Witness for the Prosecution
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| Witness for the Prosecution (1957) | |
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 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Billy Wilder |
| Produced by | Arthur Hornblow Jr. |
| Written by | Agatha Christie (play) Larry Marcus Billy Wilder Harry Kurnitz |
| Starring | Tyrone Power Marlene Dietrich Charles Laughton Elsa Lanchester |
| Music by | Matty Malneck Ralph Arthur Robert |
| Cinematography | Russell Harlan |
| Editing by | Daniel Mandell |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | February 6, 1958 |
| Running time | 116 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3,000,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Witness for the Prosecution is a 1957 film based on the short story (and later play) by Agatha Christie. It tells the story of Sir Wilfrid, a master criminal barrister who takes the case of a man on trial for murder. While he expects that the defendant's wife will stand up for him in court, she unexpectedly agrees to appear for the prosecution in a trial while multiple twists and turns occur that will test the lawyer's skill to the limit. The original short story was first published in 1933 in the collection The Hound of Death.
The first performance of Witness for the Prosecution was in the form of a live telecast which aired on CBS's Lux Video Theatre on 17 September 1953 and which starred Edward G. Robinson, Andrea King and Tom Drake [1].
The first film version of the story was made in 1957 and stars Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester. It was adapted by Larry Marcus, Harry Kurnitz and the film's Austrian-born director Billy Wilder.
The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Charles Laughton), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Elsa Lanchester), Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Picture, and Best Sound.
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[edit] Other adaptations
In 1982, Witness for the Prosecution was remade for television, starring Ralph Richardson, Deborah Kerr, Beau Bridges, Donald Pleasence, Wendy Hiller, and Diana Rigg. It was adapted by Lawrence B. Marcus and John Gay from the original screenplay and directed by Alan Gibson.
Another adaptation also exists but not much is known about it other than it was made in 1949 and had a run time of 25 minutes[citation needed]. It appears to have been a television play for the UK.
[edit] Trivia
- In the book, Reel Justice, the authors noted that a lawyer of Sir Wilfrid's experience should have been able to disallow Christine Vole's testimony for the prosecution on the grounds she was a "putative spouse" of Leonard Vole. A putative spouse is a person someone (in this case, Leonard Vole) sincerely believes he or she is legally married to. For the purposes of the trial under that situation, Christine would, in effect, still be considered Leonard's wife and spousal privilege would apply.
[edit] See also
- Witness for the Prosecution (play)
[edit] External links
Mauvaise Graine • The Major and the Minor • Five Graves to Cairo • Double Indemnity • Death Mills • The Lost Weekend • The Emperor Waltz • A Foreign Affair • Sunset Boulevard • Ace in the Hole • Stalag 17 • Sabrina • The Seven Year Itch • The Spirit of St. Louis • Love in the Afternoon • Witness for the Prosecution • Some Like It Hot • The Apartment • One, Two, Three • Irma la Douce • Kiss Me, Stupid • The Fortune Cookie • The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes • Avanti! • The Front Page • Fedora • Buddy Buddy
