www.fgks.org   »   [go: up one dir, main page]

MOVIEmeter
SEE RANK
Down 72 this week

Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

8.1
Your rating:
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 -/10 X  
Ratings: 8.1/10 from 35,208 users  
Reviews: 176 user | 91 critic

In a murder trial, the defendant says he suffered temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?

Director:

Writers:

(screenplay), (based on the novel by)
Watch Trailer
0Check in
0Share...

User Lists

Related lists from IMDb users

a list of 30 titles
created 20 Dec 2011
 
a list of 42 titles
created 25 Oct 2012
 
a list of 45 titles
created 7 months ago
 
a list of 44 titles
created 7 months ago
 
a list of 43 titles
created 4 months ago
 

Connect with IMDb


Share this Rating

Title: Anatomy of a Murder (1959)

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on IMDb 8.1/10

Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below.

Take The Quiz!

Test your knowledge of Anatomy of a Murder.

User Polls

Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 9 wins & 11 nominations. See more awards »

Videos

Photos

Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 

Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.5/10 X  

Leonard Vole is arrested on suspicion of murdering an elderly acquaintance. He employs an experienced but aging barrister as his defense attorney.

Director: Billy Wilder
Stars: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice.

Director: Robert Mulligan
Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton
Rashomon (1950)
Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.4/10 X  

A heinous crime and its aftermath are recalled from differing points of view.

Director: Akira Kurosawa
Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Machiko Kyô, Masayuki Mori
Brick (2005)
Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.5/10 X  

A teenage loner pushes his way into the underworld of a high school crime ring to investigate the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend.

Director: Rian Johnson
Stars: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lukas Haas, Emilie de Ravin
Harper (1966)
Action | Crime | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Lew Harper, a cool private investigator, is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband.

Director: Jack Smight
Stars: Paul Newman, Lauren Bacall, Julie Harris
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

Julie Kohler is prevented from suicide by her mother. She leaves the town. She will track down, charm and kill five men who do not know her. What is her goal ? What is her purpose ?

Director: François Truffaut
Stars: Jeanne Moreau, Jean-Claude Brialy, Michel Bouquet
Crime | Mystery | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

Messenger asks a friend to check into a list of names before leaving on a trip. When his plane is blown out of the sky, the matter becomes more serious. As his friend checks into the list, ... See full summary »

Director: John Huston
Stars: Kirk Douglas, Robert Mitchum, George C. Scott
Chinatown (1974)
Drama | Mystery | Thriller
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

A private detective hired to expose an adulterer finds himself caught up in a web of deceit, corruption and murder.

Director: Roman Polanski
Stars: Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway, John Huston
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.3/10 X  

As corruption grows in 1950s LA, three policemen - the straight-laced, the brutal, and the sleazy - investigate a series of murders with their own brand of justice.

Director: Curtis Hanson
Stars: Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.7/10 X  

Two Boston area detectives investigate a little girl's kidnapping, which ultimately turns into a crisis both professionally and personally. Based on the Dennis Lehane novel.

Director: Ben Affleck
Stars: Morgan Freeman, Ed Harris, Casey Affleck
Karakter (1997)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

Jacob Katadreuffe lives mute with his mother, has no contact with his father who only works against him and wants to become a lawyer, at all costs.

Director: Mike van Diem
Stars: Pavlik Jansen op de Haar, Jan Decleir, Fedja van Huêt
Paranoid Park (2007)
Crime | Drama | Mystery
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.7/10 X  

A teenage skateboarder's life begins to fray after he is involved in the accidental death of a security guard.

Director: Gus Van Sant
Stars: Gabe Nevins, Daniel Liu, Taylor Momsen
Edit

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
...
...
...
...
...
Asst. State Atty. Gen. Claude Dancer
...
Russ Brown ...
...
Brooks West ...
Dist. Atty. Mitch Lodwick
...
Det. Sgt. James Durgo
...
...
Dr. Dompierre
Alexander Campbell ...
Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt
Edit

Storyline

Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara), a lieutenant in the army, is arrested for the murder of a bartender, Barney Quill. He claims, in his defense, that the victim had raped and beaten up his wife Laura (Lee Remick). Although Laura supports her husband's story, the police surgeon can find no evidence that she has been raped. Manion is defended by Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a rather humble small-town lawyer. During the course of interviews, Biegler discovers that Manion is violently possessive and jealous, and also that his wife has a reputation for giving her favors to other men. Biegler realizes that the prosecution will try to make the court believe that Laura was the lover of the bartender and than Manion killed him and beat her up when he discovered them together. Manion pleads "not guilty" and Biegler, who knows that his case is weak, sets his assistants to try to find a witness who will save Manion. Written by alfiehitchie

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis


Certificate:

Unrated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

September 1959 (Austria)  »

Also Known As:

Anatomy of a Murder  »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

(Westrex Recording System)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was cut, scored and in previews only a month after filming had wrapped. See more »

Goofs

When the dog is brought into the courtroom, the judge stands up to see the dog. A boom mic shadow is visible on the judge's head and face. See more »

Quotes

Lt. Frederick Manion: Wanted: the Big Ten. Hey. They've got the ten best-dressed dames, the ten top teams, the ten top tunes, and now the ten most wanted.
Paul Biegler: Well, don't knock it. That's the American Dream. Those boys made The Grade.
See more »

Connections

Featured in Maltin on Movies: Wrath of the Titans (2012) See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

Classy courtroom drama that trades on it's cynical edge
25 March 2002 | by (United Kingdom) – See all my reviews

Lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Lt. Manion who killed a man after he discovered he had raped his wife, Laura. Biegler realises that the cards are not all in his favour and begins to ensure that the facts are spun in his favour as much as possible during the trial.

This film caused a stir back when it was released – supposedly over the dialogue that contained words not used before in a motion picture. However it was more likely that the furore was over the cynical view of the legal profession that the film has. The story is good, but if you're looking for a John Grisham type film with shouting and ridiculous twists in the final reel then you're in the wrong place. What we have here is a clever, interesting story that moves slowly – focusing on Biegler rather than twists and turns in the actual plot.

Biegler is sort of clean cut, but he seems like a real lawyer – he twists facts and prompts lies in order to improve his case. The various tricks and theatrical shenanigans during the trail are also well observed. The characters are all interesting with only the judge seeming like a dull stereotype.

James Stewart is excellent and helps make the shifty lawyer more likeable and relatable. Remick is excellent as the flirtatious Laura while Gazzara is cool as the accused. George C Scott doesn't have much to do, but does well anyway.

Overall a very enjoyable courtroom thriller – it lacks the fireworks of modern legal dramas but has a nice cynical edge to it that shows it isn't as in awe of the law as Grisham is.


39 of 57 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

Message Boards

Recent Posts
The 'panties' ogami1972
Bad actor: The Judge rios_119
why the movie rated so high? junkielee
Do you think it deserves very high review? jr8rdt
Very poor direction thirsch-2
the ending ? (did anyone want a twist?) film_buffy
Discuss Anatomy of a Murder (1959) on the IMDb message boards »

Contribute to This Page

Create a character page for:
?