Saul Bass - Anatomy of a Murder Analysis

Anatomy of a Murder

Army Lt. Manion murdered a local innkeeper after his wife claimed he raped her. As a result semi-retired Michigan lawyer Paul Biegler takes this case. Over the course of an extensive trial, Biegler parries with District Attorney Lodwick and out-of-town prosecutor Claude Dancer to set his client free, but his case rests on the victim's mysterious business partner, who's hiding a dark secret. 

Initially, the title sequence already alludes to themes of murder through the use of simple outlines of a body, this is because it is a semiotic code for a crime scene, reinforced by the disembodied parts of the body. The black and grey color scheme suggests an absence of light, making the white from the credits stand out more - drawing more attention to them. I find this frame of the opening title sequence very appealing and attractive as I feel it demonstrates the true-crime genre and insinuates and intriguing story line.

The idea that the body parts slowly come together not only hint back to the themes of mystery and murder of the film but also suggest the piecing together of clues and information - similar to what is done when putting a court or police case together. This inference foreshadows the idea that there is a court/ police case of some description.

The dissection of the body through the use of lines perhaps suggest an element of gore or the idea that the murder case gets dissected by the lawyer Paul Biegler. The hand reaching upwards rather than sideways insinuates the idea that Manion is reaching out for help to a legal team to save him from being prosecuted. The cut up leg suggests an inability to run away from the problem at hand, possibly indicating to the outcome for Manion in his court case.

I feel as though Saul Bass' work is extremely well thought out and put together, in my opinion he cleverly summaries films within opening title sequences in a concise and detailed manner that doesn't denote all details of the plot. Additionally, his work always works well in combination with the music to create a mood and atmosphere that matches the genre - for example in this one there is a tense and mysterious atmosphere created.