Anatomy of a Murder (#600)

A virtuoso James Stewart plays a small-town Michigan lawyer who takes on a difficult case: the defense of a young army lieutenant (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a local tavern owner who he believes raped his wife (Lee Remick). This gripping envelope-pusher, the most popular film by Hollywood provocateur Otto Preminger, was groundbreaking for the frankness of its discussion of sexbut more than anything else, it is a striking depiction of the power of words. Featuring an outstanding supporting castwith a young George C. Scott as a fiery prosecutor and the legendary attorney Joseph N. Welch as the judgeand an influential score by Duke Ellington,Anatomy of a Murderis an American movie landmark, nominated for seven Oscars, including best picture.

Share

Film Info

• United States
• 1959
• 161 minutes
• Black & White
• 1.85:1
• English
• Spine #600

BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• New digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
• New alternate 5.1 soundtrack, presented in DTS-HD Master Audio
• New interview with Otto Preminger biographer Foster Hirsch
• Critic Gary Giddins explores Duke Ellingtons score in a new interview
• A look at the relationship between graphic designer Saul Bass and Preminger with Bass biographer Pat Kirkham
• Newsreel footage from the set
• Excerpts from a 1967 episode ofFiring Line,featuring Preminger in discussion with William F. Buckley Jr.
• Excerpts from the work in progressAnatomy of Anatomy
• Behind-the-scenes photographs byLifemagazines Gjon Mili
• Trailer, featuring on-set footage
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by critic Nick Pinkerton and a 1959Lifemagazine article on real-life lawyer Joseph N. Welch, who plays Judge Weaver in the film

  Cover based on a theatrical poster by Saul Bass