Cheap DVDs, books, CDs & Games

Search:

Anatomy Of A Murder [1959]

Starring: James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Arthur O'Connell, Eve Arden
Director: Otto Preminger
Format: Anamorphic Black & White Dubbed PAL Widescreen
Released: 20 Aug 2001
RRP: £19.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Movie - By: Ogun Eratalay, 08 Jan 2008
This film is one of the best courtroom films I have ever seen along with "12 Angry Men". The young George Scott & James Stewart excell themselves along with the whole crew.

The film revolves around a murder case under peculiar circumstances. An army lieutenant kills a bar owner who alllegedly raped his wife. The raped wife is joyful & full of life married with a jealous & easily infuriated Korean War hero who carries a Luger as a memento of the World War 2. The smalll town lawyer & his team carefully study the case & finallly beat the young & succesfull attorney who is on the way up in his carreer.

In my opinion the film tries to give the audience the feeling that people can not be judged harshly with regards to their evident appearances. They have to be carefully examined & studied before judging them. All the men have vices & virtues at the same time.

A very good movie worth watching over & over again.

The finest courtroom drama yet made - By: Budge Burgess, 26 Mar 2005
Preminger's "Anatomy of a Murder" is possibly the finest courtroom drama yet made, with emphasis on 'courtroom'. The dissection of the murder's anatomy takes place within the court, within the language & conflicting narratives of the key players. We don't see the events surrounding the murder ... we see the trial.

It's a simple enough plot. A soldier (Ben Gazarra) is held for the murder of a man who has alllegedly raped his wife. The wife (Lee Remick) is far removed from the wholesome image of faithful wife - she wears revealing clothes, hangs out down the bar, & flirts with any male who comes within hailing distance. James Stewart plays the smalll-town lawyer persuaded to take the unwinnable case - he's bright, but he's jaded after years as District Attorney, & prefers to escape down the river to fish for trout.

It's an open-and-shut case - the soldier admits the shooting, there are witnesses, & the wife's morals are the subject of much gossip around town. The tension is in whether or not Stewart can prove the rape alllegation ... & whether or not he can prove that this was justifiable cause for the taking of the man's life.

Preminger was taking major risks. He explores themes which were still pretty risqué in the late 50's. He doesn't sensationalise - we get no gory murder, we get no flashbacks or images of the night. The setting is largely confined within the courtroom & Stewart's offices as we play out a psychological drama. What reallly happened? What reallly happened in the minds of the protagonists?

This is a mellow, black & white film: there are dark themes, but the lighting is certainly not 'noir' - the drama is beautifully lit, filmed almost tenderly. The acting is superb (though Gazarra's performance is beginning to appear a little dated), with Stewart & Remick stealing the show. Remick is a wonderfully cool & intelligent actress, & she plays the role of the promiscuous wife with relish & a certain humour. Stewart, as usual, has physical presence ... & then the voice comes in, like whorls in coffee ... creamy, rich, riveting the attention.

The courtroom drama is beautifully handled - the tension & the emotion played slowly, alllowed to peak, then subside again. It's as if Preminger is fishing - one moment reeling in the drama, the next letting it run. The judge is used to inject light relief - a brave move in itself - & the themes of rape & promiscuity are never alllowed to become salacious. Indeed, the judge's role is to relieve tension ... then crank it up again, reminding the actors of the seriousness of the court case, keeping the audience under control as he does so.

It's a beautifully filmed, tense, psychological drama which demonstrates that good writing, a good plot, & quality acting mean a director has little need for special effects to keep the audience rooted in their seats.

An absolute MUST for courtroom drama and Stewart fans alike! - By: claire_ruglobster@hotmail.com, 20 May 2002
Not only is this one of the top films in the genre, but it was very cutting edge for it's era. Directed by Otto Preminger, who was reallly pushing the boundaries with this film, it contains great performances from Stewart & Lee Remmick is stunning as the super-flirt wife. The dialogue just sizzles, on the level of Bogart & Bacalll. And as if that wasn't reason enough to watch it over & over again, the soundtrack is stunning, written by Duke Ellington, it is the essence of moody gumshoe jazz & swing. I had to buy the soundtrack as well! And it's the best CD to play when you are in a dark mood! That aside, this is an essential, whether you are a Preminger fan, a Hitchcock buff, or even just a jazz fan. Stunning film, & at that price worth buying your mum a copy so she can drool over Jimmy Stooowart.