A law tutorial

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

The mainstream movies have come a long way. This courtroom drama had problems getting clearance from the necessary authorities because of the graphic description of the trial. We are talking about a time when words like panties and rape made one red in the face. Guess we have come a long way to what we have now - Criminal Minds and Law & Order SVU!

Imagine the Mayor of Chicago took the filmmakers to court for the language used in the trial. By today's standards, it can be described as 'Sesame Street' stuff. I would describe the dialogue as well-mannered and using delicate words for embarrassing situations.

For the record, the movie is praised as one of the greatest law movies ever made and is sometimes used as teaching material for law students.
It is a story of a down-and-out 'country' lawyer (James Stewart) who gets a call from a desperate housewife (Lee Remick) to defend her Lt Col husband (Ben Gazzara), who is charged with murdering her rapist.

The story is straightforward, with the husband claiming temporary insanity to the crime after hearing his beautiful and promiscuous wife was raped. If you are looking for an unexpected twist at the end of the trial, you will be disappointed. Perhaps at the end of the film, the viewers are left to wonder that maybe the offender and his wife just put on a smokescreen. They appeared to be a doting couple, but behind it all, it is all jealousy, anger and unabated emotions. A good viewing that gives you the feel that you are watching an episode of 'Perry Mason' - the secretary, an investigator, everyone dressed decently and are courteous to each other!