Inherit the Wind (1988) - full transcript

BOY: Here's a fat one.

Do worms feel anything?

Are you crazy? They're worms.

So was we, once...

That's what Mr. Cates said.

Just blobs of jelly comin' out
of the sea a jillion years ago.

And then,
about a hundred million years

from the death of the dinosaurs,

we have

the ice age,

which is also known as the...



P-L...

S-T...

O-C-E...

N-E.

Pleistocene...

E-P...

O-C-H.

Pleistocene epoch.

And that's when the first
humans reached Europe.

And where did these
humans come from?

How did they evolve?

Well, we do know

from the study of animal
fossils found in Africa...

-That the African ape...
-That's enough!



What?

What are you doing here?

You are in violation
of public act

volume 37, statute #31428.

You have been warned, Cates.

You can't come bargin'
into my classroom like this.

This is a public classroom.

You are under arrest. Take him.

(STUDENTS SHOUTING)

Come on, this is ridiculous.

This is a school!
This is my school!

Mayor... Reverend Brown,
you can't do this!

CATES: You can't! Let go of me!

What are you doing?

Stop!

You stay out of this, Rachel. Now,
go on back to your class.

(TRAIN WHISTLE BLOWING)

Hey, it's coming! He's coming!

Hey, everybody! He's coming!

MAN: Stand back! Stand back!

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(BAND PLAYING)

Shield your gaze, madam.

Huh?

You are about to meet
the mightiest of the mighty,

Matthew Harrison Brady.

A man who wears a
cathedral for a cloak

and a church spire for a hat.

(WHISTLE BLOWS)

I voted for him
twice for President.

Once in nineteen-aught-aught

and again in
nineteen-aught-eight.

(BAND CONTINUES PLAYING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

-MAN: There he is!
-(ALL APPLAUDING)

♪ For the bible tells me so ♪

MAN: Welcome, Mr. Brady,
to the city of Hillsboro.

And as mayor,
let me assure you, sir,

that we are proud
to have with us

the warrior who
has always fought

for us ordinary people.

(ALL CHEERING)

God bless you.

And god bless those
beautiful children.

Mr. Brady and I are
delighted to be among you.

♪ Little ones to him belong

♪ They are weak,
but he is strong ♪

(BAND PLAYING)

ALL: ♪ Give me
that old-time religion

♪ Give me that old-time religion

♪ Give me that old-time religion

♪ It's good enough for me

♪ It's good enough for me

♪ If it's good enough for Brady

♪ If it's good enough for Brady

♪ It's good enough for me

♪ Give me that
old-time religion... ♪

Mr. Meeker?

Mr. Meeker?

MAN: Yeah! Comin'.

Oh, for goodness sakes. Rachel!

You're not leavin' now, are ya?

The excitement's just startin'.

Mr. Meeker,
don't let my father know I came here.

The Reverend don't
tell me his business,

I don't see why I
should tell him mine.

I want to see Bert.

Is it all right?

Rachel...

This ain't a proper place
for a minister's daughter.

I only want to see
him for a minute.

All right.

Thank you, Mr. Meeker.

(KEYS JINGLE)

Come on.

You know, it feels kind of queer

havin' a schoolteacher
in jail here.

Might improve the writin' on the walls,
though.

I guess our best catch was
that fella from Minnesota.

The one that
chopped up his wife?

But we had to extradite him.

Come on.

Oh. I'll leave you two alone.

Bert, don't run off.

(CHUCKLES)

Hello, Bert.

Rachel,
I told you not to come here.

I stopped by your place,
picked up some of your things.

Got you a clean shirt,

some handkerchiefs,
your best tie.

Thank you.

Bert,
why can't you just tell them you're sorry,

that you didn't mean
to break the law?

Tell 'em it was all a joke and
that you'll never do it again.

A joke?

Admit that you're wrong.

I'm not wrong.

They why is a great
man like Matthew Brady

comin' here on a special train?

Matthew Brady can
go jump in a lake.

Bert!

Rachel,
I happen to believe in evolution,

and nobody can tell me

that man was just
stuck here on earth

like a geranium in a flower pot.

We come from a long,
long miracle,

and that didn't just
happen in seven days.

You can't teach that, Bert.

There's a law against it.

I know that there
is a law against it.

Damnit, Rachel,
why do you think I'm here?

Okay, I-I'm sorry.

I didn't mean to cuss.

Everyone says
what you did is bad.

Did you know that
at the top of the world,

that the twilight there
is six months long?

We don't live at
the top of the world,

we live in Hillsboro.

And when the sun goes down,
it's dark.

Why do you try to
make it different?

Why can't you just be
on the right side of things?

Your father's side?

(BAND PLAYING)

Get your red hots! Hey,
hot dogs here!

Hot dogs! Hot dogs!

(SHRIEKING)

Hello there, grandpa!

Well, have you come to testify
for the defense or the prosecution?

You got a penny? He'll take it.

You bet he will.

He's the father of the
human race. (CHUCKLES)

See?

All right,
could I have your attention, please?

Everybody quiet!

Quiet, please!

Let me have your attention.

Thank you.

At this time I would like
to make the announcement

that the governor of our state

has vested in me the authority

to confer upon Mr. Brady

the commission of Honorary
Colonel in the state militia!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

My friends of Hillsboro,

I want to thank each
and every one of you,

and I have a little
surprise for you.

It was on this very day in 1892

that I married this beautiful
woman you see by my side.

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

God love you.

Oh, Lucy,
look at this truly magnificent watermelon.

-Congratulations.
-Thank you.

Oh, thank you.

Mmm.

Mr. Brady,
my husband and I have voted for you twice.

Thank you. I hope it
wasn't in the same election.

(CHUCKLES)

Uh, Mr. Brady.

I don't believe you've
met Mr. Davenport.

He's our local prosecutor.

Of course.

We'll be on the same team,
you and I.

-Glad to have you aboard.
-Thank you, sir.

Is it true, sir, that you're gonna
have another run at the presidency?

Well,
it's not exactly a secret any longer...

Can I quote you on that,
Mr. Brady?

Are you definitely running?

Who are you?

E.K. Hornbeck,
Philadelphia Bulletin.

I've covered most of your campaigns,
Mr. Brady,

but the Bulletin has sent both of
us down here to cover this trial.

-Both of you?
-Yes, sir.

The most brilliant reporter in
America today, sir, myself...

And the most agile legal
mind of the 20th century.

And who is that?

-Henry Drummond!
-(CROWD GASPING)

He got those child
murderers off last year.

Perverting evidence,

casting the guilt away from
the accused and onto society.

I saw him in a courtroom once.

You look into his face and you wonder
why God could make such a man.

(ALL SHOUTING)

Ladies and gentlemen, please!

I think you're letting your
emotions run away with you.

Henry Drummond is an old friend.

He'll be a worthy adversary.

I welcome him.

You welcome him?

The enemy has sent their
Goliath to confront us...

This can only magnify our cause.

Thank you, son.

A toast to tomorrow

and to the
beginning of the trial

and to the success of our cause.

A toast in good old
American lemonade!

(CROWD LAUGHING)

Ladies and gentlemen...

To our victory over
Henry Drummond!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

(SIGHS)

What a day, Lucy,
what a wonderful day.

Indeed, glorious.

These people... The
very salt of the earth.

This town, Hillsboro...

That's what
America is all about.

Mmm. Thank you.

Were you surprised at
Henry's coming here?

No, Drummond likes to fight.

