...the film's origins as an Agatha Christie novel and play, combine to give the movie a heavy -- almost stolid -- theatrical flavour.
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 attorney has been advised by his doctors... 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
Reviews for Witness for the Prosecution
Wilder plays the suspense well, but this movie belongs to Laughton, who makes his every line resonate like music and thunder.
His theatrical mise-en-scene -- his proscenium framing -- serves the material well, as does Charles Laughton's bombastic portrayal of the defense attorney.
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.
It’s got enough unpredictable twists of its own to satisfy even Judge Judy’s appetite for justice.
Wilder's film is a completely satisfying experience anchored by a handful of memorable performances
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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