Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
(Otto Preminger, US 1959, 160 min., 35mm)
Courtroom Dramas. James Stewart delivers a virtuoso performance as Paul Biegler, a small-town lawyer who defends young army lieutenant Frederick “Manny” Manion (Ben Gazzara), who murdered an innkeeper. Manny claims temporary insanity as his defense, alleging that the innkeeper had raped his wife, Laura (Lee Remick). Based on a true story, Anatomy of a Murder was groundbreaking for its candid discussion of sex and rape and proved to be director Otto Preminger’s most popular film. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, the film features the legendary attorney for the Army-McCarthy hearings, Joseph N. Welch, as the presiding judge, as well as a renowned title sequence by Saul Bass and a musical score and cameo by Duke Ellington.