• Home
  • News
  • Top Picks
    • Movies & Films: Top 25
    • Documentaries: Top 25
    • Films For Students: Top 10
    • Music Videos: Top 10
  • Categories
    • Film
    • Documentary
    • Shorts
    • Blog
    • Calendar
    • Links
    • About

Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World

Libertarian Movies, Films & Documentaries

Nuts (1987)

Tagged: Law & liberty, Psychiatric coercion

An eccentric woman accused of manslaughter must prove her competency to stand trial, or she will be forced without trial to accept years of psychiatric treatment. [ Nuts credits: Dir: Martin Ritt/ Barbra Streisand, Richard Dreyfuss, Maureen Stapleton/ 116 min/ Drama/ Psychiatry & Force]

Barbra Streisand must really have liked the play on which this film was based because she not only produced this screen adaptation of Nuts and wrote the music for it but starred as well. Among other things, the story questions the competency of uncaring, overburdened state institutions to judge the competency of accused citizens.

As it begins, the central character has just been charged with manslaughter. However, her erratic behavior suggests to the court that she may not be sane enough to stand trial. The lawyer hired by her “caring” parents, to get her “treatment” instead of prison, concurs. Her parents don’t seem to understand that “treatment” can be worse than prison and can go on for just as long or longer. In short, she’s on a fast track to the loony bin.

Suddenly realizing what’s happening, she rebels, firing and even attacking the lawyer hired by her parents. The court appoints a new lawyer, only this one is smart enough to figure out that she may not be addled after all.

This film is a good reminder of the alarming fact that just a handful of select signatures could commit anyone, and raises important questions about how responsibly the state applies that power.

As entertainment, Nuts is a fair watch. The film has an interesting story and plenty of quality acting. However, Streisand, in the leading role, plays her part with such a sharp, indignant edge as to compromise the natural sympathy of the viewer for her character. That’s my opinion, but serious Streisand fans may be more forgiving.

How to See It

Amazon (DVD)
Amazon (Instant Video)
YouTube Video Search
Google Video Search

Links

IMDB
Wikipedia
Google
More Films About: Psychiatric Coercion
More Films About: Law & Liberty

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

Related

Featured Post

weird

Things Are Weird. Is It Time To Watch Wild Palms?

For years, the most outrageous conspiracy theory that had any popularity was the claim that a corrupt cabal of pedophiles and pervs were somehow calling the shots behind the scenes, protected by governments. This was considered tin-hat stuff. Then the world learned that there actually was a pedophile island … Continue Reading

obsolete industries

All Obsolete Industries Deserve A Bailout

This hilarious video put out by The Coalition for Obsolete Industries takes a (tongue in cheek) stand against progress in order to save jobs. You can learn more about the coalition on their Facebook page. … Continue Reading

the stranger

The Stranger (1946)

A post-WWII war crimes official hunts down a little-known escaped Nazi: the man who secretly planned and managed the Holocaust. [ The Stranger credits: Dir: Orson Welles/ Orson Welles, Edward G. Robinson, Loretta Young/ 95 min/ Drama, Thriller/ Democide] “I will not spoil this tightly-crafted cat and … Continue Reading

Themes

Abuse of power American revolution Anti-draft Anti-regulation Anti-slavery Anti-socialism Anti-taxation Anti-war Ayn Rand Corrupt government Creator as hero Democide Econ 101 Eminent domain Equality & law Escape from socialism Freedom of speech Free press as hero Government as bigot Government as torturer Government enforced morality Government healthcare Government schools Incompetent government Individualism John Stossel Law & liberty Legalize Drugs Libertarian heroes Libertarianism 101 Power corrupts Power worship Pro-capitalism Pro-immigration Propaganda Psychiatric coercion Resistance to tyranny Right to secede Search & seizure Second amendment Sexual liberty Social tolerance Unions & monopolies Voluntarism Working for government

Genres/Categories

Action-Adventure Animated Biography Blog Comedy Documentary Drama Family Featured Film Foreign History Horror Music-Dance Netflix News Romance SciFi-Fantasy Shorts Thriller Upcoming Western

About Miss Liberty

This site is a collection of films and documentaries of particular interest to libertarians (and those interested in libertarianism). It began as a book, Miss Liberty’s Guide to Film: Movies for the Libertarian Millennium, where many of the recommended films were first reviewed. The current collection has grown to now more than double the number in that original list, and it’s growing still.

  • RSS

© 2023 Miss Liberty's Film & Documentary World. All Rights Reserved