Inherit the Wind
Composite Score: 84.87
Starring: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan, Claude Akins, Elliott Reid, Paul Hartman, Philip Coolidge, and Florence Eldridge
Director: Stanley Kramer
Writers: Nedrick Young and Harold Jacob Smith
Genres: Biography, Drama, History
MPAA Rating: Passed
Box Office: $2.00 million worldwide
Why should you Watch This Film?
Inherit the Wind is the film adaptation of the play of the same name by Jerome Lawrence and Robert Edwin Lee, which is itself a fictionalized account of the 1925 Scopes “Monkey” Trial. The film stars Spencer Tracy as Henry Drummond – the fictional version of defense attorney Clarence Darrow – and Fredric March as Matthew Harrison Brady – fictional William Jennings Bryan – supported by Gene Kelly as cynical Baltimore journalist E. K. Hornbeck (a.k.a. H. L. Mencken) and Dick York as the accused Bertram T. Cates (a.k.a. John T. Scopes). It focuses on the issues of intellectual freedom, Christian fundamentalism, McCarthyism, and the progressivism of the youth while portraying a dramatized and mildly inaccurate version of history that ends up being a deeply engaging and still relevant courtroom drama. The film received four Oscar nominations – Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Lead Actor for Tracy – and remains one of the most important films for understanding the current state of religion and politics in the United States.
Why shouldn’t you Watch This Film?
People not strongly invested in the current sociopolitical state of American religion, and specifically Protestant Christianity, might not find this film quite as compelling as I did. The acting is phenomenal, the writing superb, and even visually, the film sets a striking tone, but that might not be enough to bring less interested parties to the table on a film that focuses heavily on issues of religion, politics, evolution, creationism, and the restriction of knowledge by a religiously informed government (also 1920s Tennessee education laws, failed presidential candidates, and anti-death penalty attorneys). All of these facets of the film push it further up my personal alley and into a very specific niche that seems geared toward me (similar in flavor to the likes of Elmer Gantry or All the King’s Men), but I can see how they might be uninteresting or even alienating for other audiences with different tastes and interests. I think this film is important for modern Americans to get a grasp of what has once again reared its head in the form of religio-fascistic bans on books, course restrictions, and reduced funding for teachers and public schools in this country. I also recognize that not everyone needs to watch a film to stoke their political discourse. Having read all of this, I hope you have some greater grasp now of what kind of film this particular play adaptation is.
So wait, why should you Watch This Film?
In order for any courtroom drama to be fully successful, it needs to have solid writing and acting, and this particular film has both in spades. In terms of its performances, the three main outsiders (Hornbeck, Drummond, and Brady) have the strongest actors delivering them. Kelly has the simplest role as the cynical, downtalking, witty reporter from Baltimore coming to the small town to poke fun at and raise awareness of the Christian fundamentalism and the ways that it has created a backwards system in fictional Hillsboro. He feels just slimy enough to not be fully trustworthy but also suave enough to deliver some truths in acceptable packaging, walking that tightrope skillfully in one of his best non-musical roles. Tracy was the lead who ultimately received an Oscar nomination for his role in this film, and he more than earned it. His interpretation of the agnostic Chicago lawyer who wants nothing more than a reinforcement of the freedom to think for oneself wows from start to finish. His courtroom clashes and his more personal external moments alike feature the actor’s ability to commit to the character and endear him to the audience. However, for me, the true star is the man who made Tracy’s success as Drummond possible: Fredric March as Matthew Harrison Brady. Is it an egregiously bombastic and bloviating performance? Absolutely. Does it go over the top and threaten to weave its way into pure comedy more than satire or social commentary at certain points? Sure, but I think it works perfectly in this particular film, portraying the W. J. Bryan stand-in as the washed up but still persuasive and just enough larger-than-life figure that the historical politician usually ended up being. It’s a strong role that contrasts well with Tracy’s grounded performance and probably should have earned both of them nominations in recognition of their partnership in making the film a success.
In terms of its writing, Inherit the Wind shines at all levels. Thematically, it remains incredibly relevant today, as I’ve already mentioned. Its story, while decently well-known, does not fail to grasp the viewers’ attention in that it feels like a case with far larger stakes than just the livelihood of a small-town Tennessee science teacher. What really helps the film sing, though, is its dialogue and the actual lines that could be ripped from the script and published on some Instagram deep quotes page and remain just as impactful. Drummond’s statement that “fanaticism and ignorance is forever busy, and needs feeding. And soon … we’ll be marching backward…” feels incredibly poignant for a film released in 1960, based on a play from 1955. His further statement about Brady’s interpretation of heaven and hell offers another example of dialogue that feels ahead of its time: “As long as the prerequisite for that shining paradise is ignorance, bigotry, and hate, I say the hell with it.” Hornbeck is also given plenty of zingers, but perhaps his most outstanding and still impactful is his statement when discussing the possibility that Cates might recant his stance on evolution that “Disillusionment is what little heroes are made of.” I could go on quoting statement after statement here that feels like it was taken out of a more modern discourse but suffice it to say that the screenplay nomination for Inherit the Wind was by no means an accident.
Incredibly modern and important themes couched in a brilliantly written and excellently acted two hours and eight minutes (give or take credits) earn Inherit the Wind a place of prominence among the Greatest Films of All Time. It might be a tougher film for some audiences to engage with, depending on interests and attention span, but anyone who watches it today will find a stunningly well-aged commentary on the need for freedom of thought, particularly in the realm of education, that bears hearing for anyone with an interest in the current state of affairs in the U.S. The film is currently available to stream on Amazon Prime Video if you’d like to check it out, and I personally recommend that you do.