Remember the way he fought
for me in that first election?

Yes,
but this time he's not on your side.

Well, he'll do his job,
and I'll try to do mine.

Mr. Brady...

I love you very much.

You look just like you did
the very first day I saw you

standing in front of Clarendon
Hall on the college campus.

(BOTH CHUCKLE)

Do you remember
that white hat you wore?

Thank God for that hat.

If it hadn't blown off,
if I hadn't chased after it...

We might never have met.

Yes, we would.

It didn't actually blow off.

-Lucy! After 32 years?
-(BOTH LAUGHING)

Happy anniversary.

It's late,
Mr. Brady. Let's go to bed.

Good morning.

Inspecting the battlefield?

(CHUCKLES)

Did you read my
column yesterday?

I sang a sweet song about the hometown
heretic here in heavenly Hillsboro.

"Bert Cates, boy Socrates,
latter-day Dreyfus,

"accused and soon
to be condemned

"by a cruel and
indifferent authority."

This boy isn't a
latter-day anything.

Oh, come on, Henry.

I know I may be
rancid butter to you,

but I am on your
side of the bread.

I doubt very much if
you're on anybody's side.

(CHUCKLES)

Well,
you might have something there.

I'm admired for
my detestability.

Would you, uh...

Like a bite from the
tree of knowledge?

Awful good.

Well, devil...

Welcome to hell. (CHUCKLES)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

BAILIFF: Fast and easy, folks.

If you could stay
against the wall,

we can keep the passageway
through here for others to get through.

You're gonna get in, Herb,
don't you worry about it.

Everybody's gonna get inside.

I've never seen anything like it,
Ed.

Most people try to
stay out of jury duty.

BRADY: And do you attend church regularly,
Mr. Bannister?

Only on Sundays.

Well,
that's good enough for the prosecution.

Your Honor,
we accept this man as a member of the jury.

JUDGE: One moment,
Mr. Bannister.

You're not excused.

I wanted a front row
seat in the jury box.

Hold your horses,
Bannister. You may get it yet.

(DRUMMOND CHUCKLES)

-JUDGE: Proceed, Mr. Drummond.
-Thank you, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Bannister,

what makes you so anxious

to get that front
seat over there?

Everybody says it's
gonna be quite a show.

Yeah, so I hear.

Have you ever read anything
in a book about evolution?

Nope.

About a man named
Charles Darwin?

Um...

Well, can't say as I have.

I'll bet you've read your Bible,
though.

No.

How come?

Can't read.

(SCATTERED LAUGHTER)

Oh.

You are fortunate.

He'll do.

Take your seat on the jury.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Is the counsel for the defense
showing us the latest fashion

of the great metropolitan
city of Chicago?

I'm glad you asked me that.

I brought these along special.

Just so happens I
bought these galluses

at Peabody's general
store in your hometown, sir,

weeping water, Nebraska.

Oh. I believe the French have a saying,
touche.

JUDGE: Gentlemen, please.

Let us proceed.

BRADY: Your occupation,
Mr. Dunlap?

Farmer.

Do you believe in the Bible?

I believe in the
holy word of God.

This man is acceptable
to the prosecution.

Defense?

No questions. Not acceptable.

Does Mr. Drummond
refuse this worthy citizen

a place on the jury simply
because he believes in the Bible?

Well, if you find an evolutionist
in this town, you can refuse him.

Your Honor,
I must object to the defense counsel

refusing a worthy citizen without
even asking him a question.

All right,
I'll ask him a question.

How are you, Dunlap?

I'm fine.

So am I. Excused.

(SCATTERED LAUGHTER)

You may step down, Mr. Dunlap.

You are excused.

Your Honor,

I can appreciate a
jest as well as anyone,

but the note of levity
which the defense counsel

is introducing into these
proceedings is demeaning.

The bench agrees with you in spirit,
Colonel Brady.

Thank you.

"Colonel" Brady?

What, may I ask,
is all this damn "colonel" talk?

I'm not familiar with
Mr. Brady's military record.

Well, he was recently made an
Honorary Colonel in our state militia.

(CHUCKLES) Well,
sir, the use of this title

prejudices the case
against my client.

It conjures up a picture of
a colonel on a white horse

with all the forces of right
and righteousness behind him.

What do you suggest?

Break him. Make him a private.

I have no serious objection

to the honorary
title of Private Brady.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(WHISPERING)

By authority of...

I'm sure the governor won't object,
uh...

I hereby appoint you, uh,

temporary Honorary
Colonel in the state militia.

Gentlemen, what can I say?

It isn't often in a man's life

that he attains the exalted rank

of temporary Honorary Colonel.

BRADY: Your name and occupation,
sir.

Uh, George Sillers.

I work at the feed store.

Do you consider
yourself a religious man?

I guess I'm as religious
as the next man.

In Hillsboro, sir,
that means a great deal.

Do you have any children?

Not that I know of.

If you had a son or daughter,

what would you think if that
child came home from school

and told you that his teacher had insisted,
without question,

that somehow all of us
evolved from a gorilla?

Objection.

We're supposed to be
choosing jury members.

The prosecution is
denouncing the defendant

before the trial has even begun.

Objection sustained.

Mr. Sillers seems like a good,
honest man.

We accept him.

Thank you, Colonel Brady.

Colonel Drummond?

Sir,
you just said you were a religious man.

Do you work at it very hard?

Well,
I'm pretty busy down at the feed store.

My wife tends to the
religion for both of us.

In other words,
you take care of this life,

and she takes
care of the next one.

Objection!

Objection sustained.

(SIGHS)

While your wife was
tending to the religion,

did you ever bump into a
fella named Charles Darwin?

Not till recent.

From what you've
heard of this Darwin,

do you think your wife would want
to have him over for Sunday dinner?

Your Honor, I have no idea what kind of
dinner companion Mr. Darwin might prove to be,

but I do think my
worthy opponent

is cluttering the issue
with hypothetical questions.

I'm doing your job, Colonel.

Thank you, sir,
but I think the prosecution

is perfectly capable of
handling its own arguments.

I've established
that Mr. Sillers here

isn't working very
hard at the religion.

For your sake, I want to make
sure he isn't working at evolution.

I'm just workin'
at the feed store.

(CHUCKLES) This man
is all right. Take a box seat.

We're not altogether
satisfied that Mr. Sillers...

You're out of order!

The prosecution has
already accepted this man.

Yes, we have,

but I can't help but continue to
question your lack of seriousness.

I want a fair trial.

So do I.

Any jury should
at the very least

conform to the laws
and patterns of society.

Conform?

What do you want to do,
run 'em all through the Brady meat-grinder

so they all come out the same?

I've seen what you can do with a jury,
sir, twist and tangle them.

But you won't get
away with that here!

All I'm trying to do, Colonel,

is to prevent you clock-stoppers

from dumping a load
of medieval nonsense

into the United
States constitution.

It's gotta stop somewhere.

My life has been devoted
to upholding the constitution!

-(GAVEL BANGING) -JUDGE:
You are both out of order!

The bench holds that the
jury has already been selected!

Because of the
lateness of the hour,

this court is now recessed
until 10:00 tomorrow morning.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

REVEREND BROWN: One moment.

One moment, please.

I wish to announce
that Colonel Brady

will be speakin' to us tonight at
our prayer meeting at Beacon Hall.

You're all invited.

I object to this
commercial announcement!

Commercial announcement?

For the Reverend
Brown's product.

