INHERIT THE WIND

Sunday, August 17, 2:45 p.m. & Thursday, August 28, 6:00 p.m. | Though based on the real-life 1925 Scopes Trial and made 65 years ago, INHERIT THE WIND might as well have been made this year; it is that eerily prescient. When Tennessee teacher Bertram Cates is put on trial for teaching evolution instead of creationism, he is defended in a sweltering courtroom by Chicago lawyer and atheist Henry Drummond (Spencer Tracy), against a prosecution team that includes Biblical scholar and zealot Matthew Brady (Fredric March). As the public gallery fans themselves (“I’ll pack my bags and go back to Chicago where it’s a nice, cool 100 degrees in the shade,” Drummond quips), a masterful verbal sparring match about ignorance fueled by religious righteousness plays out. Capturing it all is reporter E.K Hornbeck (Gene Kelly), adding to the feeling that, if it weren’t for the suspenders and the lack of air conditioning, INHERIT THE WIND could be a 2025 new release coming to a theater near you.

Awards & Nominations

Nominee - Best Actor in a Leading Role (Spencer Tracy), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Editing
Winner - Silver Bear, Berlin International Film Festival

Scorchers | August 2–31, 2025

Hot enough for you? Welcome to the dog days of summer, when the temperatures reach their peak and it feels like you could fry an egg on the sidewalk. In Scorchers, we explore 10 films where stifling heat has a starring role. In these cinematic sizzlers, characters fan themselves and wipe their brows—and as the degrees rise, so do the stakes. When we’re stripped down, exhausted, and oppressed by an atmosphere warmer than our body temperature, things are bound to explode.

The Film Center is ADA accessible. This presentation will be projected without open captions. The theater is hearing-loop equipped. For accessibility requests, please email filmcenter@saic.edu