Inherit the Wind

Starring: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan, Claude Akins, Elliott Reid, Paul Hartman, Philip Coolidge, Jimmy Boyd, Norman Fell, Florence Eldridge
Directed by: Stanley Kramer
Rating: Passed
Genre: Drama
1960

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two lawyers (Spencer Tracy, Fredrick March) battle in a Tennessee courtroom after the town arrests a teacher (Dick York) for teaching his students Darwin's new theory of evolution.

Review:

Tim: There's definitely been a long history of truly great courtroom dramas, and you can add Inherit the Wind to that list. This film might be described as a more "minor" great courtroom drama, but that doesn't take anything away from the fact that Stanley Kramer directs a great film here. When I first sat down to watch the film, I had no idea what it was about. Quickly, I was excited to see that it was a fictionalized version of the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. It was based on a 1955 play, so you know the source material was pretty good. It's a film that allows its cast to deliver powerhouse performances, plus it tackles some major themes. All in all, it's a film that is absolutely worth seeing.

It's worth noting that sadly, the themes discussed here are strangely appropriate for 2023, when I watched this movie. On trial here is the right of people to think. The arrested teacher was charged with the crime of teaching evolution, which according to some Bible thumpers, conflicts with the teachings in the good book. Nevermind the ability to document and prove Darwin's work, nevermind the glaring issues with many parts of the Bible (I've read it, so I know). The Bible is truth and anything that contradicts my beliefs is heresy, the work of the devil. The idea of Christians burying their heads in the sand, ignoring logic and reason, and rigidly clinging to their beliefs still happens today. They purposely set up a clash between Religion and Science. That's the framing for some of this movie. But, like Spencer Tracey's character, we know this is a pointless endeavor. There's room for both Religion and Science in our lives, throughout humanity. You shouldn't have one without the other. But, this is 1960, depicting the 1950s, and this was a hot button topic of the day. It's fascinating to see this battle being waged in the courtroom. I love that this film tackled some controversial issues, as it can easily be seen as a parable for other situations. When you consider the red scare, how Hollywood was embroiled in "Communist" blacklists, it took a certain amount of courage from Stanley Kramer (and writer Nedrick Young, who actually was blacklisted) to bring this film to theaters. The idea of men and women acting out fear and ignorance likely felt very relevant in 1960, much as it still does today.

While the subject matter is excellent and the film digs deeply into it, the cast is what really puts this film ahead. You have to start with Spencer Tracy, one of the finest actors of all time. I truly believe that. He gives an absolutely astounding performance. He has big, fiery speeches. He has quiet, intimate moments of reflection. The range he shows in this performance is truly impressive. What really blew me away, though, was that every single thing he does on screen felt completely authentic and natural. There wasn't a single second where I felt like he was acting. He had this ability to focus in on himself, where he genuinely feels unaware of the cameras. He pulls our attention toward himself in big ways and small. Tracy was unsurprisingly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. While I loved the winning performance of Burt Lancaster in Elmer Gantry, Tracy had an argument for winning, too. It's a tremendous performance. Fredric March made for an incredible foil for Tracy. Matthew Harrison Brady is an undeniably memorable character and March plays him with energy and gusto. He has so many big moments, it's such a larger-than-life performance. March revels in this. He knows the man's flaws and he wants us to see them, even as the character himself is fairly convinced he's perfect. It's a wonderful portrayal of a man who believes he's God's chosen one, and everything that comes along with that. Tracy vs. March is what really made this movie. These two go toe-to-toe continuously throughout the film and it's incredibly entertaining to watch them battle. Now, I did want to highlight one difference. My intention here is to praise Tracy, not to downplay March. March's performance is really good- but it felt many times that he was "acting". You could see it on his face, the effort he put into his performance. That's fine, but when you contrast it with Tracy, you're amazed. It really shows how wonderful Tracy is, where it never feels like he's acting for a second. So, March was very good, but Tracy was just in another world.

The supporting cast is strong. Gene Kelly was enjoyable in his supporting role. He brings glee to everything he does. You can kind of tell Kelly realized the opportunity he had in front of him. He tries to steal every scene he's in, and on occasion, is able to. I didn't love his performance, but I did like what he brought to the cast. He makes the movie better. Dick York is a bit restrained in his performance, but it was believable. I enjoyed his acting here. I wish Donna Anderson had a bit more to do- she's really good whenever she is on screen. Harry Morgan was quite memorable as the judge. His performance hits all the right notes. Elliott Reid didn't get a lot to do, but every time he spoke, you paid attention. Florence Eldridge was wonderful- every one of her scenes sparkled and I wish she had more screen time. The whole supporting cast really did help elevate the movie.

I really did love Inherit the Wind. My one big complaint is that it sacrificed a good deal of believability for the sake of telling the story it wanted to tell. Many of the scenes in the courtroom aren't believable. The film has no problem sacrificing authenticity or logic for the sake of drama. This makes the movie very entertaining, but you have to kind of acknowledge it's playing hard and fast with what actually happens inside a courtroom. I wish they had tried a bit harder to make you feel like the events on screen could have actually happened this way. As is, you have to accept this is a parable, not a very realistic depiction of the actual event. That didn't greatly hurt the story, but it does impact the overall experience just a bit.

Inherit the Wind is a great movie, though. In addition to Tracy's nomination, it was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography B&W, and Best Film Editing. It's a shame that despite 4 Academy Award nominations, it didn't manage to win any. That's a bit disappointing. Still, I really did love this movie and would unhesitatingly revisit it at some point in the future. They don't make movies like this anymore.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Anatomy of a Murder, 12 Angry Men, Judgment at Nuremberg