Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Director:

Otto Preminger

Writers:

John D. Voelker (novel)
Wendell Mayes (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 July 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

Plot:

In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Bartender | Temporary Insanity | Lawyer | Fishing

Awards:

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

James Stewart	...	Paul Biegler
Lee Remick	...	Laura Manion
Ben Gazzara	...	Lt. Frederick Manion
Arthur O'Connell	...	Parnell Emmett McCarthy
Eve Arden	...	Maida Rutledge
Kathryn Grant	...	Mary Pilant
George C. Scott	...	Asst. State Atty. Gen. Claude Dancer
Orson Bean	...	Dr. Matthew Smith
Russ Brown	...	George Lemon
Murray Hamilton	...	Alphonse Paquette
Brooks West	...	Dist. Atty. Mitch Lodwick
Ken Lynch	...	Det. Sgt. James Durgo
John Qualen	...	Deputy Sheriff Sulo
Howard McNear	...	Dr. Dompierre
Alexander Campbell	...	Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt

Runtime:

160 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Australia:M | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1959) | Sweden:15 | UK:12A (re-rating) (2005) | UK:12 (video re-rating) 2001) | UK:15 (video rating) (1988) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Unrated | West Germany:16 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

2nd Floor, Marquette County Courthouse - 234 W. Baraga Avenue, Marquette, Michigan, USA

Company:

Carlyle Productions

Trivia:

Shooting was completed in just two months.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of cameraman visible when Biegler and McCarthy chat with Manion at the train station.

Quotes:

[Judge Weaver has stopped the testimony by Detective Sergeant James Durgo, State Police, and called the lawyers to his bench]
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler, you finally got your rape into the case, and I think all the details should now be made clear to the jury. What exactly was the undergarment just referred to?
Paul Biegler: Panties, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: Do you expect this subject to come up again?
Paul Biegler: Yes, Sir.
Judge Weaver: There's a certain light connotation attached to the word "panties." Can we find another name for them?
Mitch Lodwick: I never heard my wife call 'em anything else.
Judge Weaver: Mr. Biegler?
Paul Biegler: I'm a bachelor, Your Honor.
Judge Weaver: That's a great help. Mr. Dancer?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Crimen ferpecto (2004)

Great

I'd made up my mind in less than ten minutes about "Anatomy of a Murder". It did not have the ongoing twists like "Witness for the Prosecution", character oriented or plot driven. Nor was it a movie with the compelling, issue ploughing story line like "To Kill a Mockingbird". At the same time, it lacked historical interest, but the incredibly dramatised realism of "Judgement at Nuremberg".

Instead, I thought, a film with a two and a half hour run time, and I hate sitting in front of movies running longer than two hours as it is!

I found it, but it took me a while to realise the one great asset this movie had. Jimmy Stewart.

Without a doubt, this engrossing movie about rape, murder and law evoked memories of a Jimmy Stewart seen twenty years earlier in "Mr Smith Goes to Washington". The small town, humble, idealised man who triumphs over the hard headed city men. In a sense, almost the "It's a Wonderful Life" of 1959 with no angels, no attempted suicides, no wonderful, sentimental, reminding message of what life is about.

One of the best things about the movie is the Duke Ellington score. The brass jazz sounds against the actual darkness of the plot completely and totally surprised me, it being so different to the usual dark sombre tones, screeching string instruments trying to stir suspense in the audience.

Supporting cast is great. Lee Remick, Eve Arden, Arthur O'Connell and George C. Scott all put in great performances. But I enjoyed Jimmy very much as the fisherman, lively, wise cracking lawyer.

Otto Preminger directed "Laura" fifteen years earlier. Seems a bit like similar plot lines. Beautiful woman caught up in murder, men lusting after beautiful woman, continual plot turns and all the rest. But Preminger directed this film well.

What did I find by the end? I found some of the the sarcastic suspense in Jimmy and the film, similar to Billy Wilder's "Witness for the Prosecution". The drama was just as alive as it was with "Judgement at Nuremberg". I found myself pulled in as much as I was with "To Kill a Mockingbird". In short, I really recommend this film to everyone who enjoys a few thrills and suspense.

In fact, I liked it so much, I'm going to read the book.

Rating: 9/10