Kevin Spacey portraying Clarence Darrow. Closing speech in the Leopold & Loeb trial

Kevin Spacey portraying Clarence Darrow in the film titled Darrow. The scene is the closing plea by Clarence Darrow in the Leopold & Leob murder trial.
Please note the intention of this upload is because Kevin Spacey is a tremendous actor, it is NOT up here to promote an argument about crime, punishment, death penalty, historical events that have no bearing on life today. Comments about the rights and wrongs of this (or any other) event will be removed under the bullshit rule. If you want a forum to argue choose somewhere else and don't hijack my channel. Religious rants and ravers will also be removed and the people who comment will be blocked. Unfortunately I don't have a virtual lion to feed christians to.

[@bren106]

Posts removed because people can't be arsed to read the description, this is part of what it says: "Comments about the rights and wrongs of this (or any other) event will be removed under the bullshit rule. If you want a forum to argue choose somewhere else and don't hijack my channel. Religious rants and ravers will also be removed and the people who comment will be blocked. Unfortunately I don't have a virtual lion to feed christians to."

[@thatguywhowritescommentary7399]

It does occur to you that by doing so you remove select opinions on a place that is literally a platform for discussion. Of course, there is a good shot that you'll remove this reply, but it doesn't matter. Facts stay facts no what you try to do to them. All that should be removed on a public platform is violence and spam. But anyway, go ahead with your thought-destructing self, because for every opinion destroyed, there are a thousand created. You can't destroy truth (or lies) by burning pages or removing KZbin comments. And if you'd be ever so good as to show me (through a reply) how this comment is spam or violent, I will remove it myself. Edit: Oh, and by the way, I think that the words spoken are moral, but Spacey's acting doesn't hold up compared to say Welles or Fonda in the role.

[@TheOceanLoader]

Saw him last night at The Old Vic in London. He does the whole production on his own and he is spectacular. It's great to see how he's changed his delivery over the years and grown. I was blown away and I would recommend anyone who can goes to see him. I was 4 feet away from him and he is truly one of the greatest actors. Clarence Darrow is a moving production and I left feeling like I would want him on my side if I was ever in court.

[@pink_alligator]

He lost me when he called the murderers "Poor boys"

[@sheikhsadi5094]

You would have to read the entire closing arguments. It’s amazing!

[@garrison968]

I have to agree. Kevin Spacey is a good actor. But Welles owned that role. Welles had a moral authority that was dominating.

[@pagejustin5572]

garrison968 yes yes yes the moral authority of Orson Welles is far superior to Kevin Spacey

[@danielpickton-allen8385]

Good speech, but when you compare it to the version by Orson Welles in compulsion it pales next to the weight of Welles emotional delivery.

[@alg11297]

Compulsion was a novel. Even the names were changed The speech was all the creation of the author.

[@douglogic8704]

@@alg11297 Yes but Compulsion was a thinly disguised version of this case. The names were changed, but not much else.

[@drivenhome3257]

They have good weight, but as a debate, Welles wins the fate.

[@anessabuckham4598]

@@alg11297 ✝️❌❌❌❌❌✝️♥️🌈💙✝️✝️⭕⭕⭕⭕⭕✝️

[@MatthewL.Mattingly]

Welles would lose any argument about weight.

[@CYP0]

Seeing this now (2017/2018), this scene is truly ominous with regards to Kevin Spacey’s own predicament.

[@Marcusness]

Saw Mr. Spacey perform as Clarence Darrow at the Old Vic tonight. His performance was just perfection. Passionate perfection.

[@raphaelhythloday1932]

Rather than compare Spacey and Welles, we should remember that Orson Welles was not playing Clarence Darrow, but rather an equivalent fictional character. This is important because Welles is allowed to have his own voice and charisma, while Spacey it seems is trying to imitate or approximate. In that sense, the two performances are very different and should be looked at with different criterion.

[@glowingunknown5625]

I think it's fair to compare here. It's a movie - people want drama and emotion, not a biography skit. Really express the passion he's presenting. I think that does more justice to Darrow than imitation.

[@teodelfuego]

Jared Frost I agree 100%. Welles was a far more brilliant an actor than almost anyone active today. And Spacey is a very fine actor.

[@lennymadhavan3361]

Spot on!

[@thatguywhowritescommentary7399]

Well, the Jonathan Wilkes character is based on Clarence Darrow and a great deal (in fact, almost all) of the courtroom dialogue is transcribed from the Leopold-Loeb case. And, having read the trial transcript, Darrow seems to be more of a sympathetic, pleading, prodding presence than an intimidating one. You are right about the difference in performance style, though. Welles was often left to his own devices because other directors admired him or were afraid of messing him up. Spacey could be being tainted a little by a bad director. He also doesn't have the presence of Gavin Macleod, E.G. Marshall, Dean Stockwell, and Bradford Dillman to bounce his monologue off of. So, yeah, a lot of it is probably in the interpretation.

