Inherit the Wind (1960) - PG
Common Sense Note
Parents should know that kids will hear some mild swearing. A scene in which a jailed teacher is burned in effigy by a menacing crowd might disturb sensitive kids. The movies raises issues of creatonism vs. evolution.
Families who see this film might discuss the advantages and limitations of using movies to dramatize historical events. Can movies tell the story of events in ways that other media, such as books or radio, can't? How much of an event can you show in a couple of hours and how do you decide what to leave out? Do you think that the real lawyers arguing this case were swayed slightly towards the others' positions by the end of the trial, as is portrayed here? Or is this simply a device for tying up the story in a neat bow?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Ellen MacKay
Everything that a legal drama ought to be, featuring stand-out performancesby two Hollywood greats. Deft comic touches and a clear storyline make this a sophisticated film that is still accessible to kids.
Science teacher Bert Cates (Dick York) is jailed for teaching Darwin's theory of evolution in the fundamentalist community of Hillsboro, Tennessee. The town is caught in the national spotlight when two legal heavyweights take on the case: former Presidential candidate Matthew Harrison Brady (Frederic March) for the prosecution, and ACLU founder Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy) for the defense. Brady and Drummond, known in real life as William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow, mesmerize crowds as they wrestle with the still timely issue of the separation of church and state.
The lawyers are the heroes in this exciting retelling of the watershed trial. Seem unlikely? Even unpleasant? Not if they're played by Tracy and March. These larger than life presences star as the former allies pitted against each other. Each character eventually questions his beliefs. Brady's narrow interpretation of the Christian Bible is stretched to include modern science; the atheistic Drummond ends up reconsidering his doubts about God.
But don't worry about heavy-duty moralizing, INHERIT THE WIND is surprisingly light, with a wry sense of humor. As curiosity seekers flood Hillsboro during the trial, residents imagine all sorts of ways of cashing in, each more preposterous than the next. A local merchant even hawks Eskimo pies as the verdict is read. An 11 year-old Spencer Tracy fan laughed at these moments and liked the film almost as much as Adam's Rib, a courtroom comedy also featuring Tracy.
Because Inherit the Wind is about what teachers are allowed to teach, the film speaks to younger viewers more directly than an adult might suspect. Unlike most courtroom dramas, this movie refuses to reduce complicated issues into simplistic ones. It also shows that it is worthwhile to fight for your beliefs. As Drummond explains, the only pathetic person is the one who is too cynical to believe in anything, a worthy message to offer to kids and adults alike.
Rate It!
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ViolenceNone, but a threating scene in which a jailed teacher is burned in effigy might disturb sensitive kids. |
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LanguageMild cursing. |
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Social BehaviorThe movies raises issues of creatonism vs. evolution. |
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