DRUMMOND: Why don't you
announce an evolutionists' meeting?

I have no knowledge
of any such meeting.

Yes, that's understandable.

It's bad enough that everybody
coming into this courtroom

has to walk under a banner
saying "Read your Bible daily."

I want that sign taken down.

Or, if not,
I want another one put up,

just as big, which says,
"Read your Darwin daily."

That's preposterous.

It certainly is.

And you are out of order.
This court is in recess.

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

God loves you. God loves you.

Thank you for your support.

Thank you. God loves you.

Thank you.

-Mr. Drummond?
-Hmm?

Please,
you've got to call this thing off.

It's not too late.

If Bert just admits
what he did was wrong,

it'll stop all this fuss and
everything could be like it was.

Who are you?

I'm...

I'm a friend of Bert's.

You wanna quit?

Yes.

Well, I can change the plea.

I can call off this whole
business right now.

But only on one condition.

If you honestly believe

that you have
committed a criminal act

against the people of this state
and the minds of their children,

if you honestly believe
that you're wrong

and the state and
the law is right...

Well, then I'll pack up my
grip and go back to Chicago.

He knows he broke the law.

He knows he's wrong.

Don't prompt the witness.

What's the verdict, Bert?

Gonna find yourself
guilty before the jury does?

No, sir.

RACHEL: Bert!

I'm not gonna quit.

JAILER: Let's go, Bert.

I gotta bring you back in.

(DOG BARKING)

(APPLAUSE FROM CHURCH)

BRADY: To people
who ask whether this trial

should be held in the
simple town of Hillsboro,

I say to them, the greatest man

that ever walked
the face of the earth

was born in a little town.

That town was called Bethlehem.

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

We don't measure greatness
by the size of where we live,

we measure greatness by
those principles we live by!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

Ah, my dear friends.

Yesterday at that marvelous
picnic they gave Lucy and me,

they were serving watermelon.

-Mmm, mmm. Delicious.
-(ALL LAUGHING)

I couldn't help thinking about
that watermelon last night.

I know...

You're all looking at
yourselves and saying,

"Watermelon,
what is Brady talking about?"

My dear friends,

I'm talking about
the sheer glory

of God's creations.

Beautiful,
lustrous green on the outside,

and inside the green,
a layer of white,

and within that white,

a core of red.

And scattered within that
red are little black seeds.

Now, each of these seeds
gathers from somewhere...

Ten thousand
times its own weight

to construct another
glorious watermelon.

Who drew the plan

by which these little seeds
worked their wonders, huh?

Who?

Until the scientists
of this world

can explain to me a watermelon,

never let them question
the power of the almighty!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

Tonight,

in this Godly, Christian town,

there is a young man who
has turned his back upon God.

Shall we call hellfire
down upon this man?

ALL: Yes!

For all eternity, to let his soul
writhe in anguish and damnation?

(ALL CHEERING)

Yes,
even though he be thine own brother?

-(ALL CHEERING)
-ALL: Yes!

MAN: Sinner!

No...

No, my friends.

We must never destroy
that which we hope to save.

Remember the wisdom of
Solomon in the book of proverbs.

"He that troubleth his own
house shall inherit the wind."

Forgive him.

Forgive this young man.

Let the sweet love of our savior

enter his heart tonight

and turn away those demons
that would destroy him.

We love you, Bert Cates,
we love you, we love you.

Glory be to God in His Heaven!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

REVEREND BROWN: An
inspiration. Truly inspiring.

Well, Henry.

I hardly expected to
see you here tonight.

Oh, I like to hear the word once
in a while, see what I'm missing.

You're very good,
Matt. Make one helluva minister.

Coming from someone like you,
I really appreciate that.

They tell me you're gonna make
another run for the presidency.

It's possible.

What is it you want to accomplish,
Matt?

It's very simple.

There's a new
spirit in the land,

and I want to bring this country
back to the values it once had.

I want to bring this
country back to God.

I didn't know he left.

Unfortunately,
there are still those

who want to drive
God out of the universe.

Oh, yes.

They search for
him in microscopes,

but he's too small to see.

They look for him in telescopes,
but he's too large to see.

They can't find him
among the stars,

so they declare there is no God.

Are you one of those, Henry?

Is that why you're here?

I'm here to defend a
young man holding a candle.

I don't want him to get burnt.

(CHUCKLES)

Henry...

What is it?

What happened?

We were good friends once.

That's true.

We had mutuality
of understanding

and admiration, didn't we?

Yes.

I can never forget...

You spoke for me in my
first run for the presidency.

I did it gladly.

I did it because
I believed in you.

Because I thought you had
a certain quality of character

and spirit that the country
desperately needed.

Well, then, tell me,
my dear friend...

Why is it that you've
moved so far away from me?

All motion is relative, Matt.

Perhaps it's you who have
moved away by standing still.

LUCY: Matthew.

Evenin', Lucy.

Hello, Henry.

You look lovely, Lucy.

You never change.

It's good to see you again.

I mean that.

Thank you, Henry.

BRADY: Henry.

Someday, somehow,

I'm going to bring
you back to the Lord.

I am, Henry.

God loves you.

He wants you back.

(DOOR CLOSES)

And then he said, well, uh...

Go on, Howard.

What did Mr. Cates tell
you in the classroom?

He said that at first the
earth was too hot for any life.

And then it cooled off some,
and cells and things began to live.

Cells?

Well, little bugs,
like in the water.

And then the little bugs
got to be bigger bugs,

then they sprouted legs
and crawled up on land.

And how long did this all take,
according to Mr. Cates?

Couple of million years.

BRADY: Million?

Maybe longer.

And then comes the fishes,
the reptiles and mammals.

Man's a mammal.

Along with the dogs
and the cattle in the field.

Did he say that?

Yes, sir.

Howard, how did man emerge

from this slimy mess
of bugs and serpents,

according to your professor?

Man was sort of...

Evoluted from the
old world monkeys.

Did you hear that, my friends?

Old world monkeys.

According to Mr. Cates,

you and I aren't even developed
from good old American monkeys!

(ALL LAUGHING AND APPLAUDING)

Now, Howard, listen carefully.

In all this talk of
bugs and evolution

and slime and ooze,

did Mr. Cates ever make
any reference to God?

Not as I remember.

Or the miracle he achieved as
described in the beautiful book of Genesis?

No, sir.

Ladies and gentlemen...

Objection. I ask the court to
remind the learned counsel

that this is not a
prayer meeting.

He's supposed to be
submitting evidence to the jury.

There are no ladies on the jury.

Mr. Drummond,

I have no intention
of making a speech.

But everyone within the
sound of this boy's voice

is moved by his
tragic confusion.

He has been taught that he wriggled up like
an animal from the filth and muck below.

These Bible-haters,

these evolutionists
are brewers of poison!

And thank god this state has
had the wisdom to demand

that these peddlers of
poison label their products!

(ALL CHEERING AND APPLAUDING)

Well, I'm sure glad Colonel
Brady didn't make a speech.

Now, Howard,

I heard you say the
earth used to be pretty hot.

Mr. Cates read it
to us from a book.

Do you know what book?

I guess the one
Mr. Darwin thought up.

You figure anything's wrong about that,
Howard?

I don't know.

Objection!

BRADY: The defense is
asking that a 13-year-old boy

hand down an opinion
on a question of morality.

Your Honor,
I am trying to establish that Howard

or Mr. Brady or Charles Darwin
or anyone in this courtroom

or you, sir,
has the right to think.

