Witness for the Prosecution Witness for the Prosecution
1957 Directed by Billy Wilder
Synopsis
When Leonard Vole is arrested for the sensational murder of a rich, middle-aged widow, the famous Sir Wilfrid Robarts agrees to appear on his behalf. Sir Wilfrid, recovering from a near-fatal heart attack, is *supposed* to be on a diet of bland, civil suits. But the lure of the criminal courts is too much for him, especially when the case is so difficult: Vole's only alibi witness is his wife, the calm and coldly calculating Christine Vole. Sir Wilfrid's task becomes even more impossible when Christine agrees to be a witness not for the defence but for the prosecution.
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Billy Wilder continues to amaze me. He moves with ease between noir / thriller and comedy / romance, and has created multiple best in class pictures in each genre. I still find it hard to reconcile that the man who created Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd also created The Apartment and Some Like it Hot.
Witness for the Prosecution seems like a bridge between his alter egos. With a plot and setting that strongly resembles his crime / noir classics, Wilder eschews the hard boiled dramatic approach in favour of a somewhat lighter touch reminiscent of his comedy / romance gems. This isn’t to say that Witness for the Prosecution is light and breezy, it isn’t, or that it doesn’t…
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"If you were a woman, Miss Plimsoll, I would strike you."
#43 on Berken's Favorite Movies Of All TimeThe fact that this is only my fourth favorite Billy Wilder movie is absurd.
It's rare to run into a classic film that could actually be considered underrated, but Witness For The Prosecution I believe is just that. There are movies with brilliant characters, there are movies with plots stacked full of surprises, and then there's Wilder's 1957 classic, which offers both of those things to such a degree that it would justifiably be considered a great movie even had it only checked one of those two boxes. The film is so successful in these essential areas, in fact, that from…
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Billy Wilder's impact on film is one I have yet to discover fully but if Witness for the Prosecution is indicative of the quality of his other work I am already a fan of his. With rapid-fire dialogue and an intriguing case this certainly proves to be one of the more compelling and entertaining court room dramas. Any moment you aren't smiling at one of the many witty lines you're probably at the edge of your seat in eager anticipation. The script, which derives from the famous Agatha Christie short story turned play, is near perfect and allows for just enough room for the story to develop at a steady pace as well as being packed full with memorable, quotable…
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Charles Laughton's Wilfrid Robarts is one of the most likable characters in film history. He's also a complete asshole. But he's also brilliant. And hilarious. He is without a doubt the highlight of this entire movie, which is a small miracle unto itself, being that everything else about it is also of the highest order.
The script crackles with amazing dialogue from beginning to end. All the lauded dialogue scribes of today like Sorkin and Tarantino have nothing on Billy Wilder. The guy was simply a genius with words.
And with a camera, too. So many perfectly composed shots that it's pointless to count them as individual successes and not as one sole work of artistic vision. Even with the…
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I dare say this is a bloody good film, gentlemen.
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I'm slowly working my way through Billy Wilder's films. Witness for the Prosecution is a solid but ultimately unexceptional court room film. Leonard Vole is on trial for murder, represented by his lawyer Sir Wilfrid Robarts, played by Charles Laughton. The script is extremely witty, but Laughton delivers the material so well. He is the highlight, completely carrying the film.
Laughton and the comedy of the film make up for everything else. The story is a basic court room drama case that we've seen plenty of times before. And of course there are some twists along the way. But the ending is completely ridiculous, laughably so. I assume that's how the play ended, but Wilder should have changed it.
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Another classic from Billy Wilder's filmography that I really loved. The comedic moments feel a bit dated, but this is still an entertaining and surprising court room drama. The performances are uniformly strong, every scene helps to further the plot and I did not see the ending coming.
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Billy Wilder continues to amaze me. He moves with ease between noir / thriller and comedy / romance, and has created multiple best in class pictures in each genre. I still find it hard to reconcile that the man who created Double Indemnity and Sunset Blvd also created The Apartment and Some Like it Hot.
Witness for the Prosecution seems like a bridge between his alter egos. With a plot and setting that strongly resembles his crime / noir classics, Wilder eschews the hard boiled dramatic approach in favour of a somewhat lighter touch reminiscent of his comedy / romance gems. This isn’t to say that Witness for the Prosecution is light and breezy, it isn’t, or that it doesn’t…
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This is how it's done! Gripping courtroom drama, with a story that keeps you guessing until the end and great performances of the lead actors. I was never bored and enjoyed every minute of it.
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Billy Wilder is a director with an understanding of cinema that is almost unmatched throughout the medium's entire history -- which is why his films are so good. Witness for the Prosecution is yet another highlight in the great director's history, and it proves that courtroom dramas can be both riveting and lightly comedic. In an age where people are impressed by films such as The Sixth Sense, Wilder demonstrates how to skilfully attribute a twist into a film's plot.
Sure, the legalese is sophomoric, and Laughton's zingers get a little tiresome by the third act, but like all Wilder films, Witness for the Prosecution is tightly directed and well paced -- always managing to find an effective middle ground between substance and entertainment.
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Middling, stagy courtroom drama elevated by Dietrich, Laughton (one of his best performances) and the Wilder touch. Dietrich's Cockney accent beats out Dick Von Dyke in Mary Poppins for the worst in cinema history.
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One of the best courtroom dramas of all time, with a tense masterful screenplay complete with a even more masterful twist. Brilliant.
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"If you were a woman, Miss Plimsoll, I would strike you."
#43 on Berken's Favorite Movies Of All TimeThe fact that this is only my fourth favorite Billy Wilder movie is absurd.
It's rare to run into a classic film that could actually be considered underrated, but Witness For The Prosecution I believe is just that. There are movies with brilliant characters, there are movies with plots stacked full of surprises, and then there's Wilder's 1957 classic, which offers both of those things to such a degree that it would justifiably be considered a great movie even had it only checked one of those two boxes. The film is so successful in these essential areas, in fact, that from…
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A riveting piece of criminal entertainment. On top of the many twists, Marlene Dietrich's performance gives the affair some weight, but watching Laughton and Lanchester spar is a real treat.
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I dare say this is a bloody good film, gentlemen.