Sunday, September 15, 2013

Inherit the Wind - The Age of Rocks


Frederic March and Spencer Tracy shine in this verbatim exchange from the Scopes Trial in 1925. It was used in the highly fictionalized film, “Inherit the Wind”, which is one of my favorites. But this scene is one that changed the direction of my thinking in regard to Intelligent Design/Creationism versus Darwinism/Evolution.

It is more in line with what the late Pope John Paul II had to say about science and religion being compatible with one another; a belief which I share. This movie was banned by the Catholic Church upon its release due to the nature of the subject, which is the theory of Evolution. That theory is under attack more than ever these days as the world seems to slip backwards, just as Clarence Darrow suggested it would in his argument before the court in his infamous delivery of the above words portrayed by Spencer Tracy.

One big difference in the film versus reality is that this argument took place outdoors due to the courtroom being so tightly packed with spectators, not to mention the summer’s heat. You can actually see the footage of this on You Tube at; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAzEgCIJkac 

The audio is also available on some of the other clips on You Tube. Notice how closely Frederic March resembled William Jennings Bryan; named Matthew Harrison Brady in the film.

This film is a staple in my video collection. Its message may seem divisive to many, but I see both sides to the issue and; as I said earlier; I believe that science and religion can co-exist, with each tempering the other in our search for the truth. With both camps divided it’s good to remember that the truth can usually be found somewhere in the middle.

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