To watch a movie with James Stewart is to spend time with an old friend. He has the warmest voice and personality to have possibly ever appeared on the silver screen. In looking at his impressive filmography, I was surprised to see I haven’t seen too many of his films. Of the major ones he did over his entire career, I’ve seen Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, It’s a Wonderful Life, Harvey, and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, plus, of course, the four films he did for Alfred Hitchcock. If he had been in half the classics he was in, he’d be considered a legendary star today. The fact that he’s in all these movies is astounding. And there’s another great one to add to the list. Anatomy of a Murder is famous for having the longest trial ever played out on film. At nearly three hours at length, this is not a brief picture by any means. It’s a very good film, although watching it so soon after the brilliance of 12 Angry Men brought it down in quality for me a little. I just wasn’t as compelled with the case as much in this film, dealing with a rape and a murder. But the good pacing and terrific performance by Stewart keep things moving, and I found myself getting involved more and more as the movie went on. It was also a nice surprise to see two other familiar faces, namely George C Scott as an Assistant State Attourney. Stewart would go on to act for another couple decades, but this and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance would be his last memorable pieces of work. He may be best remembered for his work with Alfred Hitchcock and It’s a Wonderful Life, but there is a lot of great material out with Stewart that people need to check out, starting with myself. I know there’s a lot more. Any suggestions?