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The early 1920s found the very social fabric of American culture to be in chaotic conflict. While the traditionalists worried that everything held sacred and valuable to American culture was coming to an abrupt end, the intellectualists no longer asked whether society would approve of their behavior, only whether their behavior would meet the approval of their intellect. Intellectual experimentation flourished and belief systems were behaviorally pushed to the limits. Americans took "French" kissing to the streets, debated abstract art, danced to the sounds of Jazz, showed their contempt for alcoholic prohibition, and openly discussed Freudian theories. In a response to the new social order inspired by intellectualism, a wave of revivalism simultaneously developed. Journalists were looking for a showdown and they found one in a small, hot courtroom in the summer of 1925 in a Dayton, Tennessee. There, a jury was to decide the fate of one man – John Scopes, a high school biology teacher who was charged with illegally teaching the theory of evolution. The guilt or innocence of John Scopes and even the constitutionality of Tennessee's anti-evolution statute, were of little interest. The meaning of the trial emerged through its interpretation as a conflict between traditional and intellectual values when two great lawyers (Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan) would passionately battle in a hot courtroom creationism versus evolutionism. This is the plot dramatized in the movie, Inherit The Wind (1960), an amazingly absorbing and very enlightening film. Although the characters have fictional names in the film, the movie is a fairly historical depiction of the Scopes trial and much of the courtroom dialogue was even taken from the actual trial transcripts. This powerful movie opens with the arrest of high school teacher Bertram Cates (portraying Scopes as Dick York) for teaching The Origin of Species (1872) by Charles Darwin. Soon, journalist and columnist E. K. Hornbeck (representing H. L. Mencken who covered the Scopes Trial as Gene Kelly) informs Cates that his newspaper will pay for his legal defense. And the dramatic courtroom drama unfolds when the famous lawyer Henry Drummond (representing Clarence Darrow as Spencer Tracy) agrees to defend Cates against the three-time Democratic Presidential candidate and fundamental prosecutor, Matthew Harrison Brady (depicting William Jennings Bryan as Fredric March). The trial begins and soon Henry Drummond feels very lonely in an overheated courtroom filled with biased jurors, religious zealots, and a small town Judge (Harry Morgan) who does not approve of zoologists, archaeologists, geologists, and anthropologists as expert witnesses. The courtroom showdown and subplot performances do allow for some unanticipated fireworks that appear to explode along the full ranges of emotions. Brilliantly directed by Stanley Kramer, this film illustrates the spark and energy provided by the greats of our past that are frequently missing in the vast majority of modern performances. Spencer Tracy is sensational as usual with his seamless, effortless naturalism. He is certainly a master at this art and is truly a joy to watch. Fredric March is also impressive and the other characters all seem to rise to the occasion including Henry Morgan as Judge Mel and Claude Akins as the compulsive zealous Reverend Brown. Even Dick York with his small part playing his typical role as "the All-American boy" is preformed well and the interesting and introspective final scene between Gene Kelly and Spencer Tracy appears so graceful and natural and yet enthralling all at the same time. This film is one of those few treasures where every element of filmmaking and all the characters came together to make this a truly remarkable and very entertaining movie. Regardless on which side of the fence your personal philosophies may fall and despite the numerous scenes of religious fanaticism, you will walk away from this classic movie with greater respect for opposing views and a deeper appreciation into the human need for everyone to believe in something. Otherwise, you too may "inherit the wind." As a quick side note, I would like to add that the town of Dayton, Tennessee has a Scopes Trial Festival every year in the middle of July and each year the Scopes Trial is reenacted in the courthouse where the actual hearing took place. The play, "Monkey in the Middle" is taken almost in its entirety from the court transcripts, gives an accurate summary of actual events, and is well worth visiting. For the people of Dayton, this trial lives today, not as a social conflict, but much like it did then as a publicity stunt used to prosper this small and seemingly still forgotten town. email this review to a friend
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