Anatomy of a Murder
Anatomy of a Murder - was released on: 1 July 1959.
The movie had an excellent cast consisting of:
- James Stewart… - played the character of: Paul Biegler
- Lee Remick… - played the character of: Laura Manion
- Ben Gazzara… - played the character of: Lt. Frederick Manion
- Arthur O’Connell… - played the character of: Parnell Emmett McCarthy
- Eve Arden… - played the character of: Maida Rutledge
- Kathryn Grant… - played the character of: Mary Pilant
- George C. Scott… - played the character of: Asst. State Atty. Gen. Claude Dancer
- Orson Bean… Dr. Matthew Smith
- Russ Brown… George Lemon
- Murray Hamilton… - played the character of: Alphonse Paquette
- Brooks West… Dist. Atty. Mitch Lodwick
- Ken Lynch… Det. Sgt. James Durgo
- John Qualen… Deputy Sheriff Sulo
- Howard McNear… Dr. Dompierre
- Alexander Campbell… Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt
Here is a summary of the film’s plot:
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