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Anatomy of a Murder

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Anatomy of a Murder
Theatrical release poster by Saul Bass
Directed byOtto Preminger
Screenplay byWendell Mayes
Based onAnatomy of a Murder
1957 novel
by Robert Traver
Produced byOtto Preminger
StarringJames Stewart
Lee Remick
Ben Gazzara
Arthur O'Connell
Eve Arden
Kathryn Grant
George C. Scott
CinematographySam Leavitt
Edited byLouis R. Loeffler
Music byDuke Ellington
Production
company
Carlyle Productions
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
  • July 2, 1959 (1959-07-02) (New York)
Running time
160 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[1]
Box office$8 million (rentals)[1]

Anatomy of a Murder is a 1959 American courtroom drama[2] film produced and directed by Otto Preminger. The screenplay by Wendell Mayes was based on the 1958 novel of the same name written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker under the pen name of Robert Traver. Voelker based the novel on a 1952 murder case in which he was the defense attorney.[3]

The film stars James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Eve Arden, George C. Scott, Arthur O'Connell, Kathryn Grant, Brooks West (Arden's husband), Orson Bean, and Murray Hamilton. The judge was played by Joseph N. Welch, a real-life lawyer famous for dressing down Joseph McCarthy during the Army–McCarthy hearings. It has a musical score by Duke Ellington, who also appears in the film. It has been described by Michael Asimow, UCLA law professor and co-author of Reel Justice: The Courtroom Goes to the Movies (2006), as "probably the finest pure trial movie ever made".[4]

In 2012, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[5][6][7]

James Stewart in the film's trailer

Cast

Uncredited

Inspiration

On July 31, 1952, Lt. Coleman A. Peterson shot and killed Maurice Chenoweth in Big Bay, Michigan.[8] Voelker was retained as defense attorney a few days later.[9] The trial started on September 15, 1952,[10] and Assistant Attorney General Irving Beattie assisted Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney Edward Thomas.[11] Voelker used a rare version of the insanity defense called irresistible impulse that had not been used in Michigan since 1886.[12] The jury deliberated for four hours on September 23, 1952, before returning a verdict of not guilty by reason of insanity.[13] Two days later, after Peterson was examined by a psychiatrist who judged him sane, he was released.[14] Peterson and his wife were divorced soon after the trial.[15] Hillsdale Circuit Court Judge Charles O. Arch, Sr. tried the case because of the illness of a local judge.[16]

Production

The Marquette County Courthouse was used for courthouse scenes.

The film was shot in several locations in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (Big Bay, Marquette, Ishpeming, and Michigamme). Some scenes were filmed in the Thunder Bay Inn in Big Bay, one block from the Lumberjack Tavern, the site of the 1952 murder that inspired much of the novel.[17] The film was previewed on June 18, 1959, in Chicago,[18] which Variety said was 21 days after filming had finished and a record for a big-budget film.[19] It had its first screening at the Butler Theater in Ishpeming and the Nordic Theater in Marquette on June 29, 1959.[18] The world premiere for the film was held on July 1, 1959, at the United Artists Theater in Detroit.[20]

Facade of the Lumberjack Tavern, the scene of the actual crime on which the film is based
Brooks West (left) and James Stewart (right) face one another, as George C. Scott (center) looks on

The film examines the apparent fallibility of the human factor in jurisprudence.[21][22] In various ways all of the human components—the counsel for defense and prosecution, the defendant and his wife, and the witnesses—have their own differing positions on what is right or wrong, and varying perspectives on integrity, justice, morality and ethics. The reliance on credibility of witnesses, and the "finding of facts" based upon those determinations, is the "Achilles heel" of the judicial process.[22]

One controversial legal issue in this film is possible witness coaching, a violation of legal canons. The only plausible legal defense Lt. Manion has—the insanity defense—is virtually spelled out to a befuddled Manion by his prospective counsel,[23] who then temporarily suspends the conversation and suggests that Manion rethink his factual/legal position. Witness coaching by the prosecution is even more blatant as they call in other jail inmates awaiting sentencing to testify against Manion, which is portrayed as subornation of perjury to an extent. The first suggests that the defendant may be concealing the truth and manipulating his story in order to obtain the best possible verdict, and the latter that the prosecution dangled a possible lighter sentence through plea bargain as an incentive to perjury.[4][24]

Reception

Where the body fell

The language used during the film startled Chicago, Illinois Mayor Richard J. Daley,[18] and his police commissioner. As a result, the film was temporarily banned in the heavily Catholic city.[25] Preminger filed a motion in federal court in Illinois and the mayor's decision was overturned. The film was allowed to be exhibited after the court determined that the clinical language during the trial was realistic and appropriate within the film's context.[26][27] Variety claimed that the film contained words never before heard in American films with the Motion Picture Production Code seal such as "contraceptive", (sexual) "climax" and "spermatogenesis".[19]