The right to think
is not on trial!

With all respect to the bench,

I hold that the right to
think is very much on trial.

It is fearfully in danger in
the proceedings of this court!

A man is on trial!

A thinking man!

And he is being threatened
with fine and imprisonment

because he chooses
to speak what he thinks!

Colonel Drummond,
would you rephrase your question?

Please, sir!

(SIGHS) Yes, Your Honor.

Let's put it this way, Howard.

All this fuss and
feathers about evolution...

Did it hurt you any?

Sir?

Well, did it harm you?

You still feeling fit?

What Mr. Cates told you,

did it hurt your
baseball game any?

Affect your pitching arm?

No, sir. I'm a leftie.

Southpaw, huh? (CHUCKLES)

Do you still honor your
father and your mother?

-Sure.
-Haven't committed murder since breakfast?

-Objection!
-Objection sustained.

Once again Mr. Drummond attempts
to make light of this proceeding.

Let him ask this boy if his faith in
the scriptures has been shattered.

When I need your valuable help,
Mr. Brady,

you may rest assured I
shall most humbly ask for it.

Now, Howard, do you believe
everything that Mr. Cates told you?

I'm not sure. I
gotta think it over.

Good for you.

-Your pa's a farmer, isn't he?
-Yes, sir.

-Got a tractor?
-Brand-new.

Is your tractor sinful because
it isn't mentioned in the Bible?

Don't know.

Moses never made a phone call.

Do you suppose the telephone
is an instrument of the devil?

I never thought of it that way.

Neither did anyone else, Howard.

BRADY: Members of the jury,

the defense makes the same
old error of all Godless men,

confusing material things

with the great spiritual
message of the Bible.

Why do you bewilder this child?

Does right have no meaning to you,
sir?

Realizing it may prejudice
the case against my client,

I must say that right has no
meaning to me whatsoever.

It doesn't surprise me.

The truth has meaning,
has a direction.

But it is one of the
imbecilities of our time

that we place this grid of
morality on human behavior

so that every act of
man must be measured

against an arbitrary
latitude of right

and longitude of wrong

in exact minutes,
seconds, and degrees.

Have you any idea what I'm talking about,
Howard?

No, sir.

Well, maybe you will... Someday.

That's all, son. Thank you.

The witness is excused.

Howard,
we don't need you anymore.

Go on back to your pa, now.

BRADY: (WHISPERING)
We don't need this. Not now.

Does the prosecution wish
to call any further witness?

No,
Your Honor. Not at this time.

MEEKER: Well, sure.

Yeah, sure,
there's no rules against it.

(CHUCKLES)

I mean, after all...

You are his lawyer.

Yeah.

Hiya,
Bert. How you holdin' up, son?

I guess I'm as well
as can be expected.

I'm a little more uneasy.

Yeah, I thought you might be.

What's gonna happen,
Mr. Drummond?

What do you think's
gonna happen?

Are they gonna
send me to prison?

Well, they could.

You know,
when they started this fire here,

they didn't figure they'd
light up the whole sky.

A lot of people's
shoes are gettin' hot.

Can't be sure.

Mr. Brady seems sure.

He seems to know exactly
what the verdict's gonna be.

No, nobody knows.

I got a pretty good idea.

When you've been a
lawyer as long as I have,

a thousand years, more or less,

you get so you can smell
what the jury's thinking.

And what are they
thinking right now?

(SIGHS)

Someday I'm gonna
get me an easy case,

an open and shut case.

I got a friend up in Chicago,

a big lawyer.

Lord, how the money rolls in.

(CHUCKLES)

You know why?

He never takes a case
unless it's a sure thing.

It's like a jockey who
won't go into a race

until he's riding the favorite.

Well, you sure picked a longshot this time,
Mr. Drummond.

Golden dancer,
that was my first longshot.

She was in the big side window

of the general store in Wakeman,
Ohio.

I used to stand out in the
street and say to myself,

"If I had golden dancer...

"I'd have everything
in the world I wanted."

I was seven years old,

and a very fine judge
of rocking horses.

She had a bright red
mane and blue eyes

and she was gold all over,
with purple spots.

And when the sun
hit her stirrups...

Oh,
it was a dazzling sight to see.

But she was a week's
wages for my father,

so golden dancer and I always
had a plate glass window between us.

And let's see...

It wasn't Christmas,

must have been my birthday.

I woke up in the morning...

looked across the
foot of my bed...

And there was golden dancer.

My mother had
skimped on groceries,

my father worked
nights for a month.

And I jumped in the saddle

and I started to rock...

And it broke.

It split in two.

The wood was rotten.

The whole thing was put together

with spit and sealing wax.

All shine, and no substance.

Bert,

whenever you see
something bright and shining,

perfect-seeming,

all gold with purple spots...

Look behind the paint.

And if it's a lie,

show it up for
what it really is.

JUDGE: Gentlemen,
we will now hear

some words from the
defense. Colonel Drummond?

Your Honor,
I want to call Dr. Amos d. Keller,

head of the department of
zoology of the University of Chicago.

Objection.

On what grounds?

What possible relevance

can the testimony of a zoology
professor have in this trial?

Every possible relevance.

My client is on trial
for teaching evolution.

Any testimony relating to the
alleged infringement of the law

must be admitted.

Irrelevant, immaterial,
inadmissible.

Why? If my client
were on trial for murder,

would it be irrelevant to call expert
witnesses to examine the weapon?

Would you rule out testimony
that the murder weapon

was incapable
of firing a bullet?

I fail to grasp learned
counsel's meaning.

Your Honor,

we simply want Dr. Keller
to explain to the jury

exactly what the
evolutionary theory is.

How can they pass judgment on it

if they don't know
anything about it?

They know what the law
is all about in this state.

They don't need an expert
to tell 'em what the law means

or to try and defeat
it in this courtroom

simply because
he disagrees with it.

The court rules that zoology
is irrelevant to the case.

All right, then.

I'd like to call Dr. Allen page,

deacon of the
congregational church

and professor of geology
at overland college.

Objection.

Objection sustained.

In one breath

does the court
deny the existence

of zoology and geology?

No, we do not deny the
existence of these sciences,

but they don't relate
to this point of law.

Well, I call Walter Aronson,

philosopher,
anthropologist, author,

one of the most brilliant
minds in the world today.

Objection, Colonel Brady?

Objection, Colonel Drummond.

Your Honor...

The defense has
brought to Hillsboro

at great expense
and inconvenience

these noted scientists,

the great thinkers of our time.

Now, their testimony is basic
to the defense of my client,

for I intend to show this court

that what Bert Cates spoke
in school was no crime.

It is as incontrovertible
as geometry

in every enlightened
community of minds.

The language of
the law is clear,

and we don't need experts

to argue the validity of a law
that's already on the books.

(SIGHS) Well...

In view of...

The court's decision.

The defense...

The defense requests a court
recess until tomorrow morning.

Does the prosecution
have any objections?

In the interests of justice, we wish to try
and give the defense every opportunity

to try and support its
insupportable position.

Well, this court is in recess until
tomorrow morning, ten o'clock.

(INDISTINCT MURMURING)

Oh, God bless you,
God bless you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Rachel,
I told you to keep away from here.

It's only going to upset you.

Come along.

"For whosoever will
save his life shall lose it,

"but whosoever will
lose his life for my sake,

"the same shall save it.

