Anatomy of a Murder

"Last year's No. 1 best-seller...This year's No. 1 motion picture."

1959 2h 41m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 1,223

CrimeDramaMystery

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.

“Last year's No. 1 best-seller...This year's No. 1 motion picture.”

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Cast

James Stewart
Paul Biegler
Lee Remick
Laura Manion
Ben Gazzara
Lt. Frederick Manion
Arthur O'Connell
Parnell Emmett McCarthy
Eve Arden
Maida Rutledge
Kathryn Grant
Mary Pilant
George C. Scott
Claude Dancer
Orson Bean
Dr. Matthew Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Otto Preminger
Writers: Wendell Mayes
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Clocks in at 161 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Sam Leavitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Duke Ellington. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

James Stewart and Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Otto Preminger directs. Sam Leavitt behind the camera. Duke Ellington scores. Louis R. Loeffler cuts. A long sit — settle in. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Clocks in at 161 minutes — on the longer side of feature-length cinema.
2Shot for just $2.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
3Made its money back 4.0× over at the box office.
467 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
5Directed by Otto Preminger, shot by Sam Leavitt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Duke Ellington. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Louis R. Loeffler shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8James Stewart and Lee Remick and Ben Gazzara carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Last year's No. 1 best-seller...This year's No. 1 motion picture.".
10IMDB entry: tt0052561 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "adultery", "jealousy", "rape", "based on novel or book".
12Released under 15 different titles around the world.