IMDb > Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Anatomy of a Murder
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany credits
Awards & Reviews
user reviewsexternal reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guidemessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsmemorable quotes
Did You Know?
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
box office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (See all 23 | slideshow) Videos (see all 3)
Anatomy of a Murder -- 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?
Anatomy of a Murder -- 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?

Overview

User Rating:
8.1/10   28,947 votes »
Your Rating:
Saving vote...
Deleting vote...
/10   (delete | history)
Sorry, there was a problem
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 25% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Wendell Mayes (screenplay)
John D. Voelker (based on the novel by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Anatomy of a Murder on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
September 1959 (Austria) See more »
Genre:
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? Full summary » | Full synopsis »
Awards:
Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 11 nominations See more »
User Reviews:
Intense, Dramatic, Well Crafted Suspense... See more (172 total) »

Cast

  (in credits order) (verified as complete)

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
Ned Wever ... Dr. Raschid
Jimmy Conlin ... Clarence Madigan
Royal Beal ... Sheriff Battisfore
Joseph Kearns ... Lloyd Burke
Don Ross ... Duane 'Duke' Miller
Lloyd Le Vasseur ... Court Clerk
James Waters ... Army Sergeant 1st Class
Joseph N. Welch ... Judge Weaver
rest of cast listed alphabetically:

Duke Ellington ... Pie Eye (uncredited)
Irv Kupcinet ... Distinguished Gentleman (uncredited)
Mrs. Joseph Welch ... Juror (uncredited)
Create a character page for: ?

Directed by
Otto Preminger 
 
Writing credits
Wendell Mayes (screenplay)

John D. Voelker (based on the novel by) (as Robert Traver)

Produced by
Otto Preminger .... producer
 
Original Music by
Duke Ellington 
 
Cinematography by
Sam Leavitt (director of photography)
 
Film Editing by
Louis R. Loeffler 
 
Production Design by
Boris Leven 
 
Makeup Department
Del Armstrong .... makeup
Harry Ray .... makeup
Myrl Stoltz .... hairdresser
Madine Danks .... hairdresser (uncredited)
Norman Pringle .... makeup artist (uncredited)
 
Production Management
Henry Weinberger .... production manager
 
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Silver .... assistant director
Hal W. Polaire .... assistant director (uncredited)
Ray Taylor Jr. .... assistant director (uncredited)
 
Art Department
Howard Bristol .... set dresser
Saul Bass .... poster designer (uncredited)
Wallace Carr .... assistant set dresser (uncredited)
Irving W. Sindler .... props (uncredited)
Ken Walton .... props (uncredited)
 
Sound Department
Jack Solomon .... sound
Bill Flannery .... boom operator (uncredited)
Harry Foy .... recordist (uncredited)
Don Hall .... sound effects (uncredited)
Al Yaylian .... cable (uncredited)
 
Special Effects by
George Harris .... special effects (uncredited)
 
Camera and Electrical Department
James Almond .... lighting technician
Leo McCreary .... key grip
Irving Rosenberg .... camera operator
Bert Chaliacombe .... best boy (uncredited)
Gjon Mili .... still photographer (uncredited)
Al St. Hilaire .... still photographer (uncredited)
Bob Uhl .... assistant camera (uncredited)
 
Costume and Wardrobe Department
Hope Bryce .... costume coordinator
Vou Lee Giokaris .... wardrobe
Michael J. Harte .... wardrobe (as Michael Harte)
Paula Giokaris .... wardrobe (uncredited)
Norman Martien .... wardrobe (uncredited)
 
Editorial Department
John Loeffler .... assistant editor (uncredited)
Michael Vittes .... assistant editor (uncredited)
 
Music Department
Richard Carruth .... music editor
Duke Ellington .... musician: piano (uncredited)
Johnny Hodges .... musician (uncredited)
Billy Strayhorn .... musician: piano (uncredited)
Clark Terry .... musician (uncredited)
Britt Woodman .... musician (uncredited)
 
Other crew
Saul Bass .... title designer
Kathleen Fagan .... script supervisor
William T. Hurtz .... director: animated titles
Otto Preminger .... presenter
Max Slater .... assistant to the producer
Robert E. Blair .... dog trainer (uncredited)
Dave Golding .... publicist (uncredited)
Jim Merrick .... publicist (uncredited)
Nat Rudich .... publicist (uncredited)
John D. Voelker .... technical advisor (uncredited)
 
Crew verified as complete


Production CompaniesDistributors
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Runtime:
160 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 See more »
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
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 (f) | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) | Germany:16 (DVD rating) | USA:TV-PG | Spain:13 | Australia:PG (TV rating)

Did You Know?

Trivia:
James Stewart's father was so offended by the film, which he deemed "a dirty picture", that he took out an ad in his local newspaper telling people not to see it.See more »
Goofs:
Continuity: The position of Paul's hat changes on the antler rack while he was in talking to Laura.See more »
Quotes:
Paul Biegler:All right, the cat's out of the bag; it's fair game for me to chase it!See more »
Movie Connections:

FAQ

What is 'Anatomy of a Murder' about?
How does the movie end?
How closely does the movie follow the book?
See more »
77 out of 98 people found the following review useful.
Intense, Dramatic, Well Crafted Suspense..., 6 August 1999
Author: Heather Magee from Williamsburg, Virginia

Well filmed, beautifully acted, and painstakingly directed, this film deserves the highest praise.

James Stewart brings his customary stammering, quirky charm to a role that could have easily become overwhelmingly serious. Lee Remick is seen establishing her early image as the somehow fragile, undeniably seductive pawn (see also "A Face in The Crowd"), while Gazzara wavers intensely somewhere between heartless murderer and protective husband. The supporting cast is strong, creating a human backdrop for the senior players, keeping the story in the real world, effectively preventing this from becoming an exercise in legal theory.

This film is noteworthy for a myriad of reasons, but most specifically because it addresses the still controversial issue of acquaintance rape, and presents us with a victim of questionable morals. At the same time our murder victim is seen as a monster, then a friend and father. There really are no heroes here, no noble defenders, no pristine heroines, no completely innocent bystanders...both sides take their turns pointing fingers, each claiming that the other only got what they deserved.

We are forced to re-evaluate our thoughts on what constitutes justifiable homicide--the unwritten law that Manion speaks of in the film versus the law as written that Biegler must now interpret. This manipulation of intended meaning sets a somewhat tragic precedent evident in the legal system we work within today.

This film is highly entertaining, and excellent for discussion. Watch it with some of your more philosophical friends.

Was the above review useful to you?
See more (172 total) »

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
The 'panties' ogami1972
The music was so wrong for this movie starmarker
Lana Turner as Laura Manion? lacieca
why the movie rated so high? junkielee
the ending ? (did anyone want a twist?) film_buffy
Bad actor: The Judge rios_119
See more »

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Accused Fury Appaloosa Fracture Conviction
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb top 250 movies IMDb Crime section
IMDb USA section

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Edit page' button will take you through a step-by-step process.