Anatomy of a Murder

Jimmy Stewart is superb as attorney Paul Biegler, who argues the defense side on a tricky murder case in Otto Preminger's mesmerizing 1959 legal thriller, a film that revels in the ambiguities of justice and is adapted from the same-titled novel by Michigan Supreme Court justice John Voelker (who wrote under the pen name Robert Traver). Ben Gazzara costars as the defendant, Lt. Frederick Manion, a hot-headed army officer, with Lee Remick playing Laura, his wife, whose assertion that she was raped by the victim supports Manion's claim of temporary insanity. The stellar cast also includes Arthur O'Connell as Biegler's pal, Parnell McCarthy; Eve Arden as secretary Maida; and rising star George C. Scott in a small but pivotal role as Claude Dancer, an assistant state's attorney general who takes over the prosecution late in the trial (scenes crackle when Stewart and Scott spar with witnesses and one another—the folksy but cagey country lawyer versus the smart, sarcastic, thoroughly urban legal eagle). Duke Ellington provides the swinging score (and makes a cameo appearance). Remastered for DVD and bowing on Blu-ray, this Criterion Collection edition features extras including new and archival interviews, a featurette on graphic designer Saul Bass (who designed the credits sequence), behind-the-scenes footage, excerpts from a work-in-progress “making-of” documentary, and a booklet. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)