Bachelor Mother

A very interesting and funny RKO picture, “Bachelor Mother,” came out in 1939 and stars Ginger Rogers as single woman who finds a baby on the doorstep of an orphanage.  She picks it up, rings the doorbell and her life suddenly changes because the officials at the orphanage don’t believe the baby isn’t hers.  You’d think something like that would be easily cleared up, but they didn’t have DNA tests back then, and anyway, Hollywood’s instant motherhood movies are not very believable.

Ginger Rogers, left, works at the wind-up duck counter in "Bachelor Mother."

Ginger Rogers, left, works at the wind-up duck counter in “Bachelor Mother.”

Nevertheless, Rogers, who plays Polly Parish, ends up taking care of the child through a series of misunderstandings that Polly seems incapable of explaining.  Polly works at Merlin’s Department Store at the wind-up Donald Duck counter.  She spends 8 hours a day winding up and pitching toy ducks, and dreams of having fun at night dancing at nightclubs.  The instant complication of a new baby makes an excellent plot line, particularly since her single motherhood has attracted the attention of David Merlin (David Niven), the store owner’s playboy son.  David wants to help any way he can, and can’t understand why Polly keeps wanting to give the baby back to the orphanage.

Learn valsonindia.com cialis tablets uk from the best and don’t make the exact same mistakes others have. Kamagra is used to improve sexual abilities and improve sexual cialis cheapest life of a man. The attributes of Kamagra Oral Jelly are indistinguishable to those of discount price on viagra visit that. However it was found to be order cialis uk more effective in the treatment of the erectile dysfunction. One of Polly’s colleagues at the department store, a stock clerk named Freddie (Frank Albertson), pursues Polly romantically until he sees the baby.  Polly takes the baby to David’s house, leaves him there, and enters a dance contest.  By the end of the date, the ambitious Freddie realizes that Polly’s influence with David may help him rise to the rank of floorwalker at the department store.  The rest of the film sets up Polly with David as a pseudo family, while the camera focusses on the baby for cute closeups.

I like the camerawork in RKO films; it is usually simple, nicely focussed, clean and effective.  The cinematographer, Robert De Grasse, also worked on the film in my previous post, “Born to Kill.” Garson Kanin, who is primarily known as a writer, directed Bachelor Mother.  His writing skill is evident in the witty dialogue between Rogers and Niven.  Charles Coburn plays David’s stern father, who continuously hopes his son will give up partying and concentrate on building the business.  Since the film is a romantic comedy, and Niven and Rogers make a cute couple, it seems highly likely that he gets his wish.

One key scene involves a high-class New Year’s Eve party, where David takes Polly on a last-minute invitation.  He dresses her in fancy duds from his department store, including a mink coat, and she instantly wows all the eligible bachelors in attendance.  It’s often the working men and women who save the rich from their boredom in these Hollywood fantasies.

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Born to Kill

Everything about the Sam Wild character in Robert Wise’s 1947 “Born to Kill” says “run, right now, as fast as you can.”  Yet, two women in the movie fall in love with him and one even stumbles upon two of his murder victims.  Clair Trevor plays Helen Brent, who meets Wild (Lawrence Tierney) on a train trip from Reno to  San Francisco.  She knows what’s bad about Wild, but becomes entranced by his animal magnetism.  Although Helen plans to marry a nice, respectable and rich man, she allows the barbarous Wild to infiltrate her circle, where Wild quickly proposes to Helen’s rich but naive sister, Georgia Staples (Audrey Long).  Wild plans to run off eventually with the vulnerable Helen, so he romances her under the nose of the clueless Georgia.

Lawrence Tierney and Claire Trevor in "Born to Kill."

Lawrence Tierney and Claire Trevor in “Born to Kill.”

