The Man in the glass booth

Episode of Series “American Film Theater = The American Film Theatre Collection”.
Searing adaptation made for the American Film Theatre collection, of the Robert Shaw play, about a wealthy Jewish man living in Manhattan who is beset by demons and paranoia. A survivor of the Holocaust, Arthur Goldman is one day kidnapped and shipped to Israel where he is tried for war crimes. But is this character the victim or the perpetrator? With its claustrophobic and minimalist setting, Arthur Hiller teases out the themes of guilt, paranoia, conspiracy theories and martyrdom. Maximillian Schell was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of Goldman, but the adaptation itself was controversial, with Shaw removing his name from the credits, due to dissatisfaction with Edward Anhalt’s screenplay.