Inherit the Wind
A principled defense attorney turns a small-town trial over evolution into a searching confrontation between intellectual freedom and religious authority.
Overview
A gripping courtroom drama that challenges the boundaries of education and belief.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- serious
- rhetorical
- thought-provoking
- classic film evening
- history discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as a compelling, sharply acted courtroom drama whose liberal defense of free inquiry is carried by powerful performances and forceful rhetoric.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Henry Drummond and Matthew Brady use examination, speeches, and argument to turn the trial into a debate over evolution, faith, and intellectual freedom.
The plot openly reworks the 1925 Scopes monkey trial and borrows debates from the Darrow-Bryan transcripts while changing names and details.
Teacher B.T. Cates is arrested for teaching Darwinian evolution, placing scientific investigation against religiously enforced orthodoxy.
The film derives its tension from courtroom speeches, witness examination, political rhetoric, and clashes among lawyers, politicians, journalists, and townspeople.
Films like Inherit the Wind, and why
A Few Good Men
shared courtroom drama, freedom of thought, and conflict between secular reasoning and religious authority
Judgment at Nuremberg
shared trial-film structure, moral argumentation, and socially consequential legal confrontation
To Kill a Mockingbird
shared historical courtroom setting, principled advocacy, and critique of institutional prejudice
The Trial of the Chicago 7
shared rhetoric-driven drama about public ideology, political power, and contested truth
Movie Details
- Director
- Stanley Kramer
- Release Date
- 1960-07-07
- Runtime
- 128 min
- Rating
- 7.7 / 10 (492)
Cast
- Spencer Tracy
- Fredric March
- Gene Kelly
- Dick York
- Donna Anderson
- Harry Morgan
- Claude Akins
- Elliott Reid
- Paul Hartman
- Philip Coolidge
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Inherit the Wind about?
- A principled defense attorney turns a small-town trial over evolution into a searching confrontation between intellectual freedom and religious authority.
- What is Inherit the Wind like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Inherit the Wind as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Inherit the Wind violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Inherit the Wind.
- What did critics think of Inherit the Wind?
- Critics broadly regard the film as a compelling, sharply acted courtroom drama whose liberal defense of free inquiry is carried by powerful performances and forceful rhetoric.
- Which films are like Inherit the Wind?
- Films with a similar feel include A Few Good Men, Judgment at Nuremberg, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Trial of the Chicago 7.
- How long is Inherit the Wind?
- Inherit the Wind runs 128 minutes.
- Where can I watch Inherit the Wind?
- In United States, Inherit the Wind streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