"For what is a man advantaged
if he gain the whole world

"and lose himself
or be cast away?"

Amen.

Oh, yes, yes.

I could feel it, Lucy.

I could feel the Holy Spirit
in that courtroom today.

It was all around me,
guiding me.

A judgment will be brought
against that young man.

Don't be too severe in your judgment,
Matt.

Not mine. Not the
court's not the jury's.

God's own judgment will
be brought against him.

-And when the jury hears...
-(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

I'll get it, darling.

LUCY: Hello.

-It's Rachel Brown, dear.
-Who?

Uh,
the Reverend Brown's daughter.

Oh, yes.

-Come in.
-Thank you.

I hope I'm not
interrupting anything.

Not at all, not at all.

Well,

Reverend Brown must
be very proud to have

such a beautiful and
charming daughter.

Mr. Brady,
I don't quite know how to...

Well, that is, I...

Good heavens, child,
you seem very upset.

If you'll excuse me.

Please, won't you sit down?

What is it,
dear? What troubles you?

It's Bert.

-Bert Cates.
-Yes?

You see, we...

We plan to be married in the spring,
and...

Now, I just don't know anymore.

It's like everything's
caving in on us now.

I'm a teacher too,
at the same school,

-and ever since this happened...
-Of course.

I can understand your
loyalty to this young man.

Isn't there some
other way out of this?

Could I ask you some personal
questions about Mr. Cates?

Well, I...

Now, then, Rachel...

May I call you Rachel?

Let's have a nice, long chat.

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATIONS)

BAILIFF: I told you fellas,
no radio stuff allowed in there.

Not till they hand
down a verdict.

Keep the center aisle clear,
please!

Please,
no standin' in the center aisle!

All rise!

Hear ye, hear ye!

The case of the State versus
Bertram Cates is now in session!

Be seated.

Colonel Brady,

do you have any other
witnesses you wish to produce?

We'd would like call upon,
Mr. Elston Harps.

(INDISTINCT WHISPERING)

Your Honor,

we've just discovered
that Mr. Harps,

principal of the
consolidated Hillsboro school,

has just been taken
with a severe cold.

We'll reserve the right
to call upon him later.

Any other witnesses
at the present time?

Colonel Brady?

I'd like to call upon
Miss Rachel Brown.

(EXCITED MURMURING)

Would you step forward,
please, Miss Brown?

I don't understand. Is
she testifying against me?

BAILIFF: Raise your right hand,
please.

Do you swear to tell the truth,

the whole truth, and nothin' but the truth,
so help you God?

-I do.
-Be seated.

Miss Brown, you are a teacher at
the Hillsboro consolidated school?

Yes.

So you have had
ample opportunity

to know the defendant,
Mr. Cates, professionally?

Yes.

Do you and Mr. Cates
attend the same church?

Not anymore.

-Bert dropped out two summers ago.
-Why?

Mr. Brady,
I told you that in confidence.

Answer the question, Miss Brown.

I asked you why? Why
did Bertram Cates drop out?

Because...

Because of the Stebbens boy.

Tell us about the Stebbens boy,
Miss Brown.

Well, he...

The boy was eleven years old.

He went swimming in the river
and got a cramp and drowned.

Bert felt awful about it.

He lived right next door, and...

Tommy Stebbens used to come
over and look through Bert's telescope.

Bert said he had a quick mind

and might even be a
scientist when he grew up.

At the funeral, though,

they preached that Tommy
didn't die in a state of grace

because his folks
didn't have him baptized.

Tell him what they really said!

That Tommy's soul was damned,
writhing in hellfire!

Religion is supposed to comfort people,
isn't it?

It is not supposed to
frighten 'em to death!

(ALL SPEAKING)

We will have order, please!

(COURTROOM SILENCED)

Your Honor,

I request that the defendant's
remarks be stricken from the record.

JUDGE: So ordered.

Go ahead, Miss Brown, tell the
jury some more of Mr. Cates' opinions

on the subject of religion.

Objection. Hearsay.

The testimony is not admissible.

The court sees no objection
to this line of questioning.

Proceed.

Just tell us in your own words

some of the conversations
you had with the defendant.

I don't remember, exactly.

But you told me last evening
that presumably humorous remark

Mr. Cates made about
the Heavenly Father.

Bert...

Go ahead, my dear.

I can't.

May I remind you, Miss Brown,
that you're under oath,

and that is it unlawful to
withhold pertinent information.

Well, he...

He was just talking about
some of the things he'd read.

Weren't you shocked

when he said to you that
God did not create man...

Man created God?

Objection!

He was joking!

Joking?

What he said was that

God created man
in his own image,

and man, being a gentleman,
returned the compliment.

What did he say about
the holy state of matrimony?

Did he not compare it with
the breeding of animals?

No, he didn't say that,
he didn't, he didn't mean that.

That's not what I told you.

All that...

he said was...

(SOBBING)

Have a sip of this, Miss Brown.

Your Honor,
I would ask that the witness be dismissed.

Will the defense have no chance
to challenge some of the statements

the prosecutor has
torn from this witness?

No. Don't.

Let her go.

No questions, Your Honor.

JUDGE: The witness is excused.

JUDGE: Does the prosecution
have any further witnesses?

No, Your Honor.

We shall now proceed to
the case for the defense.

Your Honor,
may I approach the bench?

Come ahead.

Your Honor, I have taken the
time and opportunity since yesterday

to thoroughly examine

the question of admission to
this trial of scientific experts.

That is no longer a
matter before this court.

Specifically, in the cases of

the state of New Jersey
versus Thomas Bancroft, 1917...

I have told you, Mr. Drummond,

that this court is not
gonna hear any arguments

or the testimony of experts.

In other words,
the court rules out

any expert testimony whatsoever

on Darwin's Origin of Species
or The Descent of Man?

That's right. The
court so rules.

(SIGHS)

(SPECTATORS MURMURING)

Will the court admit expert
testimony regarding a book

known as the Holy Bible?

Any objections, Mr. Brady?

If the Counsel can advance
the case of the defendant

through the use of
the holy scriptures,

the prosecution will
take no exception.

Good. I call to the stand one
of the world's foremost experts

on the Bible and
its teachings...

Matthew Harrison Brady.

(SPECTATORS GASP)

Your Honor,
this is preposterous!

JUDGE: It's highly unorthodox.

I've never known of an instance

where the defense called the
prosecuting attorney as a witness.

Your Honor,
this entire trial is unorthodox,

but if the interests of truth
and justice will be served,

I will take the stand.

But Colonel Brady...

JUDGE: If you wish to decline,

as a witness against
your own case,

the court will support you.

I shall not testify
against anything.

I will speak out
as I have all my life

on behalf of the living
truth of the Holy Scriptures.

Meeker, swear him in.

That won't be necessary.

I tell you now, Henry,
so help me God,

I will tell the truth.

I take it you will, Matt.

Am I correct, sir,
in calling on you

as an authority on the Bible?

Well,
I've studied it for 50 years,

more lately than in my youth,

and I've always tried to
live within its precepts.

Bully for you.

I suppose you can quote me,
chapter and verse,

right straight through the
King James version, can't you?

No, sir.

But there are many portions of the
Bible that I have committed to memory.

Hmm.

I don't suppose you've
managed to memorize

many passages from
Darwin's Origin of species.

No, sir.

-Never read it?
-No, sir.

Then how in perdition do you have
the gall to whoop up this holy war

against something you
don't know anything about?

