Inherit The Wind

Year: 1960

Grade: B+

Country: USA

Director: Kramer

Review

bought this on a whim tonight despite having never seen it or heard anything of much import about it. glad i did. this is a film like jfk – it’s obvious that the film has a message, it unabashedly carries a certain point of view, and, again, there is nothing wrong with that. there is, however, something wrong with not acknowledging that everyone has a point of view. as far as the film goes…it’s just great. it’s worthy of the four academy nominations it received and then some. spencer tracy’s character is excellent and he fills the shoes very nicely – he’s confident, but not cocky, he’s spirited, but not over-zealous like those on either side of him. he’s the voice of reason, but he has a conscience and holds beliefs i.e., he is rational and adopts a post-modern way, but is NOT a nihilist. on either side of him you have the prosecutor and the newspaper man. the journalist is played fairly well and the prosecutor is played very well by march. both are the extremes that tracy fight both against and for. a very fine story which is committed to film well.