WITNESS FOR THE PROSECUTION
In a career spanning almost fifty years alone in directing, Billy Wilder has given the world a whole spectrum of cinema which he can rightfully call it his own, from light hearted comedies to gritty war films and heartwarming family dramas somewhere in between.
Wilder also explored the physics of the thriller, much earlier in Double Indemnity (1944), a hard hitting film noir and then again in 1957 the form of a courtroom drama in Witness for the Prosecution. Both films extensively deals with marriage and crimes committed due to tension between individuals.
Originally written by the “Queen of Crime” Agatha Christie as a short story was adapted by the director himself is perhaps one of the finest legal-thrillers as it combines the best of both genres namely suspense and twist ending.
Charles Laughton excels as the crime barrister Sir Wilfred Robarts who appears in defense of a war worn drifter Leonard Vole(Tyrone Power) who is accused of killing a wealthy widow, his only alibi being his wife Christine (an exceptional Marlene Dietrich), the eponymous ‘witness for the prosecution’.
The film has gratitude, betrayal and justice as its main themes and tests how far would people go for a loved one. Dietrich, Laughton and Elsa Lanchester provide top-notch performances which contribute to the aura of the film being regarded as a benchmark in the genre and cementing Wilder’s place in Hollywood history.
To be noted are the witty repartees between Sir Wilfred and Miss Plimsoll as the barrister recuperating from a bad heart attack and his assertive nurse respectively; for trivia lovers it the film in which a real life couple was nominated for Best Actor at the academy awards but neither won.
Witness for the prosecution is a joy to watch, joy is not the right word when describing a courtroom drama; but then I’ll risk it. It really is a joy to watch.
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