An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
- Nominated for 7 Oscars
- 10 wins & 18 nominations total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaPart of the controversy surrounding this movie was because it included use of the words "bitch", "contraceptive", "panties", "penetration", "rape", "slut", and "sperm".
- GoofsWhen Biegler returns to his house at the start of the film, McCarthy points to the United States Supreme Court reports and asks if they should read "a little Chief Justice Holmes", and Biegler also refers to "Chief Justice Holmes". Oliver Wendell Holmes was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, never Chief Justice. (He was, however, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts before being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.)
- Quotes
Paul Biegler: As a lawyer, I've had to learn that people aren't just good or just bad. People are many things.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Portrait of an Actor (1971)
Featured review
I am a trial attorney
I have tried more cases than I can remember - hundreds. This movie, more than any other, comes closet to real life.
In criminal cases., the first and most important thing is - the phone call. That's right, getting the case.
Next comes the 'talk.' An attorney has to inform the client of the possible outcomes given the facts. In Anatomy of a Murder, the main facts are 'undisputed', that is, there is no doubt that the defendant killed the victim.
Given that fact, there are only so many possible defenses - and so Jimmy Stewart, in one of the best performances of his career, relates those defenses to Ben Gazzara, in one of his best performances.
Along the way, we are treated to George C. Scott's premiere performance on screen - and it is is magnificent.
Did I mention how incredible and sexy and vulnerable Lee Remick is?
And the rest of the cast is also as good as it gets.
And then there's the Duke Ellington score (he won a Grammy) and the Wendell Mayes screenplay and the B/W cinematography by Sam Leavitt (The Defiant Ones (Oscar-winner), A Star is Born (1954)).
Watch this movie to see how to make a crime drama. There is nothing as good as it is - nothing.
helpful•502
- ArmenPandolaITSJUSTAMOVIECOM
- Feb 14, 2020
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Anatomija jednog ubistva
- Filming locations
- Tripoli Bar, Ishpeming, Michigan, USA(interiors: Thunder Bay Inn)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $194
- Runtime2 hours 41 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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