Movie Screening & Discussion - "Anatomy of a Murder"

Join Marcus Renna in the Scott Room for a screening and discussion of the 1959 courtroom drama "Anatomy of a Murder," directed by Otto Preminger and based on the 1958 novel written by Michigan Supreme Court Justice John D. Voelker about a true crime case from 1952. "Anatomy of a Murder" features many luminary actors including James Stewart, George C. Scott, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, and Eve Arden. It also features a notable musical score by Duke Ellington.

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (Stewart), a former district attorney, agrees to defend US Army Lieutenant Frederick "Manny" Manion (Gazzara) from the charge of murder of an innkeeper Manion claims assaulted his wife Laura (Remick). Biegler, wily and well versed in the minutiae of the law, attempts to argue a case of irresistible impulse - a form of a temporary insanity defense, but he is matched by a high-powered prosecutor from the Attorney General's office, Claude Dancer (Scott).

"Anatomy of a Murder" is notable for the accuracy of its portrayal of all the features of a criminal defense trial from the accused's arraignment and first interview with their lawyer through to the conclusion of the trial. The American Bar Association considers it one of the best trial films of all time, and it is used as a teaching tool in law schools for how a lawyer might handle the research and legwork of a difficult case relying on subjective judgements of the credibility of various witnesses.