Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good concept, poorly executed.

Fresh and Exciting

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

But is there a man alive in Michigan's Upper Peninsula who hasn't seen them?The success of this film is the result of its outstanding cast and, for me, its authentic location in the area where the true story actually occurred, the remote and unique Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The location was genuine to the extent that the bar where much of the movie's action occurred was the same place where the original murder was committed in 1952.I am very thankful that director Otto Preminger refused to allow Lana Turner to model her fancy gowns as Laura Manion and that he had the insight to choose a much more appealing newcomer, Lee Remick, instead. Gowns in a trailer camp? That would be ridiculous, Lana. With her usual stiffness and self-consciousness, Turner would have significantly weakened the action while Remick's natural impertinence, radiant beauty, and simmering sexuality lured me into a script that I might otherwise have found to be dull and lifeless. Beyond her very pleasing physical appearance, Remick's smooth acting ability was established beyond a doubt here and her performance in this film launched her career, which peaked only a few years later in her Oscar nominated role as Kirsten Arnesen Clay in "The Days of Wine and Roses" (1962). When Lee Remick died at the young age of 55, it was a very sad day for Hollywood and for all of us "out here in the dark" who truly loved her and still love her.In addition to Remick's lively portrayal as Laura Manion, the wife of the accused and the supposed victim of the alleged rape that triggered the murder in the first place, we are treated to top notch performances by James Stewart as Paul Biegler, her husband's embittered defense attorney, Ben Gazzara as Lt. Frederic Manion, the accused husband, and George C. Scott as the visiting prosecutor from the state capital of Lansing. Add to that dynamic list an always entertaining, wise-cracking Eve Arden ("Mildred Pierce, "Our Miss Brooks") as Biegler's loyal legal administrator and a lovely Kathryn Grant Crosby ("The Phenix City Story", "Seven Voyages of Sinbad", and several Bing Crosby Christmas TV specials) as a miscast but still very attractive Mary Pilant, who plays a critical role in the film's final outcome. Also among the very entertaining cast is Arthur O'Connell in his Oscar nominated role as an endearing Parnell McCarthy, Biegler's devoted but alcoholic sidekick. As to Laura Manion's panties, the intimate article of clothing that played such a pivotal role in her husband's trial, the fast living wife of the murder suspect struck me as a woman who often lost track of her panties, so you'll have to decide on your own whether Barney Quill actually raped her or whether she was rather a willing, consensual partner. While the Manions may appear to be a very engaging couple at first glance, we should know to approach them with an abundance of caution. Watch this one for the outstanding cast, the intriguing, authentic locale, the quirky, interesting characterizations, and that classic and very cool 1949 Pontiac Silver Streak convertible in which Stewart and O'Connell tool around town. It takes a special breed to ride through the UP of Michigan with the top down at any time of the year.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) is described by critic Nick Pinkerton as "maybe more universally loved by law students than by cineastes." It is also enjoyed by people who are both film aficionados and former- law students. The film dramatizes the trial of an army lieutenant who shot and killed a resort owner after he raped his wife. We see none of this violence, so the action is in the dialogue and the emotions. Here, the film is a success- the acting and dialogue is smooth and believable, heavy but eased with occasional wisecracks. I watched Witness for the Prosecution (1957) at about the same time and thought the ending lacked these qualities; I was quite satisfied with Anatomy of a Murder.Not showing us any of the violence, the film allows the viewer to piece together what happened along with James Stewart's character. We meet the lieutenant, described by Stewart as hostile and insolent, not very likable. We meet his wife, a "free and easy" type, attractive and friendly. The film teases us with possibilities- the prosecution suggests sex between the woman and victim was consensual, that her injuries were inflicted by her husband. But we know she passed a lie detector test and other evidence supports her story. Generally, the film makes us question whether the lieutenant really was under irresistible impulse- we get the feeling he wasn't, and it's debatable as to how much Stewart's character believed this himself, as he was coaching him on defence strategies in an early scene. As we piece together the mystery, the attention to detail is commendable- the lawyers press for details, addressing inconsistencies, as we see when Stewart wants to know if the dog was in or out of the truck during the sexual assault. This is, as the title suggests, where the anatomizing factors in.Some of that detail gets rather personal- when George C. Scott's prosecutor grills the lieutenant's wife on whether she always wears underwear, and relentlessly demands another female witness to say the victim was her lover. From one perspective he's doing his job, from another he is prosecuting women in general; with extensive testimony on how the wife was dressed and behaved, we see the old stereotypes and the old attitude that it was either consensual or that she was asking for it. Interestingly, Anatomy of a Murder dramatizes not only a murder trial but an old-fashioned rape trial, a sort of two-for-one affair. In doing so, it uses blunt and courageous language defying censorship- sexual details, use of words like "slut" and "bitch." The result is a powerful film, a trailblazer of sorts that retains its impact.

Paul Biegler (James Stewart) is a former district attorney who lost his re-election. He spends his days fishing and talking to his alcoholic friend Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell) and his secretary Maida Rutledge (Eve Arden). Army lieutenant Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara) is arrested for the murder of bartender Barney Quill who supposedly raped his wife Laura (Lee Remick). Biegler leads him to claim insanity. Laura is flirty and Fred is jealous. Assistant DA Claude Dancer (George C. Scott) from the capital Lansing comes to co-chair the prosecution. James Stewart is impeccably solid. The acting is generally terrific. Ben Gazzara is filled with intensity and Lee Remick is acting through her sweater. The plot is a bit long-winded and it's a bit slower than the modern legal procedural. The movie has some of the minutia of court procedures. However this is still a great classic courtroom drama.

The charge is murder. The defense is that the defendant was legally insane, because his wife had been raped by the victim. The trial testimony focuses almost exclusively on whether she had or had not been raped (the implicit alternative being that she'd had consensual sex with the victim). But all that mattered was whether the defendant believed she's been raped, not with whether she really had been or not. Furthermore, one would expect the focus of the trial to be on the expert psychiatric testimony. That was over and done with in a couple of cursory scenes. It was as if the victim was on trial for rape. Meanwhile, the two attorneys are yelling at each other and getting in the witnesses' faces, while the judge sits there like a potted plant and occasionally warns them that they'd better behave (which he never follows through on). Awful.