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The elegant, iconic poster for Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder
A laid back but good-hearted attorney decides to assume the defense responsibility in a difficult murder trial, in which a distinguished soldier has killed a man who has allegedly raped his wife. Anatomy of a Murder is a sober, stringent and compelling portrait of a murder trial. It is very realistic because of its masterful and careful staging and its basis on Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker's (Anatomy of a Fisherman (1964)) same-titled 1958 best-selling novel, written under the penname of Robert Traver, which portrays a 1952 murder trial that Voelker acted as defense in. The film is lined with a splendid row of performances: James Stewart (The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)) exudes uprightness, - although the morality of his defense of the soldier is up for debate, - Ben Gazzara (Buffalo '66 (1998)) as the indicted soldier, Lee Remick (Touch Me Not (1974)) as his oversexed wife and George C. Scott (Hardcore (1979)) as the insidious prosecutor are all perfect. Joseph N. Welch, a real-life lawyer, who was key to the fall of Senator Joseph McCarthy in the Army-McCarthy hearings, plays the judge, and he is priceless in the part. Anatomy of a Murder also has an outstanding score by Duke Ellington (Change of Mind (1969))). It is written by Wendell Mayes (Von Ryan's Express (1965)) and directed and produced by Austrian-Hungarian master filmmaker Otto Preminger (Exodus (1960)). It is a true classic and an outstanding film.
Ben Gazzara and James Stewart in Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder
Watch a promo trailer with footage from the film's premiere here
Cost: Unknown Box office: 11 mil. $ = Uncertainty (but likely a big to huge hit) [Anatomy of a Murder was released July 1 and runs 160 minutes. It was shot on location in Michigan, near to where the actual trial had taken place, and incorporating members of the original jury as well as local residents. The film was revolutionary for its time as a mainstream American film in its frank verbalization of rape and sex, which also wore down on the institution of the MPPDA, which ended its decades long reign in the US in 1960. It was released unrated and the mayor of Chicago was so outraged that he banned it in the city, though a court later reversed the decision at Preminger's initiative. The film grossed 5.5 mil. $ domestically in its first year of release. Though its budget is not known, it is likely that it had a cost of perhaps 2 mil. $ and should therefore be counted as a big to huge hit. It was critically praised at its release and is highly esteemed within the legal system. The film was nominated for 7 Oscars: Best Picture, Actor, two Supporting Actor nominations and Editing (losing all to Ben-Hur), Adapted Screenplay (losing to Room at the Top) and B/W Cinematography (losing to The Diary of Anne Frank). It was also nominated for 4 Golden Globes and 3 BAFTAs. Anatomy of a Murder is certified fresh at 100 % with a 8.6 critical average on Rotten Tomatoes.] What do you think of Anatomy of a Murder? Do you agree that it is the best courtroom film of all time?
