CALL NORTHSIDE 777

CALL NORTHSIDE 777 - 1948

RATED - NR but probably G/PG for mature themes. Family friendly but probably not of interest for young children.

RATINGS - 39 Amazon (4.5/5), 17,476 Netflix (3.7/5), 2,393 IMDB (7.5/10).

STARRING - James Stewart, Lee J. Cobb, Helen Walker, Richard Conte.

AWARDS - 1949 EDGAR (Mystery Writers Association) for Best Motion Picture.

THEMES - Justice, relationships.

STORY - Based on a true story, this docudrama-like film is the story of how police corruption in 1930's Chicago resulted in the wrongful conviction of Frank Wiecek for killing a policeman. A newspaper reporter for the Chicago Times (Stewart) responds to a two line personal ad offering a $5000 reward (a large sum then) for information helping to overturn the verdict 11 years later. He finds a hard working, floor scrubbing woman who is the mother of Wiecek. Since his conviction she has worked and saved every penny to free her son. Stewart is initially unconvinced but writes a sympathy article to promote her cause. Little by little, things come to light that indicate there may be some truth to her beliefs. Once convinced, he is relentless in his pursuit of freeing this man he now believes to be innocent. He reaches dead end after dead end but, finally, with time running out, he finds what he's looking for. Will it be enough and will it be in time? In addition to a very interesting story (and great acting by Stewart, etc) much of the film is shot on location in and around Chicago. Definitely an overlooked gem of Jimmy Stewart's great career. If you like law & order and courtroom dramas you will enjoy this. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 01/01/2010.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, WIKIPEDIA.

ANATOMY OF A MURDER

ANATOMY OF A MURDER - 1959

RATED - NR but probably PG for adult themes including frank but not graphic discussion of rape in the courtroom.

RATINGS - 82 Amazon (4.5/5), 141,689 Netflix (4.0/5), 10,101 IMDB (8.1/10).

STARRING - James Stewart, Lee Remick, Ben Gazzara, Eve Arden, Arthur O'Connell. Directed by Otto Preminger.

AWARDS - 7 Academy Award nominations including BEST PICTURE & BEST ACTOR (Stewart). AFI Top 100 THRILLS & Top 100 MOVIES nominations. Recently named AFI All Time Top 10 COURTROOM DRAMA. BAFTA nominee for BEST PICTURE & BEST ACTOR. 4 Golden Globe nominations including BEST MOTION PICTURE.

STORY - This Otto Preminger directed film is vintage Jimmy Stewart who plays a country lawyer recently voted out of the county prosecutors office he held for many years. Fishing seems to have replaced legal work and as the film opens his long time secretary (Arden) is asking for enough money to cover her pay check. He needs a case to bring in some fees. Laura Manion (Remick) shows up looking for a lawyer to defend her Army officer husband, Lt. Frederick Manion (Gazzara) who is accused of murdering a local bartender who apparently raped Mrs. Manion. Nothing seems to be like it appears. A lie detector test on Mrs. Manion says one thing and the forensic evidence taken after the alleged rape seems to say the opposite. They seem to be happily married but Mrs. Manion is often seen in public without her husband and in the company of other men. Lt. Manion seems a solid citizen soldier but is he always that way in private? Can Stewart defend him on the basis of temporary insanity? A great performance by Stewart as well as by everyone else with many surprise turns. As great as Stewart's performance is, the movie would not be what is without a terrific, albeit somewhat minor, performance by Joseph Welch as the retired judge who is filling in for the regular judge. With a dry sense of humor and perfect timing, he makes the courtroom scenes so outstanding. A genuine classic. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 06-21-2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TRAILER