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Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956) 6.9
A novelist aided by his future father-in-law conspires to frame himself in the murder of a stripper as part of an effort to ban capital punishment. Director:Fritz LangWriter:Douglas Morrow (story) |
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Title: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt (1956)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Dana Andrews | ... |
Tom Garrett
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| Joan Fontaine | ... |
Susan Spencer
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| Sidney Blackmer | ... |
Austin Spencer
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Arthur Franz | ... |
Bob Hale
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Philip Bourneuf | ... |
Dist. Atty. Roy Thompson
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| Edward Binns | ... |
Lt. Kennedy
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Shepperd Strudwick | ... |
Jonathan Wilson
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Robin Raymond | ... |
Terry Larue
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| Barbara Nichols | ... |
Dolly Moore
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William F. Leicester | ... |
Charlie Miller
(as William Lester)
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Dan Seymour | ... |
Greco
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Rusty Lane | ... |
Judge
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Joyce Taylor | ... |
Joan Williams
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Carleton Young | ... |
Allan Kirk
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Trudy Wroe | ... |
Hatcheck Girl
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Writer sets himself up to take murder rap to show the errors of circumstantial evidence. With a friend holding back evidence so he can prove his innocence at the last minute, he goes to trial. But during the trial, his friend is killed in a car accident. Written by Humberto Amador
Plot Keywords:
trial | circumstantial evidence | writer | car accident | capital punishment |Taglines:
What kind of man would frame himself for MURDER? See more »Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
5 September 1956 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Jenseits allen Zweifels See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound Recording)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.00 : 1
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Terry Larue: Yeah? If he's got so much class, what's he doin' with you?
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Sung by The Hi-Los (as The Hi-Lo's)
Music by Herschel Burke Gilbert
Lyrics by Alfred Perry
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Did You Know?
Quotes
Dolly Moore: [about Garrett] This guy's got a lot of class.Terry Larue: Yeah? If he's got so much class, what's he doin' with you?
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Soundtracks
"Beyond A Reasonable Doubt"Sung by The Hi-Los (as The Hi-Lo's)
Music by Herschel Burke Gilbert
Lyrics by Alfred Perry
See more »
Tom Garrett is a writer engaged to the daughter of wealthy newspaper man Austin Spencer. Spencer is also firmly against the death penalty. With Tom looking for a subject for a second novel, Spencer suggests that they set Tom up for an unsolved murder using circumstantial evidence to prove how easy it would be for the courts to kill an innocent man. Once Tom is sentenced to the chair, Spencer will expose the failings in the system and free him. However when Spencer is killed in car crash and none of the evidence can be found then Tom faces the chair.
A very interesting concept still needs a good delivery to make for a good film. This not only had a good idea but it was also a fair point to be made about the death penalty. The film moves along with a good build up for the whole first half. However once Tom finds himself in real trouble then the film strangely doesn't manage to deliver as much tension as it really should have done. Conversely the film becomes more of a melodrama for a while and it loses a lot of momentum. There are some nice touches at the end but they can't completely make up for the weaknesses in the middle section.
It is quite atmospheric but not to the point that I had hoped but Lang does a good job on direction. The cast are OK. Andrews has long been one of my favourite actors from the period and he gives a solid if unspectacular show here. Fontaine is weaker and doesn't quite convince as well as Andrews but is fine. Blackmer is pretty enjoyable as Austin Spencer and Ed Binns is a familiar face as Lt. Kennedy.
It doesn't quite work as you'd hope as the tension drops off at the exactly the moment that it needs to step up a notch. It is worth watching but it is not one of Lang's better films.