In another federal lawsuit in Chicago, the daughter of the real-life murder victim from the 1952 case sued Dell Publishing and Columbia Pictures in July 1960 for libel over accusations that the book and movie "followed [the actual trial] too closely" and portrayed the two women in an unflattering light;[28] the suit was dismissed less than a year later in May 1961.[29]

Anatomy of a Murder has been well received by members of the legal and educational professions. In 1989, the American Bar Association rated this as one of the 12 best trial films of all time. In addition to its plot and musical score, the article noted: "The film's real highlight is its ability to demonstrate how a legal defense is developed in a difficult case. How many trial films would dare spend so much time watching lawyers do what many lawyers do most (and enjoy least)—research?"[30] The film has also been used as a teaching tool in law schools, as it encompasses (from the defense standpoint) all of the basic stages in the U.S. criminal justice system from client interview and arraignment through trial. The film was listed as No. 4 of 25 "Greatest Legal Movies" by the American Bar Association.[31]

The film grossed an estimated $11 million generating $5.5 million in theatrical rentals in the U.S. and Canada.[32][33] It earned rentals of $8 million worldwide.[1]

Film critics have noted the moral ambiguity, where a small town lawyer triumphs by guile, stealth and trickery. The film is frank and direct. Language and sexual themes are explicit, at variance with the times (and other films) when it was produced. The black and white palette is seen as a complement to Michigan's harsh Upper Peninsula landscape.[34] The film is "[m]ade in black-and-white but full of local color".[35]

Bosley Crowther, film critic for The New York Times said, "After watching an endless succession of courtroom melodramas that have more or less transgressed the bounds of human reason and the rules of advocacy, it is cheering and fascinating to see one that hews magnificently to a line of dramatic but reasonable behavior and proper procedure in a court. Such a one is Anatomy of a Murder, which opened at the Criterion and the Plaza yesterday. It is the best courtroom melodrama this old judge has ever seen... . Outside of the fact that this drama gets a little tiring in spots—in its two hours and forty minutes, most of which is spent in court—it is well nigh flawless as a picture of an American court at work, of small-town American characters and of the average sordidness of crime."[36]

Time felt that it was well-paced, well-acted, and that the explicit language was warranted within the film's context.[25]

In June 2008, the American Film Institute revealed AFI's 10 Top 10, the best 10 films in 10 "classic" American film genres, after polling over 1,500 people from the creative community. Anatomy of a Murder was selected as the seventh best film in the courtroom drama genre.[37]

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 100% of 50 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 8.70/10. The site's consensus states, "One of cinema's greatest courtroom dramas, Anatomy of a Murder is tense, thought-provoking, and brilliantly acted, with great performances from James Stewart and George C. Scott."[38]

Awards and nominations

Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards Best Motion Picture Otto Preminger Nominated [39]
Best Actor James Stewart Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Arthur O'Connell Nominated
George C. Scott Nominated
Best Screenplay – Based on Material from Another Medium Wendell Mayes Nominated
Best Cinematography – Black-and-White Sam Leavitt Nominated
Best Film Editing Louis R. Loeffler Nominated
British Academy Film Awards Best Film from any Source Otto Preminger Nominated [40]
Best Foreign Actor James Stewart Nominated
Most Promising Newcomer to Film Joseph N. Welch Nominated
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures Otto Preminger Nominated [41]
Faro Island Film Festival Best Film (Golden Train Award) Nominated
Best Actor (Audience Award) James Stewart Won
Best Screenplay (Golden Train Award) Wendell Mayes Won
Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated [42]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Lee Remick Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Joseph N. Welch Nominated
Best Director – Motion Picture Otto Preminger Nominated
Grammy Awards Best Musical Composition First Recorded and Released in 1959 (more than 5 minutes duration) Anatomy of a Murder – Duke Ellington Won [43]
Best Soundtrack Album – Background Score from a Motion Picture or Television Won
Best Performance by an Orchestra – for Dancing Won
Laurel Awards Top Drama Won
Top Male Dramatic Performance James Stewart Won
Top Male Supporting Performance Arthur O'Connell Won
Top Female Supporting Performance Eve Arden 5th Place
National Board of Review Awards Top Ten Films 3rd Place [44]
National Film Preservation Board National Film Registry Inducted [45]
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Actor James Stewart Won [46]
Best Screenplay Wendell Mayes Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards Hall of Fame – Motion Picture Inducted [47]
Venice International Film Festival Golden Lion Otto Preminger Nominated
Best Actor James Stewart Won
Writers Guild of America Awards Best Written American Drama Wendell Mayes Nominated [48]

