A JURY OF HER PEERS (1980)

Title: A JURY OF HER PEERS

Year of Release: 1980

Director: Sally Heckel

Genre: Drama, Crime

Synopsis: In early 1900s rural America, a woman is accused of killing her husband, but there is more to this than is first evident.

Within a film history context: Films about wives who kill their husbands have been featured throughout cinema history. Billy Wilder's DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944) was about a sultry woman who invokes a shady insurance salesman to kill her husband, to pocket the insurance payout, but things do not go exactly to plan for either party in this compelling film noir. REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947), directed by Alfred Werker, is an intricate movie with a young woman believing that she killed her husband, but she may, or may not have been the person who pulled the trigger. Dudley Nichols' MOURNING BECOMES ELECTRA (1947) presented a complicated set of interpersonal relationships within its framework. A man returns home from the Civil War to his wife and daughter, but the wife does not want her husband anymore, and plots to kill him with her lover, being her daughter's former paramour. With BLOWING WILD (1953), directed by Hugo Fregonese, a woman kills her husband to reignite her passion for a former lover, but she pays the ultimate price for her criminality in this action-adventure set in South America. Ken Hughes' HEAT WAVE (1954) was yet another film with a scheming wife causing waves. Set in Britain, a woman wants out of her marriage, and tries to convince a man to kill her husband, but when this fails, does the deed herself. 

ILLEGAL (1955), directed by Lewis Allen, featured a woman who kills her husband in self-defense. While the district attorney makes it appear that she murdered her spouse, the truth eventually comes to light. Franklin Adreon's TERROR AT MIDNIGHT (1956), again had a wife with murder on her mind. When a woman suspects her husband is having an affair she runs him over, and an innocent woman is suspected of the crime. This chain of events results in the wife's own death, the innocent woman once more implicated, but later found clear of all charges. Into the 1970s, anthology film TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972), directed by Freddie Francis, featured the story of a woman who kills her husband on Christmas Eve, trying to accuse a madman of the crime, but receives her just desserts from this psychopath. Robert Altman's IMAGES (1972) was about a woman who may or may not be committing murders, unable to distinguish between truth and fiction, but actually kills her husband for real. THE VAULT OF HORROR (1973), directed by Roy Ward Baker, was another anthology film which had a wife kill the husband. In this instance, a woman whose obsessive-compulsive husband drives her mad with his constant insults about her homemaking skills murders her spouse, and keeps a grisly reminder of him. Brian G. Hutton's NIGHT WATCH (1973) had Elizabeth Taylor as a woman with mental issues who may have killed her first husband, her second spouse possibly heading in the same direction. A JURY OF HER PEERS was one of the best movies about a woman killing her spouse, albeit the shortest in length.

While many of the above movies featured a wife who sought to dispatch her husband, and were thrillers in essence, such as DOUBLE INDEMNITY, REPEAT PERFORMANCE, HEAT WAVE, and TERROR AT MIDNIGHT, to name just a few, A JURY OF HER PEERS was of a lower-key, more intimate, more psychologically-realistic vein. It was not just a matter of a woman wanting to kill her husband for money, or to pair up with another man in A JURY OF HER PEERS. The movie, in its spare, riveting manner, makes the case for a woman who was abused not only mentally but also, physically, and makes the decision to kill her husband to provide herself peace from torment. This is mainly achieved via dialogue and inferences peppered throughout the film, which convey meaning without being heavy-handed. Other features of A JURY OF HER PEERS are also notable when looking at the film compared to others in the genre. 

The male characters in A JURY OF HER PEERS are largely sexist, and unsympathetic in the view of the long-suffering wife. There is the statement made that she is not a good housekeeper by one of them, which casts an aspersion that if a woman is not good at household duties, she is not worthy of being a woman. This is something that the other movies never touched upon in a significant manner, although the segment in THE VAULT OF HORROR is an exception. In addition to this, the male characters in one sequence of A JURY OF HER PEERS slight the intelligence of the female characters in front of them which is also eye-opening. This is then blown apart by the movie in how the two female characters conceal evidence, effectively rendering the male characters as naïve and insensitive. Women were seen as existing only for housekeeping or raising the family in the 1900s setting, but the movie makes the assertion that there is much more to womanhood, motherhood, feeling, and being, than first meets the eye. The best of the movies dealing with a wife killing her spouse, A JURY OF HER PEERS is an excellent picture.

