A hard-line judge is tempted toward mercy-killing by his wife's terminal cancer.A hard-line judge is tempted toward mercy-killing by his wife's terminal cancer.A hard-line judge is tempted toward mercy-killing by his wife's terminal cancer.
- Awards
- 1 nomination
Charles Bedell
- Barker
- (uncredited)
Maurice Brierre
- Pedestrian
- (uncredited)
Paul E. Burns
- Old Man with Dog
- (uncredited)
Joël Colin
- Boy
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThis movie marks the first use of "Courthouse Square", the iconic set/location seen in "Back to the Future" and countless other movies and TV shows. The courthouse facade was built for this movie.
- GoofsNeither the city nor county where the courthouse is said to be located and the majority of the movie take place, are actual places in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- Quotes
Doctor Walter Morrison: What is incurable today is curable next Wednesday.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Movies Are Adventure (1948)
Featured review
Excellent but it loses its way towards the end.
I watched "An Act of Murder" because I love the actors Frederic March and Edmund O'Brien. Both were Oscar-winning actors who were not exactly handsome (especially as they aged) and managed to give one impressive performance after another over the decades. Sadly, however, despite having two excellent stars, the film lost its momentum towards the end.
When the film begins, March plays a tough-as-nails judge and O'Brien a bleeding-heart defense attorney. The two don't like each other all that much--and late in the film, O'Brien's character comes to the judge's defense when he's on trial for a mercy killing. In between is the part of the film I loved most--and which is totally obscured by the ending which is filled with speechifying and some bizarre behavior by March's character. It's a shame, as the idea of mercy killing and medical ethics are really interesting topics and it's pretty amazing to see them talked about in the 1940s, as usually films deliberately avoided this back in the day.
When the film begins, March plays a tough-as-nails judge and O'Brien a bleeding-heart defense attorney. The two don't like each other all that much--and late in the film, O'Brien's character comes to the judge's defense when he's on trial for a mercy killing. In between is the part of the film I loved most--and which is totally obscured by the ending which is filled with speechifying and some bizarre behavior by March's character. It's a shame, as the idea of mercy killing and medical ethics are really interesting topics and it's pretty amazing to see them talked about in the 1940s, as usually films deliberately avoided this back in the day.
helpful•42
- planktonrules
- Aug 30, 2014
- How long is An Act of Murder?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Live Today for Tomorrow
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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