Other Honors

American Film Institute Lists:

Anatomy of a Murder was one of 25 films added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2012.[52]

Soundtrack

Main article: Anatomy of a Murder (soundtrack)

The jazz score of Anatomy of a Murder was composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn and played by Ellington's orchestra.[53]

Stage adaptation

After Traver's novel was published, St. Martin's Press planned to have it adapted for the stage, intending a Broadway production, which would then be made into a film. Before he died in December 1957, John Van Druten wrote a rough draft of the play adaptation. Some time after that, the publisher then made the film rights available, and these were purchased by Otto Preminger.[54]

Eventually, Traver's book was adapted for the stage in 1963 by Elihu Winer. It premiered at the Mill Run Theater in suburban Chicago, and was published in 1964 by Samuel French.[55]

The making of the film is the subject of the song, "Marquette County, 1959", by Great Lakes Myth Society.[56] The lyrics read: "Jimmy Stewart came to Marquette County in 1959/ And he was shot for two months there/ And all the pines wept stardust for a while/ And the Duke would play his soundtrack there/ As Preminger had cast him in the film/ His character was Pie-Eye".[57]

On June 29, 2009, journalist and filmmaker John Pepin debuted Anatomy '59: The Making of a Classic Motion Picture on public television stations across the state of Michigan. The anchor station for those broadcasts was WNMU-TV in Marquette, Michigan. The documentary reviews the original incident that spawned the bestselling book Anatomy of a Murder by Robert Traver and the making of Otto Preminger's motion picture. Pepin's documentary debuted on the 50th anniversary of the world premiere of "Anatomy of a Murder" in Ishpeming and Marquette, Michigan; the date was also the birthday of John Voelker. Pepin grew up on Barnum Street in Ishpeming, the same street where Voelker lived and where the Mather Inn was located, which is where the stars of Preminger's film stayed during production. Anatomy '59 features interviews with Anatomy of a Murder actors still alive in 2009, including Ben Gazzara, Kathryn Grant-Crosby, Orson Bean and Don Ross.[58]