[@WalterLiddy]

Doesn't hold a candle to Welles.

[@frannyzooey11]

WalterLiddy I agree. "Don't fuck with the original."

[@creamcheese1048]

No it des not.

[@pagejustin5572]

No one does. Period.

[@Joshualbm]

The is a deeply felt, very well crafted, humble and intelligent portrayal. Bravo Kevin.

[@thetooginator153]

All the comments here got me to watch the Welles version, and Orson did a MUCH better job. I'm actually against the death penalty, but given that the judge should have known that any middle class or poor young men in 1924 would have gone straight to the gallows, there was no better case than this for it. The only reason I can think of that the judge spared Leopold and Loeb was that their parents were EXTREMELY influential in Chicago.

[@haroldgaffney246]

Very well done but Orson Wells in Compulsion is better

[@creamcheese1048]

I agree with you.

[@normana.6367]

I’m using this in my philosophy class, my students and I always end up having argument, which i think is good.

[@jimmbo13]

Please upload the whole movie..!! I would love to see it

[@SuperGreatSphinx]

Clarence Seward Darrow (April 18, 1857 - March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer, a leading member of the American Civil Liberties Union, and a prominent advocate for Georgist economic reform. He defended high-profile clients in many famous trials of the early 20th century, including teenage thrill killers Leopold and Loeb for murdering 14-year-old Robert "Bobby" Franks (1924); teacher John T. Scopes in the Scopes "Monkey" Trial (1925), in which he opposed statesman and orator William Jennings Bryan; and Ossian Sweet in a racially charged self-defense case (1926). Called a "sophisticated country lawyer", Darrow's wit and eloquence made him one of the most prominent attorneys and civil libertarians in the nation.

[@boris.dupont]

I have no idea if this is good, excellent or just ok but nothing could impress me as much as Orson Welles in the older version except maybe for Brando if he came back for an encore. But thanks for sharing!

[@BatHunterofDevon]

I love how ironic his portrayal of Clarence Darrow is, when in A Time To Kill, he plays the prosecutor, Rufus Buckley who pleads the death penalty for the defendant, Carl Lee Hailey. lol

[@richarddr1234]

I would not have been swayed by this argument.

[@paranocorp6582]

Me neither, but remember though, in real life, Darrow drew out this case for 32 whole days on sentencing alone.

[@timrandall9479]

Pity Kevin Spacey screwed up his career. He's a great actor.

[@wazupmetom]

Amazing acting. I also happen to agree that we should not have the death penalty.

[@Jivanmuktishu]

Loeb was killed in a quarrel about a boy in the 2d year of his Life+99year sentence. . Leopold was released. to a leper colony.

[@dtabella]

Henry Fonda, Orson Welles, and Kevin Spacey all did a great job portraying Clarence Darrow...it depends on your taste...I would not try to compare them...

[@SWilliams2990]

Also Spencer Tracy in Inherit the Wind!

[@Phaedragon]

Channeling Henry Fonda, I think. It's Fonda' delivery, totally.

[@Scripts360]

Comp!geeky agree. You can hear Fonda throughout the entire speech

[@terr777]

I read this as I'm hearing it. Spot on.

[@Robert-vw3od]

One of the finest actors.

[@douglogic8704]

Could you please add captions to this video? KZbin can do this automatically (and freely). I'd like to use this in class but need captions.

[@douglogic8704]

Never mind; I found a captioned version at: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hHaynqJ7d9-Lfpo

[@747maran]

he's no orson welles, shouldn't have taken the part..

[@peterkosmas9518]

I bought the DVD in High Quality, i am going to be watching this tomorrow . I wanted to know . Is this worth Watching ?

[@charlesmclaughlin4444]

Spacey ain't no Welles...

[@robertm7889]

Orson Wells does the very best version of this piece.

[@mikerusso21]

I love Spacey but any actor no matter how great would seem miscast in this role following Welles's powerful performance.

[@febiyours4583]

what is the name of the movie?

[@Bmr_moonlover]

This is one of my all time favorites ❤Kevin Spacey is literally one of the best ever ❤ love you and miss you, please know that you have fans who truly care about you. Stay strong 🙏

[@alg11297]

Must be hard to defend the actions of premeditated murderers. They killed Bobby Franks because they thought they could get away with it and perform the "perfect crime". Had they not been so wealthy they could have never hired Darrow to defend them. Darrow's actual summation lasted days.

