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Anatomy of a Murder ()

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An upstate Michigan lawyer defends a soldier who claims he killed an innkeeper due to temporary insanity after the victim raped his wife. What is the truth, and will he win his case?
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Writers:
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Awards:
  • Nominated for 7 Oscars. Another 10 wins & 11 nominations.
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Photos and Videos

149 photos | 2 videos

Cast verified as complete

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Paul Biegler
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Laura Manion
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Lt. Frederick Manion
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Parnell Emmett McCarthy
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Maida Rutledge
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Mary Pilant
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Claude Dancer
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Dr. Matthew Smith
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George Lemon
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Alphonse Paquette
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Dist. Atty. Mitch Lodwick
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Det. Sgt. James Durgo
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Deputy Sheriff Sulo
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Dr. Dompierre
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Dr. W. Gregory Harcourt
Ned Wever ...
Dr. Raschid
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Clarence Madigan
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Sheriff Battisfore
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Lloyd Burke
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Duane 'Duke' Miller
Lloyd Le Vasseur ...
Court Clerk
James Waters ...
Army Sergeant 1st Class
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Judge Weaver
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Danny the Dog ...
Muff (uncredited)
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Pie Eye (uncredited)
Irv Kupcinet ...
Distinguished Gentleman (uncredited)
Lawrence K. Paquin ...
Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Chuck Ramsay ...
Orderly (uncredited)
Mrs. Joseph Welch ...
Juror (uncredited)

Directed by

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Otto Preminger

Written by

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Wendell Mayes ... (screenplay)
 
John D. Voelker ... (based on the novel by) (as Robert Traver)

Produced by

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Otto Preminger ... producer

Music by

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Duke Ellington

Cinematography by

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Sam Leavitt ... director of photography

Editing by

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Louis R. Loeffler

Editorial Department

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Sheri Eisenberg ... theatrical & HDR mastering colorist
John Loeffler ... assistant editor (uncredited)
Michael Vittes ... assistant editor (uncredited)

Production Design by

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Boris Leven

Makeup Department

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Del Armstrong ... makeup
Harry Ray ... makeup
Myrl Stoltz ... hairdresser
Madine Danks ... hairdresser (uncredited)
Norman Pringle ... makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management

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Henry Weinberger ... production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director

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David Silver ... assistant director
Hal W. Polaire ... assistant director (uncredited)
Ray Taylor Jr. ... assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department

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Howard Bristol ... set dresser
Saul Bass ... poster designer (uncredited)
Wallace Carr ... assistant set dresser (uncredited)
Irving W. Sindler ... props (uncredited)
Ken Walton ... props (uncredited)

Sound Department

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Jack Solomon ... sound
Bill Flannery ... boom operator (uncredited)
Harry Foy ... recordist (uncredited)
Don Hall ... sound effects (uncredited)
Al Yaylian ... cable (uncredited)

Special Effects by

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George Harris ... special effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department

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James Almond ... lighting technician
Leo McCreary ... key grip
Irving Rosenberg ... camera operator
Bert Chaliacombe ... best boy (uncredited)
Gjon Mili ... still photographer (uncredited)
Al St. Hilaire ... still photographer (uncredited)
Bob Uhl ... assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department

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Hope Bryce ... costume coordinator
Vou Lee Giokaris ... wardrobe
Michael J. Harte ... wardrobe (as Michael Harte)
Paula Giokaris ... wardrobe (uncredited)
Norman Martien ... wardrobe (uncredited)

Music Department

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Richard Carruth ... music editor
Duke Ellington ... musician: piano (uncredited)
Johnny Hodges ... musician (uncredited)
Billy Strayhorn ... musician: piano (uncredited)
Clark Terry ... musician (uncredited)
Britt Woodman ... musician (uncredited)

Script and Continuity Department

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Kathleen Fagan ... script supervisor

Additional Crew

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Saul Bass ... title designer
Otto Preminger ... presenter
Max Slater ... assistant to the producer
Robert E. Blair ... dog trainer (uncredited)
John Dunaway ... production secretary (uncredited)
Dave Golding ... publicist (uncredited)
William T. Hurtz ... director: animated titles (uncredited)
Jim Merrick ... publicist (uncredited)
Nat Rudich ... publicist (uncredited)
John D. Voelker ... technical advisor (uncredited)
Crew verified as complete

Production Companies

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Distributors

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Special Effects

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Other Companies

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Storyline

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Plot Summary

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 local paper has reported that the police surgeon can find no evidence that she has been raped. Manion is defended by Paul Biegler (James Stewart), a humble small-town lawyer and recently deposed district attorney. During the course of interviews, Biegler discovers that Manion is violently possessive and jealous, and also that his wife has a reputation for flirting with other men. Biegler realizes that the prosecution will try to make the court believe that Laura had been drunk and was picked up by the bartender and then her husband killed him and beat her up when he discovered they had been together. Manion pleads "not guilty" and Biegler, who knows that his case is weak, tries to find evidence that will save Manion. Written by alfiehitchie

Plot Keywords
Taglines Last year's No.1 best-seller ... This year's No.1 motion picture. See more »
Genres
Parents Guide View content advisory »
Certification

Additional Details

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Also Known As
  • Autopsie d'un meurtre (France)
  • Anatomie eines Mordes (Germany)
  • Anatomia d'un assassinat (Spain, Catalan title)
  • Anatomía de un asesinato (Spain)
  • Žmogžudystės anatomija (Lithuania)
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Runtime
  • 161 min
Country
Language
Color
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Sound Mix
Filming Locations

Did You Know?

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Trivia Part of the controversy surrounding this movie was because it included use of the words "bitch", "contraceptive", "panties", "penetration", "rape", "slut" and "sperm". See more »
Goofs When Biegler returns to his house at the start of the film, McCarthy points to the United States Supreme Court reports and asks if they should read "a little Chief Justice Holmes", and Biegler also refers to "Chief Justice Holmes". Oliver Wendell Holmes was an Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, never Chief Justice. (He was, however, Chief Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts before being appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.) See more »
Movie Connections Featured in Portrait of an Actor (1971). See more »
Quotes Paul Biegler: As a lawyer, I've had to learn that people aren't just good or just bad. People are many things.
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