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Movies / On DVD / Witness for the Prosecution
Witness for the Prosecution

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Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

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Reviews Counted:22

Fresh:22

Rotten:0

Average Rating:8.6/10

Runtime: 2 hrs 1 min

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Charles Laughton stars as barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts in Billy Wilder's screen version of Agatha Christie's enormously successful stage adaptation of her original story. Although the ailing... Charles Laughton stars as barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts in Billy Wilder's screen version of Agatha Christie's enormously successful stage adaptation of her original story. Although the ailing attorney has been advised by his doctors to cease and desist from the practice of law, his interest is piqued when solicitor Mayhew (Henry Daniell) asks him to take the case of murderer suspect Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power). After evidence that he stood to gain financially from the victim's death comes to light, the man is indicted. Robarts, nonetheless, agrees to defend Vole, convinced as he is of his innocence. But the case becomes even more of an uphill battle when the defendant's supposedly loving wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich) decides to testify as a witness for the prosecution. Wilder expanded Christie's play, creating the role of Robarts' housekeeper Miss Plimsoll (played by Laughton's actual wife Elsa Lanchester), whose badinage with her employer provides a comic counterpoint to the film's melodrama. Bravura performances by Dietrich and Laughton fuel the entertaining courtroom drama, which also features fine work by Tyrone Power in his last screen appearance. [More]

Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester

Starring: Marlene Dietrich, Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams, Henry Daniell, Ian Wolfe, Torin Thatcher

Director: Billy Wilder

Director: Billy Wilder
Producer: Arthur Hornblow
Screenwriter: Billy Wilder, Harry Kurnitz, Larry Marcus
Composer: Matty Malneck

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Witness for the Prosecution

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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...the film's origins as an Agatha Christie novel and play, combine to give the movie a heavy -- almost stolid -- theatrical flavour.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Time Out
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
10/15/03
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

Wilder plays the suspense well, but this movie belongs to Laughton, who makes his every line resonate like music and thunder.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
08/22/08
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
03/31/08
David Ansen
David Ansen
Newsweek

His theatrical mise-en-scene -- his proscenium framing -- serves the material well, as does Charles Laughton's bombastic portrayal of the defense attorney.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
08/15/07
Dave Kehr
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader

Too much artificiality.

Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
03/19/07
Dennis Schwartz
Dennis Schwartz
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

No review available.

comment Comment
07/03/05
Brandon Judell
Brandon Judell
PopcornQ

No review available.

comment Comment
06/19/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
06/15/05
Lori Hoffman
Lori Hoffman
Atlantic City Weekly

No review available.

comment Comment
06/29/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Marlene Dietrich, Billy Wilder, Agatha Christie: What's not to like?

comment Comment
01/04/04
Dan Lybarger
Dan Lybarger
Nitrate Online

Splendid version of the play with perfect cast and Wilder at the helm.

comment Comment
09/23/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
Carol Cling
Carol Cling
Las Vegas Review-Journal

Witness for the Prosecution is a witty, terse adaptation of the Agatha Christie hit play brought to the screen with ingenuity and vitality by Billy Wilder.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/30/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It’s got enough unpredictable twists of its own to satisfy even Judge Judy’s appetite for justice.

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
06/21/03
Ryan Cracknell
Ryan Cracknell
Apollo Guide

No review available.

comment Comment
02/07/03
Nell Minow
Nell Minow
Movie Mom at Yahoo! Movies

No review available.

comment Comment
10/11/02
Christopher Smith
Christopher Smith
Bangor Daily News (Maine)

No review available.

comment Comment
10/03/02
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

witty, great fun. Dietrich is top notch.

comment Comment
08/13/02
Bob Bloom
Bob Bloom
Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)

Wilder's film is a completely satisfying experience anchored by a handful of memorable performances

Full Review Source: All Movie Guide | comment Comment
04/12/02
Dan Jardine
Dan Jardine
All Movie Guide
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
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Latest News for Witness for the Prosecution

July 13, 2006: Kidman & Pacino in "Prosecution" Remake?
Billy Wilder's 1957 film "Witness for the Prosecution" is rather excellent, which is why most (old) movie fans will take exception to the news that ... a remake is... More...

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