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Mood:
- CleverSuspensefulWittyCaptivatingMind BendingCynicalTense
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Plot:
- Dedicated LawyerLegal InvestigationUncover TruthCouple RelationsCourtroom DramaFalse AccusationMurderWho Done It more...
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Genres:
- CrimeDramaMystery
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Time/Period:
- 20th Century50s
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Place:
- EnglandEuropeLondonCourtroom
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Praise:
- Award WinnerCritically AcclaimedEssentialMasterpieceGolden Globe WinnerPrestigious Awards
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Style:
- Twists and TurnsTalky
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Based on:
- Based on PlayBased on Short Story
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Attitudes:
- SeriousRealistic
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Witness for the Prosecution, 1957
English
USA
Profile of Witness for the Prosecution
Witness for the Prosecution can be described as mind bending, cynical, and clever. The plot revolves around a legal investigation, a dedicated lawyer, and courtroom drama. The main genres are drama, crime, and mystery. In terms of style, Witness for the Prosecution involves twists and turns and is talky. In approach, it is serious and realistic. It is set, at least in part, in a courtroom. Witness for the Prosecution is located in London. It takes place in the 1950s. It is derived from a short story and adapted from a play. Witness for the Prosecution has received attention for being a Golden Globe winner, a masterpiece, and essential viewing.
Summary of Witness for the Prosecution
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.
Details
| Language: | English |
| Country: | USA |
| Release date: | 17 December 1957 |
| Runtime: | 116 min |
Cast and Crew
as Christine Vole
as Leonard Vole
as Sir Wilfrid Robarts
Photos
Users Reviews
- 22.March.2009
- |
- by: coolerking
- coolerking rated this movie
8/10Great