How can you be so
cock-sure that the,

body and scientific knowledge

that is systematized
in the writings of Darwin

is in any way irreconcilable to
the spirit of the book of Genesis?

For the simple reason, sir,

that the conclusions of any
mortal being on this earth

can never take precedence
over the Holy Bible.

All right.

Let me put it this way.

On page 19 of Darwin's
Origin of species,

Darwin states...

I object to this, Your Honor!

Mr. Brady has been called
on as an authority on the Bible.

If so,
let him stick to the Bible.

JUDGE: You will confine your
questioning to the Holy Bible.

All right.

I get the scent in the wind.

All right, we'll play in your ballpark,
Colonel.

Now, let's get this clear.

This is the book that
you are an expert on.

I read it every day.

Do you feel that every
word written in this book

should be taken literally?

I believe that

everything in the Bible should
be accepted as it is written.

Now, take this place where...

the whale swallows Jonah. Now,
do you think that actually happened?

The Bible doesn't say a whale,
it says a big fish.

Actually, it says a great fish,

but I guess they're
the same thing.

What's you're
feeling about that?

I believe in a God
who can make a whale,

and who can make a man,
and make both do what he pleases.

ALL: Amen!

Now,
I want those "Amen's" in the record.

Now,
I recollect a story that Joshua

made the sun stand still.

As an expert, wouldn't you
say that's a pretty neat trick?

(CHUCKLES) Suppose
Houdini could do it?

I never scoff at the
miracles of the Lord.

Have you ever pondered what would
happen to the earth if the sun stood still?

You can testify to that
when I get you on the stand.

(LAUGHTER)

(DRUMMOND CHUCKLES)

Well,
if they say the sun stood still,

they must have had a notion

that the Sun moved
around the Earth.

Do you think that's
the way things...

Or maybe you don't believe
the Earth moves around the sun.

I believe in the Bible.

I have faith in the
Bible as it is written.

But you don't have much
faith in the solar system?

If the Bible says, "The sun stopped,"
the sun stopped.

Good. Now,
if what you say factually happened,

if Joshua actually
halted the sun in the sky,

then the Earth stopped
spinning on its axis,

continents toppled
over each other,

mountains flew off into space,
and the Earth, arrested in orbit,

shriveled to a cinder
and crashed into the sun.

Now,
how come they missed this tidbit of news?

They missed it
because it didn't happen.

Well, it must have happened,
according to natural law.

Or don't you believe
in natural law?

Maybe you'd like to ban
Copernicus from the classroom

along with Charles Darwin.

Pass a law wiping out all
scientific development since Joshua.

Do you believe in natural law?

Natural law was born in the
mind of the heavenly father.

He can change it, cancel it,
use it as he pleases.

It constantly amazes me
that you apostles of science,

for all your supposed wisdom,

fail to grasp that simple fact.

(SPECTATORS MURMUR)

Genesis, 4:16.

"Then Cain went out from
the presence of the Lord

"and dwelt in the land of
nod on the east of Eden,

"and Cain knew his wife."

Now,
where in the hell did she come from?

-Who?
-Cain's wife. Mrs. Cain.

In the beginning, there were only
Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel.

Where did this extra
woman come from?

Ever figure that out?

No,
sir. I leave you agnostics to hunt for her.

(CHUCKLING) That
never bothered you?

Never bothered me.

-Never tried to find out?
-Never.

Do you figure somebody pulled off
another creation over in the next county?

I've tried to convince you
that the Bible satisfies me,

but none are so deaf as
those who refuse to listen.

Well,
it sure does frighten me, sir,

to imagine the state
of learning in the world

if everyone had
your driving curiosity.

This book now goes
into a lot of "begat" s.

We got Salah,
and Salah Begat Eber...

And Eber begat Peleg...

so on and so on.

Are these pretty
important folks?

Yes,
sir. They are the generations

of the holy men and
women of the Bible.

How did they go
about all this Begetting?

What do you mean?

I mean,
did people begat in those days

about the same way they
get themselves begat today?

The process is the same. I don't think
your scientists have improved it any.

(LAUGHTER)

In other words,

they were conceived
and brought forth

through the normal biological
function known as sex.

What do you think of sex,
Colonel?

In what spirit is
this question asked?

I'm not asking you about sex as a father
or a husband or a presidential candidate.

You're up here as
an expert on the Bible.

What is the biblical
evaluation of sex?

It is considered original sin.

Oh...

So all these holy people

got themselves begat
through original sin.

Did all this sinning
make them any less holy?

JUDGE: Colonel Drummond,
I must ask you

what has this got to do with
the State versus Bertram Cates?

You've ruled out
all my witnesses.

You must allow me to examine the
one witness you've left me in my own way.

I wish Mr. Drummond to
have all the latitude he wants.

We know what he's after.

He's here to condemn
revealed religion.

I am here to defend it.

Well,
let him ask any question he may wish.

I am perfectly willing to sit
here and protect the word of God

against the greatest
atheist in the United States!

(LOUD APPLAUSE)

Let him sneer,
let him show his disrespect.

You're only pleading the case of
the prosecution by your contempt

for all that's holy.

I object.

On what grounds? Is it
possible there is something holy

to the celebrated agnostic?

Yes. The individual human mind.

In a child's power to master
the multiplication table,

there is more sanctity

than in all your shouted amens,
holy holys, and hosannas.

An idea is a greater
monument than a cathedral,

and the advance
of man's knowledge

is more a miracle than any sticks
turned to snakes or parting of the water.

But...

Are we to halt the
march of progress

because Reverend
Brady frightens us...

With his parables
from the Bible?

Gentlemen,

progress has never
been a bargain.

You have to pay for it.

Sometimes I think there's a
man behind a counter who says,

"All right,
you may have a telephone,

"but you'll have
to give up privacy

"and the charm of distance.

"Madam, you may vote,

"but you lose
the right to retreat

"behind a petticoat.

"Mister,
you may conquer the air,

"but the birds will
lose their wonder

"and the clouds will
smell of gasoline."

Darwin moved us
forward to a hilltop

where we could look back

to see the way
from which we came.

But for this view, this insight,

this knowledge,

we must abandon our faith

in the pleasant
poetry of Genesis.

We must never abandon faith!

There is nothing
greater than faith in God!

Then why did God plague
us with the power to think?

Why do you deny the one faculty

which lifts man above all
other creatures on the Earth...

The power of his
brain to reason?

What other merit have we?

The elephant is larger,

the horse swifter and stronger,

the butterfly more beautiful,

the mosquito more prolific,

even the simple
sponge more durable.

Or does a sponge think?

I don't know. I'm a man,
not a sponge.

(LAUGHTER)

Do you think a sponge thinks?

If the lord wishes a sponge to think,
it thinks.

Does a man have the same
privileges that a sponge does?

Of course.

This man wishes to be accorded
the same privileges as a sponge!

He wishes... to think.

Then let him soak
up the word of God.

Your client is wrong,
sir. He is deluded. He has lost his way.

How sad we aren't all gifted with your positive
knowledge of right and wrong, Mr. Brady.

Not mine. Not mine. God's.

Oh, yes,
you do speak to him occasionally,

I keep forgetting.

How old do you
think this rock is?

I'm more interested
in the rock of ages

than I am in the age of rocks.

Dr. Page of Overland College

tells me that this
rock is at least

ten million years old.

Congratulations.

You've just managed to sneak in some
of that scientific testimony after all.

Look here, if you will.

These are the fossil remains

of a prehistoric marine creature

which was found
in this very county,

and which lived here
millions of years ago.

That rock cannot be
more than 6,000 years old.

How do you know?

A fine biblical scholar,
Bishop Usher,

has determined for
us the time of creation.

It occurred in the year 4004 BC.

That's Bishop Usher's opinion.

It's not an opinion. It's a
literal fact arrived at through

careful computation of
the ages of the prophets

as set down in
the Old Testament.

His meticulous
analysis has determined

that creation occurred in
the fall of the year 4004 BC.

At 9:00 AM.

Is that eastern standard
time or rocky mountain time?

(LAUGHTER)

It couldn't have been
daylight savings time,

because the Lord didn't even
make the sun until the fourth day.

The fourth day, that is correct.

Well, that first day...

Was that a 24-hour day?

The Bible says it was a
day. That's sufficient for me.

Well, there wasn't any sun.
How do you know how long it was?

The Bible says it was a day.

A normal day? A literal
day? A 24-hour day?

I don't know.

Well, what do you think?

I don't think
about things that...

That I don't think about.

Do you ever think about
things that you do think about?

I mean,
isn't it possible that the first day

could have been
twenty-five hours long?

There's no way to measure it,
no way to tell...

Could it have been 25 hours?

It is possible.

(SPECTATORS MURMUR LOUDLY)

Are you saying,

before this jury and the world,

that the first day of creation

could have been of an
indeterminate length?

No, no. I'm stating that God did
not refer to it as a 24-hour day.

Well,
it could have been a 30-hour day, huh?

Or a month, or a year...

Or a hundred years...

Or 10 million years.

I protest.

I demand to know the purpose
of Mr. Drummond's examination!

His purpose was clear from the
very beginning, to destroy the Bible!

You know that's not true.

I'm trying to stop you
bigots and ignoramuses

from controlling the
education of the United States.

So that you might control it?

(LOUD CHATTER)

(GAVEL POUNDS)

I shall order the
bailiff to clear the court

unless there is order here!

Your Honor,
I will always speak up

when the Bible
is being attacked!

The Bible is a book. It's a good book,
but it's not the only book.

It is the revealed word
of the almighty God,

spoken to the men
who wrote the Bible!

Well, how do you know that God
didn't speak to Charles Darwin?

Show me where Darwin
is mentioned in the Bible.

I can tell you in this courtroom

that God has told me to
oppose the teaching of that man!

Does he tell you exactly
what to do and what not to do?

-Yes!
-And after he has spoken to you,

-do you act accordingly?
-Yes, yes, yes!

So you, Matthew Harrison Brady,

pass along God's orders
to the rest of the world?

Gentlemen,
meet the prophet from Nebraska!

(LOUD LAUGHTER)

What if a lesser human being...

A Cates or a Darwin,
has the audacity to think

that God might whisper to him,

that an un-Brady
thought might still be holy?

Must men go to prison
because they are at odds

with a self-appointed prophet?

Extend the Testaments!

Let us have a book of Brady!

We shall hatch the Pentateuch and slip you
neatly in between numbers and Deuteronomy.

No more questions.

You know what I believe.

You know what I stand for!

You are excused, Colonel Brady.

I...

I believe, yes!

I believe in the book of Genesis,
Exodus, Leviticus...

This completes the testimony.
The witness has been excused.

Joshua, judges, Ruth...

This court is adjourned until
ten o'clock tomorrow morning.

BRADY: Isaiah,
Ezekiel, Jeremiah,

first kings, second kings...

I'd like to speak to you about
striking all this from the record!

Isaiah, Jeremiah,
lamentations, Ezekiel,

first kings,
second kings, Isaiah,

Daniel, Hosea, Joel,

Amos, Obadiah!

Jonah, Micah, Nahum!

Haggai! Zechariah! Malachi!

Matt, darling, let's go home.

"Blessed is the man that walketh
not in the counsel of the ungodly."

It's over now, Matt.

The ungodly shall perish.

He is a shield for me.

I sing his praises.

The lord is my shepherd,

I shall not want...

(REPORTERS CLAMORING)

Uh,
this is this evening's edition.

I think you'll
find it interesting.

My regards to your husband,
please.

(GASPS)

Matt, darling, it's late.

Couldn't you finish
that in the morning?

Matt?

They laughed at me, Lucy.

They were laughing.

God forbid I
should fail here now.

I know, darling, but, well...

After all,
it is only one teacher in Hillsboro.

One teacher's enough to bring this
country back to where we were before.

I tell you, Lucy,
we've got to stop them now.

Thank God there's still time.

I'm drafting a closing argument

that will bring the Henry Drummonds
of this world to their knees.

Listen, Lucy.

"Religion isn't
hostile to learning.

"But can we ever permit learning that
encourages godlessness in our students?"

Absolutely right,
darling. Absolutely right.

God is holding my hand.

I feel the strength of a lion.

Lucy...

I want you to know something.

Whenever I think of running
for the presidency again,

the greatest pleasure of all will
be in making you my first lady...

The first lady of this land.

(LUCY SOBBING)

I'm tellin' ya,
I got 10 phone calls last night.

The boys down
at the state capital,

they don't like the
way this thing is going,

they want it over fast.

I'm sorry, but that's not the
way the judicial system works.

The New York times,
the Chicago tribune,

this fella from the
Philadelphia Bulletin,

they're makin' us out to look
like a bunch of nincompoops.

It's got to stop!

The judicial process doesn't
change so some politician

I don't think you understand
what I'm sayin' here.

Now,
the November elections ain't far off,

and it's not gonna
do anybody any good

to get the voters
all up in a sweat.

Now, dammit, you got the gavel,
don't ya? Use it!

"I believe in..."

It's time to go, Matt.

-Matt?
-Huh?

Oh, yes, yes.

How are you feeling?

You slept very
fitfully last night.

"I propose a
constitutional amendment

"requiring the lord's prayer in
every school of this beautiful land..."

(KNOCKING AT DOOR)

Good morning, ma'am.

I came because
it really is time...

BRADY: We're on our way.

I've been thinkin', sir.

Maybe I can say
a few words first

-to pave the way...
-No, no, no.

I'll take care of everything.

I've got it all right here,
Mr. Davenport.

-Lucy?
-I'm ready, darling.

Praise God, so am I.

What's that?

We're putting in a direct
wire to WGN Chicago.

We'll broadcast the
verdict as soon as it arrives.

My God,
that's gonna break down a lot of walls.

You're not supposed to
say "God" on the radio.

Why the hell not?

You're not supposed to say "hell,"
either.

(CHUCKLES)

(SHUSHING)

Good morning.

Good morning.

BAILIFF: All rise.

Hear ye, hear ye.

The case of the State versus
Bertram Cates is now in session.

Be seated.

The court will now entertain the
closing arguments for the defense first.

Mr. Drummond?

Your Honor,
we waive the right to a closing argument.

(COURTROOM ABUZZ)

Would you repeat that,
please, Mr. Drummond?

Objection!

This court can surely see
through this subterfuge.

Mr. Drummond, by his action,
hopes to eliminate both closing arguments!

Surely this court will not even
consider such a deception.

Mr. Drummond?

Uh,
we claim the defendant not guilty,

but since the court has excluded
all testimony of scientific experts,

we wish for a verdict
from this jury now

so that we may carry the
matter to a higher court.

I thought I knew every scheming
lawyer's trick in the book,

but this, from you...

Look at me!

