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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

The real Roy Cohn (right) with Joseph McCarthy

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]
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television James Woods Nominated
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

See also

References

  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.