Anatomy of a Murder

1959 · directed by Otto Preminger

Rating

87/100

Hit

yes

Semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes the case of Army Lt. Manion, who murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed that he raped her. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret.

Anatomy of a Murder (1959), directed by Otto Preminger, rates 87/100 — a hit. See how its director, cast and crew rate across their careers.

Cast

• James Stewart
• Lee Remick
• Ben Gazzara
• Arthur O'Connell
• Eve Arden
• Kathryn Grant
• George C. Scott
• Orson Bean
• Russ Brown
• Murray Hamilton

Crew

• Sam Leavitt — Director of Photography
• Louis R. Loeffler — Editor
• Duke Ellington — Original Music Composer
• Wendell Mayes — Screenplay

More from Otto Preminger

1. Laura (1944) — 87/100 · hit
2. Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) — 84/100 · hit
3. The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell (1955) — 81/100 · hit
4. Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965) — 76/100
5. Advise & Consent (1962) — 76/100
6. Whirlpool (1950) — 76/100

How these numbers work: Methodology