ANATOMY OF A MURDER

Anatomy of a Murder was directed by Otto Preminger and released in 1959. It made my must-see 2023 film list because it is often cited as being one of the best American courtroom dramas ever made.

The film starts off with a jazzy upbeat score by the legendary Duke Ellington. The music’s lack of intensity and drama cements a mood that will run throughout the film. You see, this movie isn’t really about who’s innocent or guilty, this film is about the spinning of narratives that our legal system is predicated upon. While the viewer is firmly vested in finding out what the final verdict will be, the true story is the “sport” of the courtroom.

Lieutenant Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara) is accused of murdering an innkeeper named Barney Quill. Manion had been told by his wife Laura (Lee Remick) that Quill had raped her. District Attorney Lodwick (Brooks West, the only one-note actor in an otherwise outstanding ensemble) wants to convict Manion of first-degree murder. The State of Michigan sends big-city D.A. Claude Dancer (George C. Scott in one of his earliest film roles) to assist Lodwick. Lt. Manion hires a lawyer named Paul Biegler (Jimmy Stewart) to represent him. Once Biegler accepts the challenge of Manion’s case, he’s determined to fight for Manion’s plea of temporary insanity and for the win. Presiding over the game, oops, I mean trial, is Judge Weaver, our referee. (As an interesting side note, Judge Weaver is played by the real-life Judge Joseph N. Welch who was known by many for taking on Senator Joseph McCarthy in the Army-McCarthy hearings.)

Anyone who has served on a jury knows that real trials do not play out with the same speed and lack of repetition that a movie trial does. But setting that aside, this is a fascinating spectator vantage of the dual of legal machinations. Preminger doesn’t make Manion a particularly likable person, so you aren’t automatically rooting for him. Laura’s rape is never shown so the viewer, like the jury, is left to decide if it was a real event. Most of the central characters (much like each viewer) have differing positions of what is right or wrong given the facts presented. Ethics, showmanship, sportsmanship, and credibility are what this legal battle comes down to… not justice. The intensity of this case (based on actual events), through Preminger’s guidance, was extremely compelling and immensely rewarding. So much so that one barely notices that the film’s full run time is 160 minutes. Anatomy of a Murder fully lived up to its reputation and deserves the accolades it still receives.