Director Wise opens the film in a boarding house in Reno, where Helen awaits a divorce decree.  The brassy landlady, Mrs. Kraft, played by Esther Howard, loves to have a good time and drink beer.  Her friend and pseudo daughter, Laury, also a good-time girl, tells her about her date for the evening.  The scene seems long and expository, especially since the story would move shortly to San Francisco.  But then Laury shows up dead, and the grief stricken Mrs. Kraft hires a private investigator named Arnett (Walter Slezak) to find her killer.
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Arnett works fast, crashing Georgia’s wedding to Wild and asking the servants a lot of questions about the couple.  Helen quickly intervenes, telling Arnett to mind his own business and get lost.  Meanwhile, Wild sends his creepy friend Marty (Elisha Cook Jr.) to find out who hired Arnett.  Such complications set up Mrs. Kraft’s visit to San Francisco, and Wild’s determined effort to eliminate anyone who is on to him.

Wise and cinematographer Robert De Grasse photograph everything vividly; it’s not a cheap production.  The actors must have loved working on this film, because it features  so many interesting characters.  None of the characters, except for Mrs. Kraft, seem to have much integrity.  The surprising Arnett acts like an incompetent con man at first, as he takes Mrs. Kraft’s money for the investigation but all but promises that he’ll find nothing.  Helen, an excitement junky, takes her chances no matter what the consequences.  Marty, who fancies himself as a smarter version of Wild, carries his blind loyalty to Wild to extremes.  In other films noir, Helen would be the heroine, but in Born to Kill, she willingly and convincingly aids Wild throughout.  Her bad decisions lead to the final and tragic showdown.

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Savage Messiah

Before World War 1, an eccentric young French artist named Henri Gaudier-Brzeska left France, moved to London, and became a sensation for his expressive sculptures.  Director Ken Russell filmed Gaudier-Brzeska’s story in a 1972 movie called “Savage Messiah,” which focusses on his relationship with a woman named Sophie Brzeska — a novelist played by Dorothy Tutin that Henri meets in Paris and begins a torrid (though not sexual) relationship.  The couple lives and acts as a madcap brother and a stern but caring sister as they take turns aggravating an appreciative agent named Angus Corky (Lindsay Kemp), and a smug art patron named Lionel Shaw (John Justin).

The DVD cover of "Savage Messiah."

The DVD cover of “Savage Messiah.”

Gaudier-Brzeska obviously wants patronage, and actively campaigns for it from Lionel, but not before he makes it clear that Sophie is part of the package.  She’s a loose cannon, with strong opinions about her hatred of sex.  She sings impromptu songs, and despite her devotion to Henri, leaves everyone wondering why Henri loves her so much.  She’s also highly sensitive to noise, which  puts her at odds with the prolific sculptor who spends much of the movie banging on large stones with his hammer and chisel.

A key scene in the movie shows Henri chiseling a square block of stone as he mouths his views about art.  At his side, a tired Sophie covers her ears and seems at the brink of madness.  The chisel strikes go “chik, chik, chik” while the stone slowly reveals the figure of a nude.  It’s a perfect blend of sound and image.  Henri says about his work:  “Sure, it’s a mystery, but it’s as much a mystery to the one who’s doing it as the one who’s looking at it.”
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The movie explores the crazy and avant-garde art world of pre-World War 1 London, with rich patrons vying for the latest and greatest artistic discoveries.  However, with war on the horizon, the film also explores how the patriotic fervor of the time begins to consume and overwhelm everything — even the highest ideals of art.  Apparently, this pre-war London crowd also delved into sexual exploration, but the movie contains little sex despite its tag line (“All art is sex!”).

Helen Mirren plays Gosh Boyle, the suffragette daughter of the rich and hawkish Major Boyle.  She’s a combination of an activist and a performance artist, resorting to such antics as torching a post box.  The openly sexual Gosh becomes Henri’s nude model, and from what the movie implies, seems to contribute more to Henri’s flowering as an artist than Sophie can ever contribute.

 

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The Old Maid

The 1939 movie, “The Old Maid,” from Warner Brothers, stars Bette Davis and Miriam Hopkins as two cousins in love with the same man.  As the film begins, everyone in the Lovell household make preparations for Delia Lovell’s wedding to the wealthy Jim Ralston.  Suddenly, word comes about the imminent arrival of Clem Spender, a suitor who Delia (Hopkins) promised to marry 2 years previously.  Clem (George Brent) wanted the marriage but then went off to seek his fortune and expected Delia to wait for him.

Old Maid

Miriam Hopkins (left) and Bette Davis in “The Old Maid.”

