Those who trouble their own house shall inherit the wind, and those who dare to think differently from their own house shall inherit something worse. A small-town teacher in Tennessee of the 1920s brings science and evolution into the classroom and runs afoul of both the law and the bible in the process. Titans of the media, legal and political realms descend upon the town to participate in the trial.
This dramatic and fanciful retelling of the Scopes monkey trial of 1925 is fascinating for those like me who are interested in this nation's legal and political systems and its history. "I was a lawyer long enough," says the famous lead defense attorney "to know there are no victories anywhere." Exactly. Legal fights consume years from people's lives, deprive them of liberty, drain bank accounts and more. There are no winners (except the lawyers).
People are supposed to comfort others and promote enlightenment, not fan the flames of fear and ignorance, and Inherit the Wind highlights this supposition. What a difference between seeing this as a teenager and seeing it again now. It affected me when I was younger, but it is not deep enough now, in many ways. The character of Rachel is compelling, but for some unexplained reason she disappears somewhere in the middle of the film. "I was always more afraid of you" she says of her father. Too bad the spotlight isn't on her, it would be a better ending. The film, like the play it is based on, is meant as a damper to McCarthyism and it is relevant to today's unfortunate political climate.
This dramatic and fanciful retelling of the Scopes monkey trial of 1925 is fascinating for those like me who are interested in this nation's legal and political systems and its history. "I was a lawyer long enough," says the famous lead defense attorney "to know there are no victories anywhere." Exactly. Legal fights consume years from people's lives, deprive them of liberty, drain bank accounts and more. There are no winners (except the lawyers).
People are supposed to comfort others and promote enlightenment, not fan the flames of fear and ignorance, and Inherit the Wind highlights this supposition. What a difference between seeing this as a teenager and seeing it again now. It affected me when I was younger, but it is not deep enough now, in many ways. The character of Rachel is compelling, but for some unexplained reason she disappears somewhere in the middle of the film. "I was always more afraid of you" she says of her father. Too bad the spotlight isn't on her, it would be a better ending. The film, like the play it is based on, is meant as a damper to McCarthyism and it is relevant to today's unfortunate political climate.