USA,
1960, 128 min
Directed by:
Stanley KramerCinematography:
Ernest LaszloComposer:
Ernest GoldCast:
Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Gene Kelly, Dick York, Donna Anderson, Harry Morgan, Claude Akins, Elliott Reid, Paul Hartman, Philip Coolidge, Jimmy Boyd (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
Bertram T. Cates is arrested and put on trial for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in his classroom. The incident causes a furor in the religious southern community he lives in and Matthew Harrison Brady, a famous fundamentalist attorney, arrives to prosecute the young teacher. Luckily for Cates, the equally-acclaimed lawyer Henry Drummond agrees to defend him. As a result, the two master attorneys square off in the courtroom while the teacher's life hangs in the balance. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Awards
- Winner
- Nominations
Academy Awards
- 1961 - Spencer Tracy (Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role)
- 1961 - Harold Jacob Smith, Nedrick Young (Best Adapted Screenplay)
- 1961 - Ernest Laszlo (Best Cinematography (Black-and-White))
- 1961 - Best Achievement in Film Editing
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
- 1961 - Best Film
- 1961 - Fredric March (Best Foreign Actor)
- 1961 - Spencer Tracy (Best Foreign Actor)
Golden Globes
- 1961 - Best Motion Picture – Drama
- 1961 - Spencer Tracy (Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama)
Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival)
- 1960 - Fredric March (Silver Bear for Best Actor)
- 1960 - Stanley Kramer (Golden Bear for Best Film)