Episode 160 – Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder

Scott, David, and Trevor discuss the legal process, morality, and uncertainty in Otto Preminger's landmark film.

This time on the podcast, Scott is joined by David Blakeslee and Trevor Berrett to discuss Otto Preminger’s Anatomy of a Murder.

About the film:

A virtuoso James Stewart plays a small-town Michigan lawyer who takes on a difficult case: the defense of a young army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a local tavern owner who he believes raped his wife (Lee Remick). This gripping envelope-pusher, the most popular film by Hollywood provocateur Otto Preminger, was groundbreaking for the frankness of its discussion of sex—but more than anything else, it is a striking depiction of the power of words. Featuring an outstanding supporting cast—with a young George C. Scott as a fiery prosecutor and the legendary attorney Joseph N. Welch as the judge—and an influential score by Duke Ellington, Anatomy of a Murder is an American movie landmark, nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture.

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Buy The Film On Amazon:

Watch Criterion’s Three Reasons Video:

Episode Links:

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) – The Criterion Collection
Anatomy of a Murder: Atomization of a Murder – The Criterion Collection
Letters from John: Getting to Know the Author of Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) – IMDb
Anatomy of a Murder – Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia
Anatomy of a Murder (1959) – Art of the Title
Who dunnit? What did they do? Who cares? – Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder – Senses of Cinema
Legal Ethics Issues in the ‘Anatomy of a Murder’ Movie

Episode Credits:

Scott Nye (Twitter / Battleship Pretension)
David Blakeslee (Twitter / Criterion Reflections)
Trevor Berrett (Twitter / Mookse and Gripes)

Music from this episode is by Duke Ellington.