Witness for the Prosecution | Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich

Witness for the Prosecution | Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich | Witness for the Prosecution

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Witness for the Pr...

	Witness for the Prosecution Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich MGM (Video & DVD), 1994 average customer review:based on 89 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Billy Wilder cowrote and directed this brilliant 1957 mystery based on Agatha Christie's celebrated play about an aging London barrister (Charles Laughton) who's preparing to retire when he takes the defense in the most vexing murder case of his distinguished career. In his final completed film (he died of a heart attack less than a year later), Tyrone Power plays the prime suspect in the murder of a wealthy widow, and Marlene Dietrich plays the wife of the accused, whose testimony--and true identity--holds the key to solving the case. A classic of courtroom suspense, Witness for the Prosecution is one of those movies with enough double-crossing twists to keep the viewer guessing right up to the very end, when yet another surprise is deftly revealed. This being a Billy Wilder film, the dialogue is first-rate and the acting superb, with both Laughton and his offscreen wife Elsa Lanchester (playing the barrister's pesty nurse) winning Academy Awards for their performances. Although later films would concoct even more complicated courtroom scenarios, this remains one of the best films of its kind and a model for all those films that followed its lead. --Jeff Shannon

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Film fan

I have always liked films from courtrooms,(To Kill a Mockingbird")and I like the period around 1950 films. Charles and Marlene is almost missing from my film collection, so the choice was easy.
I've also read about the film in different media, and it got good reweiw.
It's many Oscar nominations helped also, and Billy Wilder speaks for himself.

Witness for the Prosecution

This has to be one of my favorite movies of all times. My brother and I were youngsters and luckily we were allowed to stay up late when the movie came on. We were mezmerized throughout. The ending blew us away, and we've talked about it for years. They just don't make movies like that anymore. I recommend it whole-heartedly!!!!

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A well crafted film.

This is an excellent example of a good play transferred to the screen. It was Tyrone Power's last film. The interplay between Laughton and Elsa Lanchester is a delight to watch. Film buffs, of course, know that they were married. The entire cast turns in stellar performances. The direction, by Billy Wilder, is close to perfect. This film is a two hour cinematic gem.

witness for the prosecution

this is another classics movie it have lies murder love betray tyrone power is great. marlene charles laughton is wonderful actor i would watch is over and over again.

wonderful classic

If you haven't seen it, and haven't read Witness in Death, here's what it's about: Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is accused of killing a wealthy widow, and he applies to Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton), the best barrister in England, to defend him. But Sir Wilfrid's health is failing, and he initially refuses, until actually meeting Leonard convinces him to take the case.

Leonard's wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich) is his alibi, but she's not very believable when she talks to Sir Wilfrid, and indeed she ends up as a witness for the prosecution.

Even though I knew the plot, including the twists and turns, from reading Witness in Death, the movie itself was more than just the sum of its parts. The drama of whodunit and how and why was interspersed with humor, much of it coming from interactions between Sir Wilfrid and his nurse (Elsa Lanchester, who I remembered from Mary Poppins and That Darn Cat). In fact, it added an extra dimension watching the movie and thinking of Eve & Roarke watching it being performed by Richard Draco & Areena Mansfield.

If you don't know what's going to happen, though, the twists are wonderful--my husband and sons loved it as much as I did.

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