In 1960, with the release of Inherit the Wind, Hollywood fired what many film historians consider the first major volley against orthodox Christianity. Up until that time, Hollywood had treated Christians with a parade of favorable movies, including the multiple Academy Award-winning Ben Hur. With Inherit the Wind, Hollywood signaled a shift in policy and tone - one that would intensify and last through the 1990s.
Inspired by the famous Scopes "Monkey" Trial of 1925, Inherit the Wind tells the story of Bertram Cates (based on John Scopes), a high school biology teacher in rural Hillsboro, Tennessee, who (in view of the filmmakers) courageously teaches Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species. In doing so, Cates conscientiously breaks a religiously inspired law forbidding any biology instruction that is inconsistent with the biblical account of Creation found in Genesis.
Fundamentalist crusader Matthew Harrison Brady (a caricature of William Jennings Bryan), a nationally known politician and lawyer (and former three-time presidential candidate) sweeps into Hillsboro to help prosecute Cates. A cynical newspaper reporter helps recruit legendary defense counsel Henry Drummond (aka Clarence Darrow) to defend Cates - and the "trial of the century" is on.
The town of Hillsboro (in the actual case, it's Dayton, Tennessee) becomes a tourist circus, with people and news organizations coming from everywhere to chronicle the titanic struggle between Drummond and Brady as well as between religion and science.
The movie serves up some compelling caricatures -- Cates and his defenders are seeking knowledge and "truth." Brady and the fundamentalists of Hillsboro are ignorant, savage, hate-filled zealots.
Throughout the trial, Drummond scores impressive tactical victories against Brady's fundamentalist juggernaut, but courtroom and public opinion are too against Cates and Drummond for it to make any difference. He's losing - and knows it.
In a last-minute "Hail Mary," Drummond calls Matthew Harrison Brady to the stand - and proceeds to humiliate him in front of everyone, leaving him a broken, crushed, and pathetic mess. The next day, in a vain attempt to ressurect his reputation, Brady tries to speak - but is silenced by the judge and ignored by everyone else. The trial ends with a technical loss, but moral victory for Cates. Brady drops dead in the courtroom.
The movie is well-written, nicely directed, and well-acted. It is also brilliantly deceptive and viciously inaccurate. For example....
- William Jennings Bryan was not disappointed with Scopes' $100 fine (as portrayed in the film). On the contrary, Bryan offered to pay Scopes' fine out of his own pocket!
- Bryan was not a rigid fundamentalist who was tricked or manipulated into conceding that the days of Creation were perhaps longer than 24 hours. Bryan never espoused a strict, literal reading of Genesis and its timeline.
- Bryan was not the bumbling simpleton that the movie shows him to be. On the contrary, he was a well-traveled and extremely well-read statesman.
- Bryan was not emotionally dependent on his wife in the unhealthy manner portrayed in the film. On the contrary, he was a caregiver, in many respects, to his wife, whose health was declining.
- Bryan was not reduced to incomprehensibly spouting off the books of the Bible after Darrow's cross-examination. In reality, both Bryan and Darrow lost their composure and the cross-examination ended with both raising their voices at each other.
- Bryan did not die in court. He died in his sleep eight days after the trial. His death was not due to emotional devastation. On the contrary, his wife and friends spoke of Bryan being in jovial spirits and being very excited about carrying on his writing and speechmaking.
The list could go on and on.
This isn't to say that Inherit the Wind was wrong on all counts. Inherit the Wind is impressive in its technical and atmospheric accuracy - right down to giving Matthew Harrison Brady a balding head and trademark palm leaf fan. Brady is the perfect picture of the aging firebrand, William Jennings Bryan. What's more, much of the script - including many of the great lines from the courtroom scenes - are lifted from the Dayton, Tennessee transcripts of the real Scopes Trial.
But these atmospheric accuracies only serve to make the inaccuracies more believable. The movie Inherit the Wind clearly and tragically smears the name of a good man. But its bigger target isn't William Jennings Bryan. It is orthodox Christianity itself.
Brian Tubbs - Brian Tubbs is a minister, writer, and former educator living in Northern Virginia. He writes on personal development, faith, and ...