Delia’s cousin Charlotte, played by Davis, wants to go the train station to meet Clem, but Delia doesn’t think it’s a good idea.  Eventually, Delia relents and at the station, we can immediately see that Charlotte desires Clem.  She tells him to move on but he insists and seeing Delia.  The wedding happens anyway, and Clem spends the rest of the night with Charlotte.  Clem soon goes off to war, leaving Charlotte with a little secret she hides for the rest of the film.

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The action takes place in the 1860s, at a time when the major plot point could become a scandal.  Donald Crisp plays friendly Dr. Lanskell, whose affection for Delia’s family provides a strong male counterpoint to the tension between the cousins.  Miriam Hopkin’s Delia doesn’t age much at all, even though the story runs close to 20 years.  The story comes from an Edith Wharton novella published in 1922.

In Wharton’s version, the Charlotte character is known to have suffered from a childhood illness that limits her ability to marry.  However, the film version features an unusually strong Charlotte, who must portray unrelenting regret despite the advantages of wealth and privilege.  Edmund Goulding also directed Davis in 1939’s “Dark Victory,” another film where Davis portrays a martyr.

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Rossellini’s India

Roberto Rossellini travelled to India to film the 1959 documentary “India:  Matri Bhumi.”  The film features visually stunning scenes of various places in India with a poetic Italian voiceover.  Matri Bhumi means “motherland” or “mother earth” in Hindi.

An elephant logger in "Matri Bhumi."

An elephant logger in “Matri Bhumi.”

In addition to the travelogue footage, Rossellini, the director, includes four fictional scenes, including a tale involving the work of elephants in a small village, the building of a dam and its effect on a family, the effect of iron mining on forest tigers, and a trip by an old man and his performing monkey to a festival.

Considered a masterpiece, the 2011 restoration involved the merging of color film stocks from several different sources as well as a careful and exacting renewal of the soundtrack.  Rossellini shot in various locations and used actors and extras from where the action takes place.  The film opens with views of the sprawling city of Bombay, and the Italian narration says “Bombay has long been considered the doorway to India.  Upon arriving, one feels instantly euphoric.”  Although the tone of the voiceover seems to indicate a straightforward documentary — and the camera takes us on a tour of the city and describes its diverse and tolerant citizens — the film soon veers off to its first story.
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The elephant story provides considerable contrast as Rossellini shows us the work and life of rural peasants along a riverside.  Our first view of elephants shows them parading in a religious ceremony and then shows them clearing trees in a forest.  The forest sequence takes its time as we listen to the incessant chattering of birds.  Along a road, elephants carry heavy logs between their tusks and trunks.  The narration reveals an ironic twist, the elephants work only 3 hours per day while their handlers toil constantly working them, feeding them and washing them.

After the elephant story, the movie goes back into travelogue mode, this time taking us to Benares (now Varanasi).  We see the city and its unique architecture from the viewpoint of the Ganges River.  The next story involves actual scenes of the building of the  Hirakud dam project in the northeastern Indian state of Odisha.  Rossellini shows an endless parade of workers carrying rocks and gravel to fill in the enormous dam.  After its completion, the husband in a migrant family is transferred to another construction project in another state, but his wife opposes the move.  As the waters of the new dam flow over the land, the family faces the uncertainty of a new beginning.

The forth and final story involves a trained monkey who travels with his master to a festival.  The searing heat gets the better of the trainer, and in a moving scene, the monkey does his best to protect him against circling vultures.  The main themes of this and other sequences provide the movie with a powerful emotional impact about life and happiness.  Rossellini delivers a quote from the Bhagavad Gita scripture:  “Both knowledgable and ignorant people are equally happy.  Only the mediocre are unhappy.”

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The Happy Thieves

There seems to be two kinds of caper movies, ones with several characters working together such as “Big Deal on Madonna Street” from 1958, or the romantic comedy type such as “How to Steal a Million,” the 1966 film starring Peter O’Toole and Audrey Hepburn.  “The Happy Thieves,” released in 1961, falls in the latter category and stars the unique pairing of Rita Hayworth and Rex Harrison.  The plot centers around a plan to steal an important and very large painting from the Museo del Prado in Madrid, Spain.

