While religion has often been a comfort for many, blind fanaticism has led to intolerance and persecution of others by those who adhere too rigidly to man-made interpretations of scripture.

Inherit the Wind is the fictionalized story of the real life Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925 where Scopes, a school teacher, was prosecuted for teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution in a Dayton, Tennessee school.

In real life, Scopes had been put up to his "crime" by the ACLU who wanted a test case to challenge the constitutionality of a Tennessee law making unlawful any teaching denying the divine creation of the world as taught by the Bible. They hired brilliant trial attorney Clarence Darrow to defend Scopes. Failed presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan handled the prosecution. The ACLU plan backfired because the judge limited the debate to whether or not Scopes taught evolution, which he had already admitted. Scopes was convicted and the law stayed on the books until 1967. This is likely the reason that the film released in 1960 used fictitious names, Scopes becoming Cates (Dick York), Darrow becoming Drummond (Spencer Tracy) and Bryan becoming Brady (Fredric March), the ACLU becoming a Baltimore newspaper.

The title comes from Proverbs 11:29, "He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind."

Stanley Kramer, a social commentator, directed Inherit the Wind with the idea of knocking the wind out of the creationists. Kramer produced and directed many social message films including Judgment at Nuremberg, which I liked, and Ship of Fools and High Noon which I detested. Inherit the Wind was also a reaction against the McCarthy hearings in the House Committee on Un-American Activities that blacklisted a number of celebrities, including the screenwriter of this film who had to take credit under an assumed name.

An early scene in the film delivers an ominous rendition of Give Me That Old Time Religion by a crowd of picketing citizens with a statue of blind justice in the foreground, economically establishing Kramer's view of the Establishment as glassy-eyed, conditioned fanatics.. The film quickly goes through the arrest and incarceration of Cates and moves quickly to the courtroom where it stays for the duration. Claude Akins does a good job playing the town's fundamentalist preacher with a hate-filled, sanctimonious air that is frankly revolting. The townsfolk who rally to his cries The Bible Is The Only Truth also repel the viewer. Clearly, we are playing against a stacked deck right from the beginning in this film! I would prefer to be persuaded by the dialog between the actors rather than being hit over the head by Kramer's heavy handed message delivery, but that's me.

The lawyers who work the case do a fabulous acting job; Fredric March as the bible-thumping fundamentalist Bryan and Spencer Tracy as the reasonable-sounding atheist Darrow. There are many great soliloquys by each actor and a rousing debate when they lock horns with Bryan called as an expert witness on the Bible, itself. Again, Kramer has stacked the deck; giving Spencer Tracy all the good reasonable-sounding ripostes and making Fredric March look fairly silly in comparison. However, each of the two principals do a good job with the material they are given to work with. Harry Morgan plays the judge.

Camera work and editing were good in this drama, particularly in the courtroom scenes. I would like to see the same material played without the liberal slant, however, Inherit the Wind is about as good as it gets for a courtroom drama.

For fans of the courtroom, I also highly recommend Witness for the Prosecution, Judgment at Nuremberg, and The Verdict.




Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening