I love watching old movies, especially old crime movies. This weekend I watch [b]Anatomy of a Murder[/b], staring Jimmy Stewart and directed Otto Preminger. He stars as a small town lawyer who defends a man for murder. His client admits to the crime, as the man he killed raped his wife.
It’s an interesting premise, in that we know the murderer committed the crime. But is he guilty of murder, was his crime justified, or was he "temporarily insane?" And was the attacked woman a teaI love watching old movies, especially old crime movies. This weekend I watch [b]Anatomy of a Murder[/b], staring Jimmy Stewart and directed Otto Preminger. He stars as a small town lawyer who defends a man for murder. His client admits to the crime, as the man he killed raped his wife.
It’s an interesting premise, in that we know the murderer committed the crime. But is he guilty of murder, was his crime justified, or was he "temporarily insane?" And was the attacked woman a tease? As a beautful young woman who didn’t act much like she’d been raped, did she have a habit of finding trouble with men? Does her story even hold up?
We get to see all the behind scenes negotiations and lots of courtroom action, with Jimmy Stewart at his bet.
For its day, it was an extremely provocative film–even banned in some cities–for its open discussion on the details and violence of rape. Pretty tame by today’s standards, but back then, this was raw, ground-breaking stuff.
I wouldn’t quite put this in the "classic" range, as it’s a little bit dated, but if you’re looking for a good time at the movies with an ending that might leave you wondering if justice was truly served, then this is definitely worth your time.
