- Otto Preminger's Anatomy of a Murder is a courtroom drama that doesn't leave out many details, although it intentionally omits some of the most important ones. The details in question relate to Lieutenant Frederick Manion's (Ben Gazzara) apparent murder of the man who supposedly raped his wife, Laura (Lee Remick). Words like "apparent" and "supposedly" are necessary here since everything we know about the actual sequence of events comes either from the rather ambiguous trial itself or the related inconclusive investigations. Heading Lt. Manion's defense is small-town lawyer Paul Biegler (Jimmy Stewart), who would rather fish than practice law. Biegler is assisted by Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell), who would rather drink than fish or practice law, and Mrs. Rutledge (Eve Arden), who would rather get paid than not. The prosecution, led by the combined forces of District Attorney Mitch Lodwick (Brooks West) and superstar Assistant State Attorney General Claude Dancer (George C. Scott), seems a bit more professional than Biegler and company, but it's not obvious whether that will help them in court. In fact, nothing about this case is obvious at all.
- The trial itself hinges upon whether or not Lt. Manion was really in control of himself during the murder, which he freely admits having committed. At first, the lieutenant claims responsibility for his actions, but he changes tack after Biegler almost-but-not-quite suggests that Manion might have been insane at the time. In fact, the issue of witness instruction comes up several times in the film, as both the defense and prosecution employ questionable methods to get people to say just the right things. Both sides also successfully push objectionable claims past the pleasant but ineffectual judge (Joseph Welch), who tries too late to strike them from the record. As Lt. Manion astutely asks, "How can a jury disregard what it's already heard?" Such underhanded techniques are apparently the norm, and nobody thinks twice about using them.
- Even with the combined efforts of the defense, the prosecution, and a multitude of witnesses, we never get anything like a completely satisfying account of what really happened. Plenty of details, but never the big picture. Lt. Manion is obviously prone to jealous rages, but his level of culpability is far from clear. Laura Manion was probably raped by the deceased, although such an act would require an undemonstrated lack of willingness on her part. The deciding moment of the case seems to occur when the daughter of the deceased, Mary Pilant (Kathryn Grant), finds a much-discussed pair of panties in her late father's apartment. How does that prove Lt. Manion's innocence? That's for the jury to decide.
- Although I've done a lot of griping about the imprecise nature of the proceedings, of course this is exactly the quality that Preminger and the writers intended to portray. In this film, a vague approximation of justice is all anyone can hope for, and the truth...well, the truth never really enters the picture. Standard courtroom procedure has been replaced by improvisational drama, peppered here and there with just a smattering of law. I can't help but feel that the Manions have pulled one over on everybody at the end, but of course I can never really be sure. It's not quite the world of Perry Mason, but it might just be the real world.
- Wow, music and a cameo by Duke Ellington.
- Oddly enough, Joseph Welch was a lawyer in the Army-McCarthy hearings. He was famously quoted as asking "Have you no sense of decency, sir?"
- Titles by Saul Bass.
- Twin Peaks also features a DA named Lodwick.
