a murder, a person, and a face ...

Anatomy of a Murder (1959) - Oh.My.God. Brilliant. Just fucking brilliant. I haven't seen a movie this awesome in a long, long time. I'm not usually into courtroom dramas but this one can not be ignored! Starring James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara and George C. Scott. Stewart plays Paul Biegler, a country attorney who decides to defend an almost impossible murder case. The victim is accused of murdering a man who apparently raped his wife. The wife, played by Remick, is a flaunty, flirty, care-free type of woman who steals every scene she's in. And talk about a powerhouse of supporting actors here! Amazing. The best scenes in the movie are the courtroom scenes (though some of them are a tad long) with Stewart and Scott (who plays a slick criminal lawyer from the big city) sparring the hell out of each other. Again, amazing! The subject matter brushed on issues that I think were way before it's time - rape, "climaxing", semen, etc. You haven't really lived until you hear Jimmy Stewart talking about climaxing in a woman. Plus, there was some funny ass lines during the cross examinations. Clocking in at a hefty 2 hr 40 mins., though I didn't really notice. Excellent direction by Otto Preminger. Watch for a brief (but dramatic) cameo by none other than Floyd the Barber!


Demetri Martin. Person. (2007) - A comedian I have never heard of, Demetri Martin kinda reminded me of my friend Steve (I don't mean it in a bad way) looks wise. Maybe a tad? Anyspray ... pretty funny, witty observations about random things. I laughed alot. It wasn't crude, dirty, or bogged down with foul language ... but he's totally not for everyone. He comes out on stage, does a bit of stand up, then he rolls out a giant pad and points out stuff he drew on the pad, then he sings some songs. Which are all really funny. But funny in way where you're like "I'm glad I watched that" but then you forget it. I can't even remember the jokes, and I just watched it last night! But all I know is that I laughed my ass off all the way through it. So, I'm not sure if that's a bad thing or not ... maybe his comedic style isn't leaving a lasting impression on me ...

Man of a Thousand Faces (1957) - Being the huge James Cagney fan that I am - OF COURSE I have already watched this. Many times. But it recently came out on DVD and I was itching to see how well they did. EXCELLENT on DVD. They did a great job! Cagney plays Lon Chaney the "man of a thousand faces" ... it chronicles his life from his childhood growing up with deaf parents to his early start as a vaudeville actor and his rocky marriage, to his slow climb in the movies. While in vaudeville his wife "Cleva" played by the very beautiful Dorothy Malone, is jealous of Lon's success. She finds out she is pregnant so this is good news, yes? Not really, because Lon never told her his parents are mute. And when she finds out in person she flips the fuck out, yells that she doesn't want to have a freak baby and wants it dead. Ouch! So yeah, their marriage starts off badly .... and continues to be bad. The baby, which they name Creighton, is fine (and yep, you guessed it, he's Lon Chaney Jr!). The movie is much more than this, though. But this is very important to the movie ... and how all this effects Chaney personally, and with his work. You begin to understand the method to his characters all stem from something from his past, usually bad! And some of his famous roles are re-created here (Phantom of the Opera, Hunchback of Notre Dame) and what an amazing job they did doing so. Great supporting cast - ESPECIALLY Jim Backus (Mr. Howell!!!!) And also ... you all know I have to mention this: this movie has Robert Evans very first starring role (as Irving Thalberg) ... and if you haven't yet ... READ HIS FUCKING BOOK!

Demetri Martin reminds me of Mitch Hedberg a little. He's a little better than Mitch and not as good as Jim Gaffigan. I got his album...

What makes Anatomy of A Murder different from the typical courtroom drama is the defendant, Frederick Manion (Ben Gazzara). Not only is he guilty, he also isn't particularly likeable either and may be a wife beater to boot. However, this doesn't stop the audience from rooting for his lawyer Paul Biegler (James Stewart) to succeed, and in fact, the guilt or innocence of his client matters little (to us or to him). What seems to motivate Biegler in his representation of such a genuine creep seems to be nothing more than a desire for revenge, or at the least, one-upmanship. He was once an elected district attorney, now relegated to semi-retirement and bass fishing, while his replacement seems to be a mediocre lawyer. When Mrs. Manion calls, he's only too happy to take the case, especially at the urging of his aged alcoholic attorney friend, Parnell McCarthy (Arthur O'Connell). Mrs. Manion tells Biegler the events leading up to the murder her husband committed, mainly her rape and beating at the hands of the local bar owner. But she doesn't act like a rape victim, flirting with her husband's lawyer rather shamelessly. The husband actually has no money to pay Biegler, so why does he work so hard to build a case for him? The bulk of the movie takes place in the courtroom, and it's courtroom drama at it's best. Biegler puts on the act of a smalltown lawyer, victimized when the state's attorney (George C. Scott, in a rather sinister role) comes in to assist the prosecution. The judge provides some dry wit as he tries to wrangle the lawyers and keep them from duking it out in the courtroom. It's amazing to see these characters leading each other down the paths they want them to follow, only to jerk the rug out from under them at the perfect, key moment. It works both for the lawyers and the clients they represent. Did I mention Duke Ellington provides a marvelous musical score? The whole film as a tone similar to "In Cold Blood", only with so much more charisma and depth on display here. It's a great feel and a great tone to an outstanding picture. And I can't say enough good things about it, so I won't even try.
***** out of *****