Anatomy of a Murder

Emily and I watched an old movie last night called "Anatomy of a Murder". It's a courtroom film where Jimmy Stewart plays the defense attorney for a man accused of murder. I'm still having a hard time explaining exactly what I liked about the movie, but I REALLY liked it! It was a well-written story that made you think and it had great acting. The accused is a Lieutenant in the Army. He claims his wife was raped by another man and that he, after learning of the rape and seeing his wife's state, became temporarily insane and killed the man. This is a 1959 movie and the adult themes are handled very well. All of the characters are beautifully written and acted and the winning points scored by the defense near the end of the movie made me want to cheer. Some of those one-liners are still making me smile the day after.



I think Jimmy Stewart was an awesome actor. Another film of his that I really like is "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". In that film, he plays a simple local guy who's appointed by the governor to a seat in the U.S. Senate because the political machine thinks it can walk all over him. He ends up discovering the corruption they thought he was too simple to see, battling it, and winning. I love the way the movie highlights the propaganda and deception employed by the corrupt political machine. It makes you think about the levels of depravity to which humanity can sink. It makes me think about selections from history ... various times and places. It makes me think about certain elements within our own political machine. Great movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

And check out "Anatomy of a Murder" too. Not as politically prescient as "Smith", but an interesting criminal law story. Thought provoking like "Twelve Angry Men", but more fun.