Review of Anatomy of a Murder (1959) by Jay M — 27 Jan 2008

[font=Arial][color=#000000]A small-time Southern lawyer takes a nasty case involving an army lieutenant arrested for the murder of a barkeep, whom he killed for the brutal rape and beating of his wife.

But once he probes into the murder, the lawyer (played wonderfully by Stewart) realizes that he may have bitten off more than he can chew. The lieutenant he?s defending has a volcanic temper, and the wife who was raped, has a bad habit of wearing tight or revealing clothing, while running around bars and flirting ruthlessly with every drunken, horny man in her sights.

With those elements working against him, the battle has already begun uphill and doesn?t get much better when a hot-shot Michigan attorney (played by the always-reliable George C. Scott) takes the prosecution?s side, and attempts to turn the alleged rape into a ploy for sympathy story, suggesting her attacker was a lover, and the beating was administered by her hot-tempered husband for straying in their marriage.

The problem is, considering his client?s personality, and the lose actions of his wife, our lawyer has to wonder ? is that what really happened? And if not, will the jury believe him? As far as courtroom dramas go, by today?s standards it would be considered tame and maybe even a little predictable.

But back in 1959, [i]Anatomy of a Murder [/i]was a notorious film for many reasons, not the least of which the suggestive performance by Lee Remick as the wife, and the casual terms thrown around the courtroom like ?rape?, ?penetration?, ?slut?, ?sperm? and yeah, ?bitch? gets thrown in there too.

It?s a very contemporary and adult drama for courtroom buffs, and another fantastic set of performances by Stewart and Scott.[/color][/font].