Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

James Stewart was one of those everlasting good guys of classic Hollywood, portraying honest and slightly naive characters fighting the system. His role as a inexperienced young lawyer that has to crack a murder case that doesn't seem to look as easy and straightforward as it did when the trail began. Director Otto Premminger isn't letting anything slip by unnoticed, dissecting the trail process to the very smallest details with discreet, but fanatical persistency. Stewart and Remmick are dancing their dance of hunter and the hunted with ease, while the cross examinations flawlessly manage to raise the temperature of the plot until the very climax and the not so anticipated ending. "Anatomy of a murder" laid down the foundation for many trail movies while simultaneously enthroning the cross examination as a foundation of the Anglo-Saxon law system.

This film is helmed by the great James Stewart, one of the most cherished actors in history and one with the most distinctive drawls. And, this being one of his most well-known roles, it stands to reason that it would be a pretty good film in general. It certainly doesn't disappoint.The plot, based on true events, goes that a former district attorney (Stewart) gets pulled in to defend a man charged with first-degree murder. Alright, all in day's work, except that the man really did commit the killing, no way around that. But his wife also claims that the murder victim had raped her beforehand, offering mitigating circumstances. So our hapless DA protagonist faces a true uphill battle to get a no guilty verdict for his client.Anatomy of a Murder isn't all that different from all other courtroom dramas you might have seen. At least story-wise, that is. It's the all-star cast and the great script which elevate it above its peers. Stewart especially, but the film also includes names such as Arthur O'Connell, Ben Gazzara and George C. Scott, all powerful actors in their own right. The score featuring one and only Duke Ellington doesn't exactly hurt the film either.Not that the story doesn't have some good things going for it as well. It's pretty rare to see a film crime case where the accused defended by the protagonist is actually guilty. And also a pretty unlikable person as a whole. But the whole point of the film is that it shouldn't matter. If there is a case to be made within the law that he is not guilty due to the circumstances, then not guilty he should be. And that's something you don't see in every film.Anatomy of a Murder is one of my favourite courtroom dramas and a great film by any standard worth setting. Definitely worth your time.

In what could only be interpreted in a cosmic sort of irony, I watched "Anatomy of a Murder" shortly after serving a stint of jury duty. Thus, I was in the right frame of mind for this kind of film. Unfortunately, it doesn't rise above being a strict courtroom drama.For a basic plot summary, this movie sees country lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) defending soldier Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara) for murdering a man who had supposedly raped his wife Laura Manion (Lee Remick). During the long trial, Biegler runs into hot-shot city lawyer Claude Dancer (George C. Scott), who engages him in a battle of wits right up to the very end of the case.If you view this movie strictly by what goes on inside the courtroom, you would probably have to give it a higher star rating. The sparring between Stewart/Scott is tremendous and produces the best scenes of the entire film. There is also a feeling a tension that the courtroom brings, as with each new witness comes a new wrinkle to the case.The trouble with "Anatomy of A Murder", though, is that the experience actually doesn't differ all that much from what I was supposed to do during my jury duty: disregard anything outside of the court proceedings. The film just fails to capture any other semblance of emotion outside the courtroom. Besides Stewart/Scott, the acting is quite pedestrian, and there are certain character arcs that seem interesting at first but (due to the 2:40 runtime) run out of gas by the conclusion. Even the case that is being debated should have had a bigger finale than it did (instead, it left me feeling a bit frustrated that "all that time" was spent for such a generic finale).Overall, I am surprised that "Anatomy of a Murder" gets such generally high marks. I supposed if one idolizes Jimmy Stewart or really, really is entranced by courtroom dramas it will be better, but I couldn't give it any more than the "okay" ranking. There just wasn't enough happening "outside the court" to sustain my whole interest.

ANATOMY OF A MURDER is a mystery courtroom drama, which, in one explicit manner, deals with issues of sex and rape. The film was based on the 1958 novel of the same name by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker.One former local prosecutor has taken a peculiar case. Specifically, an army lieutenant has confessed to killing his wife's rapist. The lieutenant, with the help of his new defense attorney, claims that he does not remember the murder. The main feature of the defendant is temporary mental incapacity. However, some visible facts are not on his side....The story is interesting and somewhat realistic. It was complemented with a sharp dialogue and explicit themes. Mr. Preminger has presented a dramatic, but a proper and comprehensive judicial process. He has pointed, through some notable scenes, the difference between law and justice. The protagonists are shifty characters in an uncertain courtroom drama. The conflict is reduced to a battle between prosecutors and defense counsel, through comic theatricality and mutual insinuations.James Stewart as Paul Biegler is a clever and resourceful lawyer. The protagonist who, with his petty bourgeois, regularly draws aces from the hole. Mr. Stewart has offered, as usual, very good performance. Lee Remick as Laura Manion is rather unconvincing as a faithful and flirty wife at the same time. The complexity is perhaps the biggest flaw of her character. However, I think that Mr. Preminger has wanted to provoke an ironic attitude towards her character by the audience. George C. Scott as Claude Dancer is a skilled and consistent prosecutor, who has become a sort of antagonist. Ben Gazzara as Lt. Frederick Manion is a cold and nervous defendant. Joseph N. Welch as Judge Weaver, despite his sporadic cynicism, is too stereotypical character.This is a bit tiring, but very interesting trial, which, through ironic and cynical attitudes, solves the mystery.