund.
For more on the documentary, https://www.facebook.com/RobertHJacksonDocumentary
The Robert H. Jackson Center’s mission is to advance the legacy of Robert H. Jackson through education and exhibits, and by preserving the relevance of his ideas for this and future generations. The Center is located at 305 East Fourth Street, Jamestown, NY. Tours are available from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., Monday – Friday and from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Saturdays. For more information, or to schedule a tour of the Center outside of regular business hours, e-mail info@roberthjackson.org or contact the Robert H. Jackson Center at (716) 483-6646.