Overview: Sally Heckel is an American director who has made two short films, THE BENT TREE, A JURY OF HER PEERS, and one full-length documentary, UNSPEAKABLE, over the space of twenty-eight years. In light of this, the overview will concentrate wholly upon Miss Heckel's contribution to A JURY OF HER PEERS. With A JURY OF HER PEERS, Sally Heckel has crafted a movie which makes an indelible, haunting mark upon the viewer. The story of a woman who has killed her husband, and viewed with disdain by the police officers in charge of the case, but seen with sympathy by two women, is one of the most tightly-directed, thoughtful films ever made, either short or feature length. Sally Heckel does this by creating an engrossing narrative world from which the viewer cannot look away.

Sally Heckel dives the spectator into the story, introducing the viewer to Minnie Burke, a woman suspected of killing her husband. One can discern that Minnie is not a conventional unrepentant murderess from her actions; head bowed, low voice, in her own world when the police arrive. Once Mrs Burke has been taken into custody, two women, the wife of the man who discovered the murder, Mrs Hale, and Mrs Peters, wife of the sheriff, are assigned to bring Mrs Burke some personal effects, and here the best part of the story occurs. They examine matters from a woman's perspective, something the men in the story fail to communicate. The male characters do not elicit any understanding for Mrs Burke's plight, instead talking about her lack of housekeeping skills. 

Mrs Hale and Mrs Peters serve as representatives for Mrs Burke, enunciating the tragedy of her life from a female outlook, something the men fail to undertake. Sally Heckel takes all sides of the story, being male versus female, law versus justice, and makes every position clear to the audience. She allows the viewer to take from this situation and, in effect, be the jury for what has taken place. The beauty of A JURY OF HER PEERS is in how it says so much in so little time, but the reflection it incurs in the viewer is what gives it an unbeatable edge. One of the best short films ever made, and a credit to its director, A JURY OF HER PEERS is an unforgettable, absorbing movie experience.

Acting: A JURY OF HER PEERS has a small cast, regardless, Sally Heckel is able to extract the maximum from her performers. In the tiny role of Minnie Burke, the woman accused of killing her husband, Sheila Hinchliffe makes a strong impression with her low voice, careful body language and movements. Miss Hinchliffe shows that Mrs Burke was anything but a stereotypical murderess, and that there is more to her story than on first appearances. As Mrs Hale and Mrs Peters, the two women assigned to assist police in gathering items for the jailed Mrs Burke, Diane de Lorian and Dorothy Lancaster create fully-fleshed, three-dimensional people for the audience. In the space of less than half an hour they both paint a vivid picture of womanhood that comes alive, and is utterly entrancing to witness.

Soundtrack: The movie has a very lean soundtrack mainly consisting of a Hymn sung by the Old First choir. This is played during the opening title sequence, and the closing credits. It lends an impeccable aura of the early 1900s to the movie, and an eerie commentary of the sad life of its main character Minnie Burke.

Mise-en-scene: The visual experience of A JURY OF HER PEERS is one of its greatest achievements as a film. Cinematography by Janet Meyers has a careful color palette, particularly capturing darker colours such as green, brown and black, thereby expressing the life of its protagonist in a metaphoric manner. Production design by Jeanne McDonnell is most evident in the Burke home, especially the kitchen area, which is stunning in its realism and attention to detail. Costuming by Louise Martinez effectively posits socio-economic differences between the two lead characters, Mrs Hale and Mrs Peters in terms of dress. While Mrs Peters wears elaborate attire, with elegant hat and coat, Mrs Hale's is more subdued in nature, befitting her more practical disposition.

Notable Acting Performances: Sheila Hinchliffe, Dorothy Lancaster, Diane de Lorian.

Suitability for young viewers: Parental discretion advised. Adult themes.

Overall Grade: A

Link: IMDB Page