See also

Notes

References

  1. ^ a b c "Wall St. Researchers' Cheery Tone". Variety. November 7, 1962. p. 7.
  2. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - Otto Preminger | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie".
  3. ^ "Justice Story: The Murder Behind the Movie". Daily News. New York. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Asimow, Michael (February 1998). "Anatomy of a Murder: The 'Lecture'". Archived from the original on March 3, 2010.
  5. ^ King, Susan (December 19, 2012). "National Film Registry Selects 25 Films for Preservation". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Cannady, Sheryl; Ross, Donna (December 20, 2012). "2012 National Film Registry Picks in A League of Their Own" (Press release). Library of Congress. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  7. ^ National Film Preservation Board. "Complete National Film Registry Listing". Library of Congress. Retrieved September 15, 2020.
  8. ^ "Army Officer Held for Murder of Big Bay Tavern Proprietor: 'Mike' Chenoweth, Former State Policeman, Slain Following Alleged Rape". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. July 31, 1952. p. 1. ISSN 0898-4964.
  9. ^ "Atty. Voelker Retained by Lt. Peterson". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. August 5, 1952. p. 2. ISSN 0898-4964.
  10. ^ "Judge Arch Allows Motion by Prosecutor for Additional Witness in Murder Case". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. September 15, 1952. p. 2. ISSN 0898-4964.
  11. ^ Pepin, John (2009). Anatomy '59: The Making of a Classic Motion Picture (DVD). Marquette, MI: WNMU-TV.
  12. ^ Thomson, Kimberley Reed (February 2003). "The Untimely Death of Michigan's Diminished Capacity Defense". Michigan Bar Journal. Vol. 82, no. 2. pp. 17–19. ISSN 0164-3576.
  13. ^ "Lt. Peterson Not Guilty Because of Insanity". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. September 23, 1952. p. 1. ISSN 0898-4964.
  14. ^ "Last Chapter Written in Murder Case: Judge Frees Lt. Peterson from Custody". The Mining Journal. Marquette, MI. September 25, 1952. p. 2. ISSN 0898-4964.
  15. ^ Krajicek, David (January 17, 2009). "Killing of Michigan Bar Owner in 1952 Inspired Film Anatomy of a Murder". Daily News. New York. Retrieved July 4, 2018.
  16. ^ "Circuit Court Opens Monday; 58 Cases Listed on Docket". The Mining Journal. Marquette. September 6, 1952. p. 5. ISSN 0898-4964.
  17. ^ "John D. Voelker". 50th Anniversary Anatomy of a Murder. Northern Michigan University. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  18. ^ a b c Shaul, Richard D. (November–December 2001). "Anatomy of a Murder" (PDF). Michigan History. Vol. 86, no. 6. p. 89. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  19. ^ a b "Film Reviews: Anatomy of a Murder". Variety. July 1, 1959. p. 6. Retrieved May 19, 2019 – via Archive.org.
  20. ^ United Artists Press and Marketing. Anatomy of a Murder Premiere (1959). Archived from the original on September 7, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2014 – via Online Video Guide.
  21. ^ Frank, Jerome (1973). Courts on Trial. Princeton University Press. pp. 23–24. 318.
  22. ^ a b Thomas, Edward Wilfrid (2006). The Judicial Process: Realism, Pragmatism, Practical Reasoning and Principles. Auckland University Press. pp. 318–324. ISBN 978-0-521-85566-2.
  23. ^ Shaul, Richard D. (November–December 2001). "Backwoods Barrister" (PDF). Michigan History. Vol. 86, no. 6. p. 82. Archived from the original (PDF) on December 20, 2006. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  24. ^ Saltzburg, Stephen A. (2006). Trial Tactics. American Bar Association. pp. 225, 231. ISBN 1-59031-767-X.
  25. ^ a b "Cinema: The New Pictures, July 13, 1959". Time. July 13, 1959. Archived from the original on February 1, 2011.
  26. ^ Schumach, Murray (1964). The Face on the Cutting Room Floor. William Morrow and Company.
  27. ^ "Chicago Loses Bid to Censor Movie". The Deseret News. Salt Lake City. July 9, 1959. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
  28. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder Target of Libel Suit". Detroit Free Press. July 18, 1960. p. 2B. Retrieved January 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  29. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder Libel Suit Dismissed". The News-Palladium. Benton Harbor, MI. Associated Press. May 17, 1961. § 3, p. 11 – via Newspapers.com. Free access icon
  30. ^ Verrone, Patric M. (November 1989). "The 12 Best Trial Movies". ABA Journal. Vol. 75, no. 11. pp. 96–100. ISSN 0747-0088. Retrieved June 10, 2015 – via Google Books.
  31. ^ Brust, Richard (August 1, 2008). "25 Greatest Legal Movies". American Bar Association Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  32. ^ Leigh, Harri (October 21, 2016). "Looking Back at Anatomy of a Murder". Upper Michigan's Source. Negaunee, Michigan: WLUC-TV. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  33. ^ "1959: Probable Domestic Take". Variety. January 6, 1960. p. 34.
  34. ^ "A Collection of Professional Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 22, 2007.
  35. ^ Monaghan, John (January 20, 2009). "The Movie that Put Ishpeming on the Map: UP Plans Events this Summer to Mark 50th Anniversary of Anatomy of a Murder". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on January 24, 2009.
  36. ^ Crowther, Bosley (July 3, 1959). "A Court Classic". The New York Times.
  37. ^ "AFI's 10 Top 10". American Film Institute. June 17, 2008. Archived from the original on June 19, 2008. Retrieved June 18, 2008.
  38. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  39. ^ "The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  40. ^ "BAFTA Awards: Film in 1960". BAFTA. 1968. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  41. ^ "12th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  42. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder – Golden Globes". HFPA. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  43. ^ "2nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy.com. Retrieved May 1, 2011.
  44. ^ "1959 Award Winners". National Board of Review. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  45. ^ Meslow, Scott (December 19, 2012). "The 25 Films Added to the National Film Registry in 2012". Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  46. ^ "1959 New York Film Critics Circle Awards". New York Film Critics Circle. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
  47. ^ "Film Hall of Fame Inductees: Productions". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved August 15, 2021.
  48. ^ "Awards Winners". wga.org. Writers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved June 6, 2010.
  49. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  50. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Thrills Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  51. ^ "AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores Nominees" (PDF). Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  52. ^ Meslow, Scott (December 19, 2012). "The 25 Films Added to the National Film Registry in 2012". Retrieved January 4, 2012.
  53. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder". Library of Congress. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  54. ^ "Anatomy of a Murder 50th Anniversary". Northern Michigan University.
  55. ^ Winer, Elihu (1964). Anatomy of a Murder: A Court Drama in Three Acts. New York: Samuel French. ISBN 0-573-60530-0.
  56. ^ "CD Review: The Great Lakes Myth Society". Blogcritics.
  57. ^ Great Lakes Myth Society. "Marquette County, 1959" (audio). Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  58. ^ Diem, Christopher (June 27, 2009). "Making History: Documentary Look at Making of a Classic". Anatomy of a Murder 50th Anniversary Special Section. The Mining Journal. Marquette, Michigan. p. 5.

Further reading

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