[@marksman48]

Spacey is a great actor, but Welles was an actor so great, you see the likes of him only once every hundred years. I wish he would not have gotten so large, we would have had many more great performances. As good a director as he was, I like him even more as an actor. Spacey was great in Glengarry Glenross. That is his type of role. For Clarence Darrow, I prefer Orson Welles in Compulsion.

[@Mindfultranslations]

Taking away what we are powerless to give is sinful . True , the criminal did take life . But he/she was the criminal. So are we as a society, seek to emulate the actions of the criminal? Spending the rest of his years bearing the weight of what he did to me seems sufficient punishment to fit the crime . Whom among us can be 100% certain of another mans actions and intentions? Even when in concert with what other people had seen . And how many times has entire civilizations , centuries afterwards, admitted that what they practiced was wrong ???

[@Sophie-cq5lq]

I wonder if leopold and loeb ever regretted for killing Bobby

[@quasar4601]

They were incapable of remorse. Loeb was brutally knifed to death a decade later in prison and Leopold was let out after 35 years and lived another 10 yrs in P. Rico

[@s.l.3673]

Am I the only one who keeps thinking, Spacey looks like he's trying very hard to suppress a grin while delivering that speech?

[@jakebaker4066]

Did this age well?

[@vishalsamar]

So I be written in the Book of Love. I do not care about that Book Above. Erase my name, or write it as you will. So I be written in the Book of Love. Omar Khayyam.

[@jazztrek1]

Incredible performances by Kevin Spacey AND Orson Welles! No need to make a comparison. They both are talented actors. The "difference" is that with Welles you could SEE his "technique"; You cannot with Spacey.Totally "believable".

[@jram4617]

Fonda's was wonderful too

[@annaluzzi687]

Clarence Darrow should have been there for Ned Stark's hanging!

[@bren106]

I will do, strangely this marvelous film was only released in U.K

[@williamcampagna9851]

Can’t hold a candle to Orson.

[@dawnstoehrer8107]

Great comment “CHRIS RANDLE “HES MIRACULOUS AN ARTISTIC GENIUS ❤

[@PSRack]

A simple task for such a tremendous actor as Kevin Spacey!

[@jimstanga6390]

He needs Clarence Darrow….

[@LivesInLibertyCity]

Say what you want about Spacey but he knocks it out of the park in every performance. Did the legend of Darrow proud

[@alchedaclancarriedo7223]

Modules brought me here.

[@adamlong6561]

Now that is a doctor who speech

[@frannyzooey11]

Orson Wells did this better.

[@gopherstate777]

I preferred Orson's.

[@kevinthegerbil2708]

if you kill the the mind, you can not prevent the next crime.

[@Firebrand55]

Welles.....

[@jackjelf07]

All I see is people crying how OW performance is better 😴😴😴 shut up and enjoy both.

[@pyoorworld]

Watch the real thing with Orson Welles!

[@creamcheese1048]

I agree with you.

[@bren106]

And what a tremendous film A time to kill is.

[@joakimlundgren7043]

The famous road paved with fine intentions.

[@wandaburns8075]

Spacey may be 'handsy' but he really is a good actor. It's a shame it's probably over due to his behavior.

[@patriciabutler6442]

Love CD! Representative of what makes America great - compassionate justice!

[@majorintherepublick5862]

Fine words, but wrong,an eye for an eye is ultimately correct.

[@matthewmc4363]

Was this, a factual … representation? Of a court room????

[@frankkolton1780]

While many will argue that Welles ending speech delivery was more emotionally charged, I will counter that Spacey's was a more accurate portrayal of Darrow. He has obviously carefully studied film footage of Darrow, he has his mannerisms and vocal rhythms down to a T.

[@zacula86]

Cold chills is an understatement! Darrow owned :-)

[@jansdoe6963]

Clarence Darrow, terrific lawyer, lousy dresser.

[@glowingunknown5625]

Suspenders are cool.

[@gangstercorleone]

Corny, effete and schmaltzy by an interminable mile. That self-conscious slouch and hooking of thumbs into the suspenders set him up for a fall. Disappointed after hearing the weighty narration in the American Experience documentary, The Perfect Crime. Corleone, Gangster

[@montanelas6716]

Oi

[@tomgams7658]

Sorry but Leopold and Leob, were psychos,

[@azizey9246]

2:36 Hitler wanted to experience that very same feeling I heard. Because he was made that way. And yet I can't think of a way worse reason to senselessly kill someone, without reason and without passion. In this regard these 2 Jews are worse than Hitler.

[@kevinthegerbil2708]

let us not be misleaded by emotion, stick to the fact and allow the law to take presidency. they needed to be punishished n