Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
Directed by Fritz Lang
Written by Douglas Morrow
1956/USA
Bert E. Friedlob Productions
First viewing/Amazon Instant
[box] Austin Spencer: [to Garrett] You get engaged to my daughter, and all you can think about is capital punishment?[/box]
It seems 1956 was a year for wrong man movies. This Fritz Lang thriller is OK but not one of his finest.
Tom Garrett (Dana Andrews) is a reporter and budding novelist. His first book has been a success and he is preparing to marry Susan Spencer (Joan Fontaine), daughter of his boss, crusading editor Austin Spencer (Sidney Blackmer). Spencer has long been vocal in his opposition to the death penalty. He also opposes D.A. Roy Thompson, who he suspects of building a candidacy for governor on the backs of death row inmates.
Spencer claims that an innocent man can easily be convicted by a talented prosecutor on flimsy circumstantial evidence. Tom, who has a second book deadline looming, is not so sure. Then men get the idea of framing an innocent man for an unsolved murder. Tom volunteers to be the guinea pig and puts his engagement on hold. They decide not to inform Susan of the gambit.
The men select the murder of a stripper whose body is found dumped in a ditch. No evidence has been gathered from the murder scene and the police have no leads other than the vague description of a man in a tweed overcoat and brown hat. Tom and Spencer manufacture some elaborate clues leading to Tom. Spencer is careful to document the placing of the clues with Polaroid photographs.
Tom is arrested and tried. Can he avoid the death chamber?
This movie has a couple of nice twists that I enjoyed. I wasn’t crazy about it though. For one thing, I didn’t see how directly manufacturing evidence proved that an innocent man, who had not planted any evidence, could be convicted. Other than the corruption of justice theme that fascinated Lang throughout his career, I also did not detect any of the Master’s usual stylistic flourishes. It is perfectly watchable, however.
Trailer – SPOILER