Rita Hayworth and Rex Harrison in "The Happy Thieves."

Rita Hayworth and Rex Harrison in “The Happy Thieves.”

The movie opens with Harrison, playing a character named Jimmy Bourne, lowering a painting from a skylight into a hotel lobby.  He exchanges his painting, a forgery of the “Rokeby Venus” by Diego Velázquez, with the real painting.  Velázquez’ actual painting hangs in the National Gallery in London, so I don’t know how it finds itself in a hotel lobby in Madrid; the filmmakers offer no explanation.  Jimmy steals the painting and brings it out to his girlfriend (in the getaway car), Eve Lewis (Rita Hayworth).

Next, at an extended scene at the Madrid airport, the nervous Eve frets with Jimmy about getting the painting, wrapped in a tube, through customs and on to Paris.  Their accomplice, a forger named Jean (Joseph Wiseman), meets Eve at the airport where they discover the painting’s been stolen from its tube.  This throws the thieves into a tizzy, except the always controlled Jimmy.  A telephoned threat from Madrid forces the trio to return to Madrid, where the fake Velázquez hangs in the hotel lobby.
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It turns out that the art-loving but Francisco Goya hating Dr. Victor Muñoz took the painting from Eve, and he’ll tell the authorities unless the thieves steal Goya’s “The Second of May 1808” from the Museo del Prado.  On that historic day, Dr. Muñoz’ family cast their lot with Napoleon, becoming ostracized by the Spanish government.  Munoz thinks getting the painting would extract giddy revenge for all his family’s suffering.

Harrison brings the same kind of “where the devil are my slippers” Henry Higgins “My Fair Lady” attitude to this role, so it’s nice that Muñoz, played by Grégoire Aslan, plays such a smug and self-satisfied counterpart to him.  Hayworth looks lovely and performs well as Eve, but I wanted her to have more confidence and sophistication.  Harrison, as an international art thief and conman would attract the attention of Hayworth, but I doubt he would trust her to have such a prominent role in this level of thievery.  The script points out that Jimmy and Eve are just “happy to do it.”

 

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Oz the Great and Powerful

I’ll start this review by mentioning that the “Wizard of Oz” is my favorite movie of all time.  I first watched it as a child on an old black and white TV set, so I didn’t even know it contained a Technicolor part.  When I first saw it on a color TV set, I assumed someone had colorized it.  Further research revealed the truth and I’ve had the pleasure of seeing it on the big screen several times.

James Franco, as Oz, talks to China Girl on the yellow brick road in "Oz the Great and Powerful."  (Photo courtesy Walt Disney Pictures)

James Franco, as Oz, talks to China Girl on the yellow brick road in “Oz the Great and Powerful.” (Photo courtesy Walt Disney Pictures)

Naturally, my love of the original film prompted my curiosity towards “Oz the Great and Powerful,” a 2013 film now playing at the local 3D cinema.  The film stars James Franco as an early version of the Wizard character played by Frank Morgan in the 1939 film.  The story shows how the Wizard came to Oz in the first place.  In an extended black and white sequence, Oz runs from a circus strong man and boards a hot air balloon that gets swept up in a tornado.  The swirling winds tear apart his balloon and he swears out loud to reform his conning and womanizing ways if he can stay alive.  He lands in the colorful kingdom of Oz where he meets a charming witch named Theodora, played by Mila Kunis.

A prophesy predicts that a powerful wizard would arrive in Oz, and so Theodora, after a bit of romancing with our hero, brings him to the witch’s palace.  Theodora’s sister, Evanora, played by Rachel Weisz, also lives there, but the Wizard fails to realize the dangerous power struggle that’s developing in the kingdom of Oz.
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A third sister, Glinda, played by Michelle Williams, believes that only the Wizard can save the hapless citizens of Oz.  They meet and form an alliance with an animated monkey named Finley and China Doll.  The plucky China Doll, in exquisitely produced  animation, possesses some of Dorothy’s traits from the 1939, including uncommon bravery despite her fragility.  Finley, dressed in a cute bellhop getup, seems to have a little bit of the brains of The Scarecrow, the heart of the Tin Man, and the Courage of the cowardly Lion.

