1. Inherit The Wind “The Bible is a book. It’s a good book,
but it is not the only book.” ---Henry Drummond
Description: Spencer Tracy puts on a prodigious performance, one of the all-time best, as Henry
Drummond (effectively Clarence Darrow) in this recreation of the Scopes Monkey Trial of 1925.
He is defense counsel for Dick York's bewitched and besieged character Bertram Cates, who is being
tried for teaching evolution in small town U.S.A. Fredric March, as special prosecutor Matthew
Harrison Brady (effectively former Presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan), is destroyed by
Drummond in cross-examination as he seeks to defend science per Christian fundamentalism. Brady is
not interested in the "ages of rocks," but rather the "Rock of Ages." Drummond tells him, "The Bible
is a great book, but it is not the only book." Even though a substantial amount of the court action is
based on real life transcripts, there is a lot of credit to go around. "Inherit the Wind" is a dynamic
depiction of the mob mindset, and perhaps the best and most intelligently constructed courtroom
drama ever.
Selected Awards: 1960 Berlin International Film Festival: Best Actor (March); 1960 National Board of
Review Awards: Ten Best Films of the Year; 1960 Academy Award Nominations: Best Actor (Tracy),
Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Black and White Cinematography, Best Film Editing.
Featured Actors: Spencer Tracy, Fredric March, Florence Eldridge, Gene Kelly, Dick York.
Director: Stanley Kramer. Not Rated; Drama; 1960; 128 minutes; B & W
Background: In the 1920s religious fundamentalists objected to the teaching of Darwin's theory of
evolution in the public schools. They contended that evolution was inconsistent with the Biblical account
of creation. William Jennings Bryan, the great populist politician, was a leader of this movement. Strong
opposition to the anti-evolution movement came from "modernist" religious leaders who saw no conflict
between evolution and religion. Scientists who were convinced of the truth of the theory of evolution and
who saw it as fundamental to the science of biology viewed the anti-evolution crusade as an attack upon
science. Civil libertarians viewed the effort to prohibit the teaching of evolution in the schools as
undermining the separation of church and state, academic freedom, and freedom of religion.
Essay Questions: (word-processed)
1. What is meant by the title of the movie, “Inherit The Wind”?
2. In which court was Scopes tried, a court of law or the court of public opinion? Who won the Scopes' trial?
3. Do you think that the people (i.e., the majority) acting through their elected representatives in the state legislature have the right to control what is taught in schools owned, funded, and operated by the state? (Local governments such as cities, counties and school districts are merely agents of the state government.) If not the majority, who else should control what is taught in schools?
4. In our democracy what limits are there on the rights of the majority, acting through their elected officials?
5. Is the theory of evolution inconsistent with the Biblical account of creation, or, does science merely show how the universe was created without reference to whether it was created by God or by chance or by any other agency?
6. Are you willing to accept the truth as revealed by the newest and best methods of science and which can only be interpreted by experts or will you rely upon traditional notions set out in books like the Bible? Justify your position.
7. Should the majority be able to use the public schools to transmit its religious values to its children or must it be prevented from doing this to preserve the separation of church and state?
8. Should the state tell people what to believe? What about such concepts as honesty, drug education, patriotism, obedience to the rule of law, concern for others, and resolving disputes peacefully? Most agree that these concepts should be taught in public schools. Why can the state through its teachers and schools tell children what to believe in matters of civics and basic morality but not in matters of religion?
9. In the Scopes trial the majority through its legislature wanted, at the very least, to prevent the teaching of a scientific doctrine that it felt was inimical to its religious beliefs. Does this violate the separation of Church and State?
10. Should we rely upon experts and academics to tell us what is true and what is false or does the true reservoir of knowledge lie in the people?