Henry,

the magnitude of
this offense demands

that we both muster every
ounce of eloquence and conviction

in our closing statements,
and then let the jury decide.

The jury's already decided,
haven't they, Matt?

Gentlemen! Gentlemen!

(MOUTHING)

Order! Come to order!

-I now charge this jury...
-BRADY: No! No!

Your Honor,
with all due respect,

I would like to make
a closing statement.

Please be seated, Mr. Brady.

Be seated, sir.

I now charge this jury to decide

whether the defendant violated
public act volume 37, statute #31428,

which rejects the teaching of any theory
that denies the divine creation of man.

You are excused to deliberate.

Your Honor, I have a statement
relating to these proceedings!

The court will grant you an opportunity
to make that statement later, Mr. Brady.

-The court is in recess.
-(POUNDS GAVEL)

Gentlemen of the jury,
have you reached a verdict?

Yes, sir, we have, Your Honor.

We find the defendant guilty.

Step right up and get your
tickets to the middle ages, huh?

(POUNDING GAVEL)

Sit down.

Mr. Cates, you may rise.

You have been found guilty
of the offense as charged.

Do you have anything to say?

Well, Your Honor,

I'm not a public speaker,
and I don't have the eloquence

of these gentlemen
that you've heard here.

I'm just a schoolteacher.

Not anymore, you aren't.

I was a schoolteacher.

And I feel that I'm...

That I have been
convicted of an unjust law,

and I'll continue in the future,
as I have in the past,

to oppose this law
in any way that I can.

Bertram Cates,

this court has found you guilty

of violating public act volume 37,
statute #31428.

This is punishable by a
fine and/or imprisonment.

This court deems it proper
that you be sentenced to a fine...

Of... (CLEARS THROAT)

A fine of $100.

Did you say $100?

Well, that seems to conclude
the business of this trial.

Your Honor,
the prosecution takes exception.

Where the issues are so titanic,

the court must mete out
more drastic punishment.

-I object.
-To make an example of this transgressor!

Just a moment!

The amount of the fine
is of no concern to me.

Bert Cates has no intention of
paying this fine or any other fine.

He would not pay it if
it were a single dollar.

We intend to
appeal this decision

to the supreme
court of the state.

Will the court grant
thirty days to prepare?

Granted. I now declare
this court adjourned.

Your Honor,
I now wish to read into the record...

Objection.

Mr. Brady may make any remarks
he likes in a political campaign,

but our business
in Hillsboro is over.

Your Honor promised to allow
me to make a few pertinent remarks.

Yes, yes,
and we're all anxious to hear them, sir.

The defense holds that
the court be adjourned.

Mr. Drummond's point
of procedure is well taken.

I'm sure that everyone here will
remain after the trial to hear the address.

Thank you.

I now declare this
court to be adjourned.

Sine die.

Gentlemen.

Gentlemen, one moment, please!

Ladies and gentlemen,

could I have your attention,
please!

Ladies and gentlemen,

when I campaign for the
Presidency of the United States...

It must be painful to be
almost-president three times

and have a skull full of
inauguration speeches.

to restore this country
to its former greatness,

to work for the betterment
of the common people,

the common people
of this blessed land

who harken to the
word of our Lord,

the common people,
who through all of history...

Excuse me, sir.

My director has told me that
our time is now concluded.

We'd like to return you
to our studios in Chicago.

My dear friends!

I beg you, listen to me!

Think! Think for a moment.

Religion is not
hostile to learning.

But can we ever permit
learning that encourages

godlessness among our students?

I propose a
constitutional amendment

requiring the Lord's
prayer in all our schools

to defend our youth
against the evils of evolution!

Listen to me,
please, I beg of you!

We must never stop

the work of the holy spirit,
don't you see that?

I implore you!

From the hallowed hills of
sacred Sinai came the laws...

which have been our bulwark

and our shield, age upon age...

Lucy...

Lucy...

Get a doctor!

Let's get him out of here!

Let's get him over to the doc's
house! Come on, get him up!

Excuse us, please!

Did you see his face?
He looked terrible.

Oh, hell, he'll be all right.

Give him an hour or so

and Mount Brady will
erupt again before nightfall.

How you feeling, young fella?

I don't know.

Did I win, or did I lose?

Millions of people
will say you won.

They'll read in
their paper tonight

that you smashed a bad law,
you made it a joke.

Yeah,
but what's gonna happen now?

You don't suppose something
like this is ever finished, do you?

Tomorrow, sure as hell,

somebody else will
have to stand up,

and you've helped give
them the guts to do it.

Rachel.

Hello, Bert.

I don't need anymore shirts.

I'm free. For a while, anyway.

These are my things, Bert.

I'm going away.

Where are you going?

I don't know,
but I'm leaving my father.

Rach...

Bert...

It's my fault that the
jury found you guilty.

Well, partly my fault, I helped.

Here's the copy of
Darwin you gave me.

I read it all the way through.

I don't understand it,

and what I do understand,
I don't like.

I don't want to believe that I
came from apes and monkeys.

Mr. Drummond, I hope I haven't
said anything to offend you.

You see,
I haven't really thought very much.

I was always afraid of what I might think,
and...

It seemed safer
not to think at all.

Maybe...

Maybe what
Mr. Darwin wrote is bad,

but bad or good,
I think ideas have to come out.

I think they should be heard,

I don't think they ought
to pass laws against them.

Mr. Brady's dead.

How, how did he die?

(SOBBING) They said
it was a heart attack.

Why should we weep for Brady?

He's cried enough for himself.

You know what he was?

A barnum bunkum
Bible-beating fraud.

You smart-aleck!

You have no right
to spit on his religion

and more than you have
a right to spit on my religion

or my lack of it!

Well...

Well, what do you know?

Henry Drummond to the defense...

Even of his enemies.

There was much
greatness in that man.

Should I put that in how
do you write an obituary

Write what you damn please!

How do you write an obituary

about someone who's
been dead for 30 years?

What do you say?

What?

Wait a minute...

What was that scripture he
quoted at the prayer meeting?

Proverbs, wasn't it?

"He that troubleth his own house

"shall inherit the wind...

"And the fool shall be
servant to the wise in heart."

Well, well, well.

They're growing an odd
crop of agnostics this year.

-I'm getting damn sick of you, Hornbeck.
-Why?

You never pushed a
noun against a verb

except to blow up something.

A neat lawyer's trick...
Accusing the accuser.

What am I accused of?

I charge you with
contempt of conscience,

self-perjury.

Kindness of forethought and gross
sentimentality in the first degree.

Why? Because I refuse
to erase a man's lifetime?

I tell you that Brady had
the same right as Bert...

The right to be wrong.

What the hell is this...

"Be kind to Bigots week?"

Because Brady is dead,
we must be kind to him?

A giant once lived in that body.

Matt Brady got lost

because he looked for a
God that was too high up

and too far away.

You fraud. You hypocrite!

You're more religious
than he ever was.

(SCOFFS) Excuse me.

I have to get to a typewriter

and hammer out the
story of an atheist...

Who believes in God!

(LAUGHS)

Colonel Drummond...

I am resigning my
commission in the state militia,

I hand in my sword.

How much does it
cost for an appeal?

I couldn't pay you much.

I didn't come here to get paid.

I think I better drive
myself back to Chicago.

Bert, we could leave today, too.

There's a train out at 5:13,
and we could be on it.

I'll get my things.

You have a good trip.

Hey, you forgot...