Of course, the lovely Glinda, dressed in white, can conjure up a lot of violence herself.  However, this film stars Franco as the con man.  Defeating Evanora and Theodora requires extreme cunning and the Wizard of Oz is so good at smoke and mirrors.  I found this movie very entertaining and a visual pleasure, and I’d recommend seeing the 3D version.

 

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The Farmer’s Daughter

It may not seem plausible that a Swedish maid (and farm girl) in the 1940s could run for Congress and do well for herself, but that’s exactly what happens in “The Farmer’s Daughter.”  The 1947 film stars Loretta Young as Katie the maid, who works at the home of  Congressman Glenn Morley (Joseph Cotton) and his politically-savvy mother Agatha Morley (Ethel Barrymore).  Katie’s story begins at the family farm, where she toils relentlessly along with her hard-working father and mother and three strapping brothers.  When a slimy sign painter cheats her out of all her money on the way to nursing school in Capital City, she’s forced her to take the job as a maid.

Farmer's Daughter

(From left) Joseph Cotton, Loretta Young, Charles Bickford and Ethel Barrymore star in “The Farmer’s Daughter.”

The temptation of filmmakers today would be to play this as pure fantasy, but Katie’s hard-working persona infuses all her scenes with a “can-do” effect that’s so straightforward and honest that the audience feels compelled to root for her.  The film keeps the politics real and ruthless, while maintaining a romantic comedy angle between Glenn and Katie.  By the time Ann Southern made this film, she was 34 years old, so we’re not watching a cinderella story involving a young woman finding her way in the big city.  Joseph Cotton was 42 at the time of the film’s release, so I wondered how his character managed to stay unmarried for so long.

The men suffering from the common sexual problems that men are suffering from is specifically known as Erectile Dysfunction(ED), strikes his exciting & happy married life. viagra tablets india Second reason for online buying is cost effective cialis 5 mg http://www.wouroud.com/bitem.php?ln=en price. These career ‘derailers’, as they are named, are in effect instilled discount viagra the usa character traits which impact upon the person’s behaviour and actions. It is a condition which is affecting more and more young men wouroud.com generic tadalafil from india who cannot complain about the body’s performance. Katie becomes a quick learner in Congressman Morley’s house, and frequently gives her opinion about candidates and political issues.  Morley and his mother find her quite amusing until she attends a meeting introducing the Morley party candidate for a special congressional election.  Katie’s tough questioning of the Morley candidate prompts the rival party to ask her to run.  From there, the dirty business of politics plays out for the rest of the film.

Charles Bickford plays the tough but fair-minded Joseph Clancy, the loyal Morley butler who takes a stern but fatherly interest in Katie.  Katie wins his approval by producing a perfect cup of coffee.  So many Hollywood movies set in mansions, especially the romantic ones, resort to some sort of craziness.  However, except for a skating scene where Glenn Morley falls through the ice, and a few satirical remarks about political contests, most of the bizarre events occur in the outside political arena.  During the campaign, sensational accusations appear in the press, which leads Katie to worry if her quest for Congress is worth the fight.  Luckily, honesty prevails and we can at least feel a little better about the American political process.

 

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The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

Taking the story from a popular book by Anthony Hope, published in 1894, Selznick International Pictures made a fine film version of “The Prisoner of Zenda” in 1937.  The film stars Ronald Colman as Major Rudolf Rassendyll, an Englishman who goes to the fictional country of Ruritania for a fishing trip.  While in Ruritania, two of the king’s attendants notice his amazing resemblance the country’s monarch in waiting, Prince Rudolf, also played by Ronald Colman.  Rudolf meets Rassendyll and invites him to a party at his hunting lodge.

Ronald Colman and Madeline Carroll in "The Prisoner of Zenda."

Ronald Colman as Rassendyll/Rupert and Madeline Carroll as Princess Flavia in “The Prisoner of Zenda.”

