Cinema Revisited: Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Directed by Otto Preminger. Cast: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, George C. Scott, Arthur O' Connell, Eve Arden, Kathryn Grant, Orson Bean, Murray Hamilton, Ken Lynch, Howard McNear, John Qualen. Released July 3, 1959. 161 minutes. Black and White.

The opening scenes for "Anatomy of a Murder" show small time lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) arriving home from a fishing trip. He is a lawyer, but lives in a rundown house surrounded by an unkempt yard. He works out of his home, and his office is comparatively shiny and neat, with shelves of nicely places lawbooks and achievement degrees framed and lining his walls. He has so much extra time on his hands that he can go off on fishing trips, while is secretary (Eve Arden) is so devoted she shows up for work even though she states, "I looked over your checking account and there isn't enough money to pay me." He also maintains a friendship with a kindly alcoholic disbarred lawyer (Arthur O'Connell).

Biegler is summoned by army vet Lt. Fred Manion (Ben Gazzara) to represent his defense. Manion is in jail for killing a man whom he claims raped his wife, Laura (Lee Remick), who is young and flirtatiously kittenish in the quintessential 50s manner. In fact, everything about Otto Preminger's film is 50s, from its jazz score by Duke Ellington, to the staid small town characters, and finally to the quietly fierce and sardonic prosecuting attorney (George C. Scott). The one thing that crashes through the period stereotype is Preminger's insistence on the screenplay being brutally frank. This is certainly the first American movie to use words like rape, sperm, contraceptive, penetration, bitch, slut, even panties as part of its dialog.

The dialog was considered so heavy at the time, Mayor Dailey of Chicago had the movie banned from that major city. James Stewart's own father was so appalled, he placed an ad in the local newspaper urging people not to see it. It would be the last time James Stewart was nominated for an Oscar. It would be the first Oscar nomination for George C. Scott. The role Lee Remick played was offered to Lana Turner, who turned it down. So, apparently, did Jayne Mansfield. Preminger wanted Remick from the start, based on her performance in "A Face in the Crowd" (1957), and battled with the studio who sought bigger names.

"Anatomy of a Murder" is a film in which everything works. While the jazz score and the rough dialog was innovative at the time, each enhances the narrative context. Preminger's direction is not flashy and not at all convoluted, eliminating flashbacks or anything tangential, and focusing completely on that which is central to the main narrative. Thus, the movie was shot in two months and readied for release shortly thereafter, even though it runs nearly 3 hours. Every member of the star cast is offering their best work, right down to smaller appearances by old timers like Jimmy Conlin and John Qualen.

James Stewart carries the film effectively. The character he plays allows for the hardened persona he offered in films like Anthony Mann's "Bend of the River" and Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954), while he also employs the stammering comical aspects to his noted screen character to lighten the often heavy proceedings. This is probably the first truly great work from George C. Scott, and perhaps the career best from Remick, Arthur O'Connell and Ben Gazzara. O'Connell received his second Oscar nomination for his work in this movie (his first was for "Picnic" a few years earlier). Eve Arden had, by now, enjoyed a long career in movies and at least one hit TV series, "Our Miss Brooks." She appeared in this film after the failure of a second TV series, "The Eve Arden Show," which flopped after one season. Her sardonic wit is the perfect counterpart to the seriousness of the story. Kathryn Grant was married to Bing Crosby at the time, and is, at the time of this writing, the only actor from the movie who is still living.

"Anatomy of a Murder" is also a masterful achievement in regard to storytelling on film, never dragging in its entire 160 minute running time. The film is easily accessible on DVD, blu ray, and through streaming, and is highly recommended. Perhaps the best release is through The Criterion Collection.