Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

"What a movie!  Los Angeles Examiner
"One of the most extraordinary films ever made.  Los Angeles Times

Editor's Note Director Preminger thrives in tense legal showdowns and this is perhaps his best, mostly for Stewart's cagey performance as a deceptively wily small-town lawyer. The sensationalist trial revolves around an army lieutenant who shoots a bar owner for allegedly raping his wife, an ugly crime in which no one is wholly guilty or innocent. Based on Robert Travers' novel. Score (and onscreen appearance) by Duke Ellington. Academy Award Nominations: 7, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor--James Stewart, Best (Adapted) Screenplay.

	Arthur O'Connell
	Ben Gazzara
	Eve Arden
	George C. Scott
	Howard McNear
	James Stewart
	Joseph Welch
	Kathryn Grant
	Lee Remick
	Murray Hamilton
	Orson Bean
	Robert Traver - Based On Novel By
	Otto Preminger - Director
	Sam Leavitt - Director of Photography
	Duke Ellington - Musical Score
	Otto Preminger - Producer
	Wendell Mays - Screenplay

Director Preminger thrives in tense legal showdowns and this is perhaps his best, mostly for Stewart's cagey performance as a deceptively wily small-town lawyer. An army lieutenant shoots a bar owner for allegedly raping his wife. A trial ensues, in which his attempts to convince the jury that the lieutenant is innocent of first degree murder because of he was the victim of an "irresistible impulse." The plot is complicated by the nature of the criminal and defendants, none of whom is purely good or evil, but who all have a complex relationship to the law and to society. USA Today
"...One of the most enduring courtroom dramas ever....Lee Remick enjoyed a career breakthrough..." 06/30/2000 p.11E

Sight and Sound
"...[An] immaculate courtroom drama....The performances of James Stewart and George C. Scott as opposing attorneys remain a benchmark in the genre..." 03/01/2002 p.62

Uncut
"ANATOMY OF A MURDER from 1959, arguably Preminger's finest film, is also his most brazenly ambiguous." 05/01/2005 p.135

Entertainment Weekly
"It's a daring, cynical gem." -- Grade: A- 02/24/2012

Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 8 of 10
Long, exciting courtroom drama; daring when released... Stewart towers over all as witty, easygoing, but cagy defense lawyer.

The Motion Picture Guide 8 of 10
A slick, terse film noir production... The complex roles are handled with great skill, particularly by Gazzara as the callous, haughty accused, Remick as his sexpot wife, and Stewart and Scott, whose courtroom bantering and cleverness is a joy to behold.