Hard-nosed judge Calvin Cooke (Fredric March) sits on the bench, having little tolerance for defendants or defense attorneys. Because of his notoriously unsympathetic attitude towards those convicted of crimes, he has earned the nickname Old Maximum. Even his daughter, Elly (Geraldine Brooks), feels that he stops being human as soon as he puts on his robe.
Just as Calvin and his wife Kathy (Florence Eldridge, Mr. March's real-life wife of 45+ years) prepare to celebrate their 20th wedding anniversary, Kathy finds herself having severe headaches, coupled with visual and hearing disturbances and loss of feeling on one side. Though she has ignored the symptoms for close to a year, she makes an appointment with the family doctor, and in short order, Kathy is diagnosed as having terminal brain cancer. Several physicians concur that the situation is completely hopeless.
The doctor informs Calvin of Kathy's prognosis; however, he lies to Kathy that she is fine---and he requests that Calvin, also, not tell her the truth of her impending death. Though the disease will progress rapidly and Kathy will be in a great deal of pain, Calvin arranges the second honeymoon which his wife had been requesting. On the trip, Kathy takes a dramatic turn for the worse, and Calvin, unable to bear seeing his beloved wife in agony, decides to perform a mercy killing, an action which makes him a lawbreaker and exactly the kind of man for whom he has no tolerance in the courtroom. Defending him is none other than Dave Douglas (Edmond O'Brien), a defense attorney with whom he often clashes. How it all plays out is the balance of the film.
An Act of Murder is a really great, well-acted film, and it handles this controversial issue very well---a bit safely, but very well nonetheless. Fredric March gives his usual terrific performance. I really loved his character, and I loved seeing him evolve from a "black and white only" kind of guy to one who realizes that there are sometimes gray areas. As one who has previously held tenaciously to "black and white only," but who has found that there are, indeed, gray areas, I could really empathize with and relate to Mr. March's character. I was moved by this film and found myself getting teary-eyed on more than one occasion. I think the fact that the real-life Mrs. Fredric March was the wife in this film probably made the situation that much more personal and real, as I felt like I was witnessing Mr. March's actual response to the terminal illness of the woman he loved. Edmond O'Brien was very solid and capable in his role---actually, I've never seen him give anything but a quality performance. Finally, since An Act of Murder deals with a very controversial subject---which is still greatly debated today---it makes a great discussion piece kind of film. I think it's a definite must-see!
The film is not out on DVD, nor is it on the TCM schedule; however, it is available on YouTube. Try to catch it there if you can.
Happy viewing!!