Jazz On Film Presents Anatomy Of A Murder
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Sun 30 November 2008 // 20:00
(Sun 30th / 8pm / £4/3)
(Otto Preminger / USA / 1959 / 160 minutes / 12A)
Otto Preminger’s 1959 courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder puts a cross-section of small town life under the microscope, forensically revealing the ambiguities and tensions at the heart of American law. James Stewart, in an unusually ambivalent role, stars as a down on his luck attorney seeking to redeem his career by taking on the case of an unsavoury army officer (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a man he says raped his wife (Lee Remick). Dubious motives, doubtful testimonies and compelling performances collide and all ideas of truth and justice blur as the film moves inexorably to its final verdict, propelled by Duke Ellington’s unforgettable jazz score.
(Otto Preminger / USA / 1959 / 160 minutes / 12A)
Otto Preminger’s 1959 courtroom drama Anatomy of a Murder puts a cross-section of small town life under the microscope, forensically revealing the ambiguities and tensions at the heart of American law. James Stewart, in an unusually ambivalent role, stars as a down on his luck attorney seeking to redeem his career by taking on the case of an unsavoury army officer (Ben Gazzara) accused of murdering a man he says raped his wife (Lee Remick). Dubious motives, doubtful testimonies and compelling performances collide and all ideas of truth and justice blur as the film moves inexorably to its final verdict, propelled by Duke Ellington’s unforgettable jazz score.