There are only a handful of movies on this list of Academy Award Best Picture nominees that defy attempts to break down the plot for the purpose of review. Anatomy of a Murder is one such film, as any attempt to do so would be just rehashing blow-by-blow the courtroom back-and-forths leading up to what is considered the inevitable conclusion. Not only would this be a somewhat pointless endeavor, it would make for a boring read, especially for anyone here who has already seen this picture. I have plenty to say about what takes place in this picture without falling back heavily on the plot.
The premise is simple: Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is a former district attorney who would rather be out fishing than pursuing any real cases anymore. Because of this, his career has stalled and money is tight. His secretary, perhaps out of a desire to get paid, convinces him to take a call from Laura Manion (Lee Remick), a young woman whose husband has been arrested for killing innkeeper Bernard Quill, who allegedly raped her one evening. Biegler initially finds it difficult to work with her husband, Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), but finally gets through to the man and learns some information that he may be able to use to convince a jury to acquit him despite him being guilty of the murder. And that is the basic setup for what is considered one of the greatest courtroom dramas, and one of the best films to ever lose the Best Picture Oscar, of all time.
Almost immediately, we sense that there is something off about Laura. She is coquettish and flirty with Paul to the point that at one point, he comments that they are within sight of her husband to get a reaction out of her and to get her to stop. She has described Frederick as being fiery, hot-tempered, and jealous, yet she is also doing things that seem designed to provoke that temper. She even avoids seeing him in jail and instead is out at social clubs. The mystery of her is further teased by her early on wearing big dark sunglasses, hiding her eyes as well as the bruises from her recent assault. The portrait of her marriage seems at odds with the evidence on sight.
Even her description of the events leading up to the rape seems suspect. She accepted a ride home from Bernard on the pretense that it was a long walk home and “because there were bears around.” He parked the car, attacked her, tore off her panties, tossed them away, and raped her. When returning to the scene, her glasses were found but not the panties. This will later become a crucial piece of evidence both for and against her. Frederick, upon finding out about the assault, approached Bernard at his work and coldly shot him dead. The argument is whether he was justified, temporarily insane, or if he should be held accountable for the murder.
The film brings to light the sheer fallibility of our legal system, where there is no innocent verdict, just not guilty. Not guilty is not the same thing as innocent, and a jury, made up of people with varied opinions on what is right and wrong, can side with the accused even if it is proven that he committed the crime. On top of that, the judicial process is shown to rely heavily on the credibility of witnesses, putting a great deal of emphasis on clouding the facts based on that determination. While this is shown as a weakness in the judicial process, it is nevertheless accurate.
Otto Preminger is no stranger to courting controversy in his films. His films The Moon is Blue, The Man with the Golden Arm, Anatomy of a Murder, and Advise & Consent all courted controversy with the Breen Code, depicting everything from premarital sex to homosexuality well before such subjects would become mainstream. Anatomy of a Murder was controversial for its use of language, specifically in reference to the details of the rape. References to the use of contraceptives, sexual climaxes, and the term “spermatogenesis” had never been heard before in a major motion picture. Chicago, a heavily Catholic city, temporarily banned the film until a court eventually overturned the ban.
Members of the legal profession, though, were generally impressed with this picture, citing the realism of the courtroom scenes and how a jury can be persuaded to vote not guilty even though it was legally proven that a person had committed the crime. So correct were the legal proceedings on film that it has been used in classrooms as a teaching tool in law school.
But all of this would be nothing more than a statistic were the film not entertaining to boot. It would seem that watching lawyers do their most prominent, yet most hated, task—research—would be rather boring, yet Otto Preminger, and his lead actor James Stewart, find a way to make it interesting. There is a great deal of this stuff to get through, too, but Stewart, with his quirky personality, and Lee Remick, with her smoldering sexuality, get us through it while keeping us up-to-date on the state of the investigation and the trial.
The ending of the trial isn’t exactly a surprise, either. How it gets there is, however. A last, unexpected bit of evidence is introduced that helps defeat the prosecutor, Claude Dancer (George C. Scott), and Frederick is found not guilty by reason of insanity. All of this was to be expected, but it’s about the journey, not the destination. The biggest surprise is not in the trial but in the epilogue. I will not spoil it here, but the final scene goes in a direction that was not entirely predictable.
Anatomy of a Murder is Preminger at his best. It’s in black-and-white but filled with more local color than most films at that time. It showcases the locale well, the upper Michigan peninsula, while not becoming too much of a travelogue. It also asks a lot of great questions about our legal system and showcases how it can be manipulated by just the right lawyer who knows how to maneuver around the loopholes and out-maneuver opposing counsel. It also revels in a wonderful Duke Ellington score that is a real highlight and is a real showcase for jazz. It lost the Academy Award to Ben-Hur, and it’s hard to argue that one, though a case can be made that Anatomy of a Murder is a much more nuanced and enjoyable picture than the quasi-Biblical epic. No matter which side of that argument you fall on, there is no denying that Anatomy of a Murder is worthy of the win and probably would have gotten it in just about any other year.
Academy Award Nominations:
Best Motion Picture: Otto Preminger
Best Actor: James Stewart
Best Supporting Actor: Arthur O’Connell
Best Supporting Actor: George C. Scott
Best Screenplay - Based on Material from Another Medium: Wendell Mayes
Best Cinematography - Black-and-White: Sam Leavitt
Best Film Editing: Louis R. Loeffler
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Release Date: July 2, 1959
Running Time: 160 Minutes
Not Rated
Starring: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O’Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, Joseph N. Welch, George C. Scott, Orson Bean, Russ Brown, Murray Hamilton, and Brooks West
Directed by: Otto Preminger
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