Inherit the Wind
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Movie Reviews of Inherit the Wind
Movie Review: Perhaps A Sponge Thinks More Than We
Summary: 5 Stars
Too many have dissected this true classic, loosely based on the Scopes "Monkey" Trial in Tennessee back in the 1920s. Spencer Tracy plays a brilliant variation on Clarence Darrow. Therefore, I have only a couple of (I hope) fresh observations:
1. This film really breathes life. I wish I had some idea of where and how it was filmed. The thoughtfulness of it is Kurosawa-esque.
2. Frederic March as Brady-the-weird-politician is most annoying. Like most politicians, one cannot really get a feel for this man's motives, or decide whether one likes or hates him.
3. I wonder how many people realize Frederic March was the first actor to make a huge splash as Dr. Jekyll...and about a decade later, Tracy took a shot at the role too.
4. The addition of Gene Kelly as the obnoxious newspaper reporter is most unnecessary and takes away from this film. He makes pathetic attempts at Groucho Marx one-liners in certain parts of the film. Awful. Otherwise he does a great job in this film as the representative of America's true conscience.
5. I believe every person in America should watch this film...especially the younger audience who knows nothing about anything. The nasty Christian right-wing in this country is clearly nothing new...kids should see this behavior for themselves, and this film does a grand job. What is most frightening is Tracy's character is so accepting of it, and the young teacher (a nice early performance by Dick Sargent) is himself a (moderate) Bible-thumper.
Very pertinent to today is the trial itself: creationism vs. evolution (or, rather, Darwinism, which I always liked better as a term anyway). I'd be willing to bet that the modern Christian right hates this film today as much as they probably did when it was first released.
6. I wonder if the death scene of Ole Man Brady is based on a real event during the Scopes trial.
Enjoy this masterful, never-to-be-repeated cinematic marvel.
Movie Review: Ten Reasons to Watch, Learn and Evolve
Summary: 5 Stars
10. It removes the issues from history. The Scopes trial was a publicity stunt that had a limited effect, and muted participants.9. It demonstrates how ensemble acting reflects a libertarian society to which we can all strive.
8. Type-casting and against-type-casting are equally balanced.
7. It lifts reasoning up by way of demonstration, i.e., proof.
6. The anti-McCarthyism points were not obvious, but are still merited.
5. Points of view are shown to be what they are, ever-changing.
4. The core issue of the place of religion in science is not lost, but made clear.
3. The best and worst in religion and science are scored easily by centering on the people who apply them, their selfishness, and thier selflessness, both shown for effect.
2. A rarely seen, important point is made at the end:
Atheists can believe in God. It is not that complicated. God does not exist. But I believe in God anyway. Why. Because faith is in essence the human imagination, and the faculty of reason provides enough meat that faith can be the candy. Belief does not have to be reasonable, it is all in your head anyway. That is what faith is, believing in what you know is not so, for comfort, pragmatically. The sinner is "Without God". The bible says that we are all "Seperate from", or "Without God." Atheism means " Without God." We are all atheists, believing if we choose, in god, by way of faith, the imagination, because it helps us to get along with each other, rather that obeying more powerful people overtly. Simple.
1. Finally, the character of Drummond comes across with a point that must be restated repeatedly:
The Bible is a good book, but not the only one. It contains many truths, but it does not need to be true in order to carry those truths.
There is so much in this film that provokes great thought, I just cannot "Praise it enough."
Movie Review: Review of the film, NOT the point of view
Summary: 5 Stars
People have written previously here about how this is a totally distorted representation of the Scopes trial, how things were much more amenable in real life, etc. Sure, I know this and recognize that factually, sure, you're right.But what this movie adaptation of an award-winning stage play does, what all good art does, is it gets past what is or was reality to show us what really was and is in the human psyche -- in this case to show not what really happened in the Scopes trial but what people in this nation FELT was happening, how people across the country saw it in their own minds, and how it affected them. Reality's boring and messy and people don't like to pay to sit & watch reality for 2 hours when they can do it for free at home. They want a story, and they want a story that means something, and I feel ItW certainly means something to those who see it. One thing the True Believers here who'd like to review what they think is the movie's bias rather than its quality and story fail to see is that this is a very even-handed treatment that gives every side its due and seeks a compromised middle path. If the Bryan character is a gluttonous blowhard on the downslope of his political career, the Mencken character is a self-absorbed dandy fool who loves nothing more than the sound of his own voice and would rather make news than report facts.
Like Griffith's Birth of a Nation, Inherit the Wind takes alot of hits for points of view presented in the film. What we have to do as critical movie viewers though is look beyond the point of view to the quality of the storytelling and effectiveness of the use of the medium. In both cases I find them stunning, and I think anyone who rents Inherit the Wind will find themselves both entertained and challenged.
Movie Review: Fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy, and needs feeding
Summary: 5 Stars
No truer words were spoken by Henry Drummond in the movie "Inherit the Wind" in defense of teacher Bertram T. Cates who dared to think and feel differently; and who committed a mortal sin at least in Tennesee when he discussed evolution in his classroom.
This movie forty years later is brilliant in its defense of civil liberties; Frederic March, Spencer Tracey and Gene Kelly gave spellbound performances.
One of the best lines in the movie and there were very many was spoken by Frederic March who played lawyer Matthew Brady; this line was at the core of the movie's theme and even its title. Brady said, "Remember the wisdom of Solomon in the book of Proverbs. "He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind."
It was a remarkable display of the many reasons why there should be a strong separation of church and state and how the most noble and most spiritual of beliefs (if too zealous) can become fanatical and breed contempt.
For those of you familiar with the Scopes Trial, this is a blend of fact and fiction. Two great lawyers argued that case: Clarence Darrow for the defense and Wiliam Jennings Bryan for the prosecution. H.L. Mencken of the Baltimore Evening Sun was the real life E. K. Hornbeck. The verdict ended up being appealed and dismissed.
This was one spicy drama with a caliber of acting one rarely sees any longer. I strongly recommend this film. Spencer Tracey for his portrayal of Henry Drummond won the Oscar for Best Actor in 1961!
Bentley/2009
Movie Review: Strangely, this film may be more relevant today than when it was made
Summary: 5 Stars
Inherit the Wind is the broad fictional adaptation of the real-life Scopes Monkey Trial in which John Scopes, a football coach who taught evolution in a high school classroom, was put on trial and the city of Dayton, Tennessee was put on the map... and not in a particularly pleasing light.
Spencer Tracy and Frederic March turn out tremendously powerful performances as opposing lawyers in the trial, while Gene Kelly stands aloofly by as a flippant reporter for the Boston Globe.
What is especially striking about Inherit the Wind is the relevance of the movie (almost 50 years later) to the current political atmosphere. In the 20's the law said that evolution couldn't be taught, and now it's creationism that can't be taught. As Tracy's Henry Drummond says in the film, "Well, that's evolution for you."
The acting throughout the film is outstanding and it hardly feels like a two hour film, particularly in black and white. The entire film builds momentum until it all comes to a head at the very end with the showdown between Drummond (Tracy) and Brady (March). This is not a film to be missed if you're at all interested in history (although it's a loose adaptation) and the current intelligent design debate.
Included on the disc is the original trailer for the film, which features a few clips from the film and then director Stanley Kramer discussing the film and listing awards that it won in festivals. It's interesting to see a trailer this old and compare it to our current trailers.