Anatomy of a Murder

Paul Biegler, ex-district attorney in upstate Michigan, devotes most of his time to his hobbies of fishing and jazz until he is lured out of early retirement by a fascinating case: an army lieutenant has murdered a bar owner who allegedly raped his flighty wife. But the course of events becomes increasingly opaque the deeper Biegler delves into the case. Film as trial. Not the clear-cut ‘Anatomy of a Murder’ that the title promises, but a multi-layered study of law and justice as a comédie humaine: the judicial system in interplay with the characters' self-interests. Their strengths and weaknesses are developed in great detail with Preminger's proverbial objectivity, consistently superb acting and black humour, and the tension is naturally heightened against the formulas of the courtroom film. Instead of resolution through dubious truth-finding: a triumphant, even rousing victory of ambiguity. (Christoph Huber)

Photo: Österreichisches Filmmuseum