Witness for the Prosecution Movie Review

Witness for the prosecution is a 1975 film directed by Billy Wilder. It is based on a short story of the same name by Agatha Christie. It follows Sir Wilfred Robarts an aging lawyer in bad health, who takes on the defence of a man accused of murder. As with all good murder mysteries the case is far from open and shut. In fact the plot is twisted so tightly that you will have to hang on to the very end to be sure you have unravelled everything. The story was a great success when it opened as a stage play and the film adaptation follows in that tradition. It was released to widespread critical acclaim and was nominated for multiple academy awards. Fortunately for modern viewers it retains its charm some 50 years later.
For the most part the casting is excellent even so Charles Laughton is a particular standout. He plays the part of an old grouch to perfection and manages to steal almost every scene he is in. His nemesis an overly protective nurse played by Elsa Lanchester is also great and worthy of her supporting role nomination. It doesn’t take her character much more than the opening scene to annoy both Sir Wilfred and the audience but its touching to see how she grows on us both by the end of the film. The supporting cast is excellent as well, with a faithful butler and elderly scotch housekeeper being of particular note. Marlene Dietrich puts in a great performance as the German wife of the accused, playing a mysterious and seductive femme fatale who hides her motives well. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about Tyrone Power who plays the murder suspect. His hammy performances on the witness stand may be justified in the end but they stand out painfully against the subtleness of the other characters. The same can be said about his American accent which he makes no attempt to hide in this otherwise very British feature. When he is not hamming it up he is entirely too bland and possibly old to play the young heartthrob he is supposed to be.
The good news is that Tyrone Power’s performance doesn’t detract nearly enough to bring down the excellence of this picture. The great cast and characters would be enough on their own but fortunately there is an enthralling plot and plenty of surprises to go along. The main set a re-creation of London’s Old Bailey looks fabulous as does the direction by the legendary Billy Wilder. After all this praise I would be remiss if I didn’t recommend this wonderful film experience to everyone reading.