Moral ambiguity in a courtroom drama has never been as complete as it is in Otto Preminger's 1959 film, Anatomy of a Murder, which is being released this week on Blu-ray by the Criterion Collection. There's no question about the murder at the center of the film's story; it's quite clear from the outset that a sullen young Army lieutenant played by Ben Gazzara has indeed killed a local barman suspected of raping his wife (Lee Remick). The ambiguity primarily revolves around attorney Paul Biegler (James Stewart), the reasons he accepts the case, and his vigorous defense of the unlikeable Lt. Manion.
When Anatomy of a Murder was released in 1959, it caused an uproar and was one center of Preminger's many battles with censors. Rape is described in unmistakable terms. Words like "panties," "sperm," and "completion" (meaning orgasm) are used repeatedly. The fact that we hardly notice the use of such language now allows us to move past it and get to the real -- and dense -- substance of the movie, which is still very much worth talking about.
Why would respected lawyer and former District Attorney Paul Biegler accept a case like this? We know that he needs the money -- his private practice has floundered since he lost the last election, and he spends most of his time fishing, unable even to pay his long-suffering secretary Maida (Eve Arden). But Lt. Manion is no fount of wealth; he can pay Biegler only with a little cash and a promissory note.
Abed Nadir: So you guys are going to Can't Buy Me Love me.Britta Perry: We're going to what?
Abed Nadir: Like the movie Can't Buy Me Love.
You're going to change me from zero to hero, geek to chic.
Troy Barnes: Oh, he means we're going to Love Don't
Cost a Thing him.
--From NBC's Community
Film and television audiences have often been fascinated with the romantic lives of social outcasts, most often in the context of the
awkward, fecklessly navigating what we think of as "normative" approaches to dating: dressing sharp, flirting, wine, dinner, and a progression of sexual acts using whichever sports metaphor to which you are so inclined. Through transformative makeover montages and popular kids learning to be less heinous, the message seems to be: "Hey, weirdo, assimilate to my ways a bit and I'll take this asshole routine down a notch. And this asshole may just end up being the love of your life."
Even in the magical land of Equestria, some folks are just plain rotten. And they often find their way to Ponyville.
Commentary / Sex and Sexuality Wicked Grounds Coffee House Reopens:
S.F. Regains a BDSM Community Hub
Posted By Chris Hall on Wed, Feb 22, 2012 at 11:30 AM
But like Mark Twain, it seems that reports of Wicked Grounds' demise have been exaggerated. Just as everyone had begun to come to terms with Wicked Grounds being dead and buried, the word went out in January that it was reopening.
Almost exactly one month after the café reopened, I found myself once again sitting across from owner Ryan Galiotto at a table in the middle of Wicked Grounds. When I interviewed him in October, his voice trembled with with grief and exhaustion. After working a busy four-hour shift, the exhaustion was still there, but braced by a sense of satisfaction and relief.
"It's like I've used two of my nine lives on this place," he said. "I'm so grateful for the doors being open again."
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