Review of Anatomy of a Murder (1959) by Drew S — 14 Aug 2010
Primarily a showcase for Jimmy Stewart as folksy lawyer. He's defending a low-life solider (Ben Gazzara) for murdering the man who raped his tarty, flirty wife (Lee Remick).
Jimmy's not so folksy as seen in "Mister Smith Goes To Washington," rather he's just folksy enough to camo his sharp legal mind. Remick delivers tart fairly well; it's really the only other interesting performance. George C. Scott, as city-slicker prosecutor, is handicapped by a script that's scheduled in advance his courtroom failure.
Based on a 1952 true crime, drawn from a novel penned by the presiding judge. Some shooting is in/near true location. (The corpse outline is apparently still preserved at its original site.).
TRIVIA: Duke Ellington penned the jazz score for the film and also scored a cameo.
RECOMMENDATION: A reasonable investment of viewing time.
This review of Anatomy of a Murder (1959) was written by Drew S on 14 Aug 2010.
Anatomy of a Murder has generally received very positive reviews.
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