Leonard Vole is accused of murdering a middle class widow who has left him her fortune. His wife is called as a witness for the prosecution. Based on a play by Agatha Christie and shot at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, “Witness for the Prosecution” was an immediate success with critics and audiences.
Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is a young man who is accused of murdering a widow, who has left him a fortune. Called as a witness at his trial, his wife (Marlene Dietrich) testifies against him, but his lawyer Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton) suspects that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
This film is based on the play by Agatha Christie and I found it very enjoyable. It was adapted for the screen by Larry Marcus and Lawrence B. Marcus, who also wrote Witness for the Prosecution (1982).
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Background of the Film
The courtroom sequences are particularly good, with Charles Laughton in fine form as a barrister, and Tyrone Power is convincing as an accused murderer. Marlene Dietrich plays his wife, who gives evidence against him.
This film also features Elsa Lanchester as Miss Plimsoll, Henry Daniell as Brogan-Moore and John Williams as Clegg. The supporting cast includes Una O’Connor, Ian Wolfe and Torin Thatcher.
A man is on trial for murder. He claims to be innocent, but is that true? His wife is called as a witness for the prosecution, but will she betray him? The story builds up to one of the most memorable twist endings in history.
Storyline
The movie Witness for the Prosecution is a well-known courtroom drama based on a short story by Agatha Christie. In this movie, Charles Laughton plays Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a barrister who has just returned to work after suffering a heart attack.
He is asked to defend Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), who is accused of murdering an older woman for her money. His wife Christine (Marlene Dietrich) admits she was at the scene of the crime, but claims it was only because she had gone to ask for money from the wealthy old woman. She acts as a character witness for her husband and gives evidence that he was with her in their home at the time of the murder.
While questioning his wife, Sir Wilfred says: “I have nothing more to ask this witness, my lord.”
After the court adjourns for the day, Christine whispers something to her husband and then leaves the courtroom. When she returns later that evening, Christine tells Sir Wilfrid that Leonard did commit the murder and she forged letters so the jury wouldn’t believe her, because they wouldn’t have believed a wife testifying for a husband.
Later on in the movie we learn that Christine has been having an affair with another man.
The movie was of a different genre and the ending of the book was changed.
The movie, “Witness for the Prosecution,” 1957 with Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich, is a murder mystery, where a woman killed her husband. The lawyer defending her, Tyrone Power, falls in love with her. The story is told in flashback.
In the end, Tyrone Power’s character talks to Dietrich’s character in a courtroom after the jury has convicted her of murder. He tells her that he knows she didn’t kill her husband and asks why she did it. She says that she knew she would be found guilty, but wanted her husband exonerated and wanted to encourage others to believe him innocent as well.
Power then reveals that he knows she killed him because he had told her that he was leaving her for another woman. She stabs him and then kills herself (with poison?).
The original ending was much more melodramatic than this one, but I don’t remember any such thing as “an alibi.”
Short Reviews
There are other film versions of this classic story, but this one was directed by Billy Wilder and has a magnificent cast. Tyrone Power is the accused, Marlene Dietrich plays his wife, Charles Laughton plays his defence attorney, Elsa Lanchester plays his chatty landlady and John Williams plays the barrister for the prosecution.
Charles Laughton gives an excellent performance as Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a brilliant barrister who’s been out of action for months because of a heart attack. He takes on Leonard Vole (Power) as a client because he wants to prove that he can still cut it in court. But is Vole really innocent? And if so, will his loyal young wife (Dietrich) help him or betray him?
This film has great performances from all concerned and certainly deserves its place among the classics.
Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is a young man who is accused of murdering a widow, who has left him a fortune. Called as a witness at his trial, his wife (Marlene Dietrich) testifies against him, but his lawyer Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton) suspects that there is more to the story than meets the eye.
This film is based on the play by Agatha Christie and I found it very enjoyable. It was adapted for the screen by Larry Marcus and Lawrence B. Marcus, who also wrote Witness for the Prosecution (1982).
The courtroom sequences are particularly good, with Charles Laughton in fine form as a barrister, and Tyrone Power is convincing as an accused murderer. Marlene Dietrich plays his wife, who gives evidence against him.
Flow of the Storyline
A man is on trial for murder. He claims to be innocent, but is that true? His wife is called as a witness for the prosecution, but will she betray him? The story builds up to one of the most memorable twist endings in history.
This film has great performances from all concerned and certainly deserves its place among the classics.
A self-sacrificing wife, a devoted husband and a desperate murderer are the key ingredients of this classic Agatha Christie mystery. A murder has been committed and the circumstantial evidence points to Leonard Vole as the murderer.
Leonard’s wife, Romaine, is found with a bundle of money in her possession and his fingerprints are found at the crime scene. This is one of those films that has such an unexpected ending that it will keep you on tenterhooks until the final scene.
The movie is beautifully directed by Billy Wilder – this is his first film in colour – and effectively photographed by Russell Harlan; though some of the sets have an artificial appearance, they have an atmosphere which is necessary for the story.
Charles Laughton gives another first class performance as Sir Wilfrid Robarts, who defends Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power). Laughton’s portrayal of an eccentric barrister who consumes large amounts of alcohol during his court appearances is most amusing. Marlene Dietrich too shines in her role as Romaine Vole, the accused’s wife, despite limited screen time; she appears only in a few scenes but makes full use of each one she has to make a strong impression.
Detailed Insight of the Adaption
This is the second Agatha Christie adaptation to come out this year, following Kenneth Branagh’s Murder on the Orient Express. It’s also the second to star John Malkovich, who plays the defence lawyer here.
This time, Malkovich is paired with Robert Lindsay as Leonard Vole, accused of murdering a wealthy widow (Valerie Hobson). His wife (Andrea Riseborough) agrees to appear in court only to provide testimony against him.
Like other adaptations, this one is faithful to the source material. There are minor tweaks and omissions, but it still feels like an Agatha Christie story. This is both a good and bad thing, because it means that it lacks any kind of originality or sparkle. What you see on screen will be familiar to anyone who has read the book or seen previous versions of the story.
This isn’t helped by a very conservative approach from director Julian Jarrold (Becoming Jane), who takes a page from Branagh’s playbook by staging everything in a relatively traditional manner. It looks like something out of Masterpiece Theatre — all dark wood and muted colours — which makes it feel rather dated by today’s standards. At least Branagh’s version had some visual flair to make up for the ho-hum.
At the center of this excellent British film is a brilliant performance by Charles Laughton as an old barrister who loves the theater and is delighted to be acting out one more great drama. Tyrone Power is nicely cast as the accused murderer and Marlene Dietrich makes a powerful impression as his mercenary wife.
Final Thoughts
Some viewers might find the courtroom scenes to be too theatrical and static, but they’re meant to be that way; this is what British courts were like at the time (and even today). This isn’t Perry Mason. It’s a courtroom drama from another era and it’s fascinating to watch.
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