A night of drinking and eating leaves everyone asleep except for Prince Rudolf, who drinks a drugged bottle of wine.  Morning arrives and the attendants, played by David Niven as Fritz and C. Aubrey Smith as Colonel Zapt, cannot rouse Prince Rudolf.  They beg Rassendyll to stand in for him at the coronation, or else Rudolf’s evil brother Black Michael, played by Raymond Massey, will take the throne.  At the coronation, Rassendyll fools Michael and becomes smitten with Rupert’s comely cousin, Princess Flavia (Madeline Carroll).  Under Ruritanian tradition, the Princess must marry the new monarch and become the queen.

This splendid costume drama unfolds with an even more dangerous villain than Michael, Rupert of Hentzau, a clever rogue played by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.  Rupert feigns allegiance to Michael but openly plots to secure power for himself.  Rupert kidnaps the drugged Rudolf and takes him to his fortress in Zenda, adding to a politically murky situation in the kingdom.  If Rudolf dies, Michael takes the throne.  Rassendyll, Colonel Zapt and Fritz must storm Zenda and rescue the king.
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As in movies with similar plots, such as the 1993 film “Dave,” wherein Kevin Kline takes over for the lookalike president, the impostor’s qualities outshine the real ruler’s abilities.  Rassendyll is a natural leader with lots of good ideas, and he relishes the idea of taking down Michael, while the weak and bored Rudolf doesn’t seem to understand the threats to his kingdom.  Princess Flavia, of course, is delighted with Rassendyll, even though she thinks he’s Rudolf.

Michael may be arrogant and smug, but Rupert is downright dangerous.  Rassendyll recognizes this early, creating an interplay of witty dialogue between Colman and Fairbanks.  When they have their standoff at the castle of Zenda, the swords come out and the exciting climax arrives.  The groggy king promises to accept his duties with renewed dedication while Rassendyll must give up Princess Flavia.   In fictional kingdoms, things always return to normal.

 

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Anatomy of a Murder

The stylish 1959 film “Anatomy of a Murder” ambles along for 2 hours and 40 minutes, with most of its content taken up with interviews of witnesses and long courtroom scenes.  Considered a classic among courtroom dramas, the film stars James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, George C. Scott, Arthur O’Connell and Eve Arden.

Stewart plays a lawyer named Paul who is hired to defend Gazzara (as Army Lieutenant Frederick Manion) after he kills a man for raping his wife.  Remick, in an outstanding performance, plays the wife (Laura Manion).  Her determination to be herself puts her at odds with Stewart, who wants her to tone down her appeal with conservative clothes and horn-rimmed glasses.

Lee Remick with James Stewart in "Anatomy of a Murder."

Lee Remick with James Stewart in “Anatomy of a Murder.”

The story for Anatomy of a Murder takes place in the upper peninsula of Michigan, in a fishing village called Iron City.  Paul agrees to take the case despite his misgivings about the defendant.  The unapologetic Lt. Manion refuses to cooperate other than admitting to the crime.  Paul decides to base Manion’s defense on temporary insanity, a motive that amuses the district attorney and his smug colleague, State Attorney General Claude Dancer (Scott), on loan from the state capital to try the case.
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The director of the film, Otto Preminger, treats us to the presence of the great Duke Ellington, who provides the background music and performs a tune with Stewart at a local club called Pie Eye.  Remick would have made an unbelievably sexy film noir dame, but this film, despite the sordid subject matter and hip music, does not fall into the film noir genre.  Preminger focusses on the local scene and taut character examinations of Paul, Laura, Lt. Manion and Paul’s friend Parnell (O’Connell), an old-time lawyer colleague who drinks too much.

The film doesn’t make too much of the fact that Paul, a former prosecutor who resigned, may lack the recent experience to properly defend Lt. Manion.  Even though we first see him in “retirement” mode as he returns from a fishing trip and washes his catch in the sink, we instantly get his credibility.  We’ve been conditioned by years of TV shows such as “Columbo” and “Matlock” to take these older guys seriously.

Even though I enjoyed Remick and Scott’s performances, I am less taken with the Eve Arden and Arthur O’Connell characters.  Arden, who plays Paul’s secretary, adds her usual wisecracks, but I think Paul would be very attracted to her in real life.  In Anatomy of a Murder, he treats her like another man.  A lawyer like Paul needs a guy like Parnell (O’Connell) on his side, so I was pretty sure halfway through that Parnell would give up the bottle and do another case with Paul.

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