Witness for the Prosecution

1957

Action / Crime / Drama / Film-Noir / Mystery / Thriller

65
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 41 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 95% · 5K ratings
IMDb Rating 8.4/10 10 160068 160.1K

cigarette smoking based on novel or book nurse widow cigarette letter

Director

Billy Wilder Photo
Billy Wilder

Top cast

John Williams Photo
John Williams as Brogan-Moore
John Roy Photo
John Roy as Courtroom Spectator
Norma Varden Photo
Norma Varden as Mrs. Emily Jane French
Ian Wolfe Photo
Ian Wolfe as Carter
720p.BLU 1080p.BLU
973.18 MB
1204*720
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 31
1.84 GB
1792*1072
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles
23.976 fps
1 hr 56 min
Seeds 100+

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Coventry 9 / 10

The Mother of all Courtroom dramas/thrillers.

Yours truly has never been much of a reader, though with one notable exception: the work of Agatha Christie. I absolutely, positively worship this brilliant woman and try to read as many of her novels, short stories and stage play adaptations as possible. "Witness for the Prosecution" is a genuine classic, and although somewhat atypical for Christie, it is undeniably one of the greatest stories ever penned down. There's one major disadvantage about having read all of Christie's whodunits, of course, namely that you can't experience the same astounding twist-in-the-end twice! I would really have loved to be overwhelmed by the climax of this film- version, especially because Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power give away such fabulous performances. The story, with its fascinating characters and dazzling plot twists, does remain the movie's biggest strongpoint, but there are a number of more reasons why "Witness for the Prosecution" is righteously considered as one of the most massive milestones in cinematic history. Billy Wilder's surefooted direction, for one, and the stellar performances of the entire ensemble cast. I mentioned Dietrich and Power already, but there's also the downright phenomenal Charles Laughton (arguably the most shamefully neglected actor/director in history) and an appealing supportive role for Elsa Lancaster. But do I daresay that the ultimate success-factor of this stage play adaptation is the masterful re-creation of the court trial? The bombastic settings and decors, the echoing acoustics, the powerful monologues of confident (and arrogant) barristers and the intimidating gowns and wigs are largely what make "Witness for the Prosecution" not only the first but also the mother of all courtroom dramas. This may just be the opinion of an avid fan, but practically ALL great courtroom-dramas that were released from the sixties until present day ("To Kill a Mockingbird", "Philadelphia", "Devil's Advocate", "A Few Good Men"…) were clearly influenced by "Witness for the Prosecution". In fact, I only have one minor complaint: *** Spoiler **** the film version adds one more final twist that I didn't find 100% plausible.
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Reviewed by willandthomas-picturehou 9 / 10

Fun with Charles and Marlene

To see "Witness for the Prosecution" for the first time in 2008 is a jolting surprise. Nobody could do it better than Billy Wilder did in 1957. A man accused of murder, Tyrone Power, the weakest link in this terrific chain. Sir Wilfred is called to defend him, he is played by the extraordinary Charles Laughton, but he's just out of hospital - he wasn't dismissed he was expelled - and due to doctor's orders he's not to take any criminal cases. He finds Power charming and personable enough but he's not going to risk his life to save his until Marlene Dietrich makes her entrance - and what an entrance! How marvelous that what amounts to a bit of Agatha Christie's usual fare becomes such an entertaining and at times right down riveting piece of film-making.

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