Billy Wilder - Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Having just recovered from a heart attack, fabled British barrister Sir Wilfred Robards (Charles Laughton) has been ordered by his doctor to give up everything he holds dear - brandy, cigars and especially courtroom cases. Robards' already shaky resolve to follow doctor's orders flies out the window when he takes up the defense of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), a personable young man accused of murdering a rich old widow.





Witness for the Prosecution is multi-faceted director Billy Wilder's stab at the courtroom genre, and he handles it with aplomb. Reworking Agatha Christie's stage play, based on Christie's own short story, Wilder retools the play in order to develop a humorous subtext in the interplay between the physically fragile defense attorney (Charles Laughton) and his overbearing but well-meaning nurse (real-life wife Elsa Lanchaster).

Laughton and Lanchaster have great chemistry and give fully realized performances that transcend the limitations of the genre. Wilder also jiggers Marlene Dietrich's role, wife of the accused, to make use of moments from her personal life, particularly the wonderful "Berlin cabaret" flashback sequence.

The twists and turns of the plot are allowed to emerge unobtrusively in this methodically paced drama, and while the finale stretches credulity in order to circumvent the inevitable Production Code restrictions, Wilder's film is a completely satisfying experience anchored by a handful of memorable performances, including the last in Tyrone Power's illustrious career. (AMG)







Testigo de cargo
El prestigioso abogado Sir Wilfred Robards (Charles Laughton) tiene que abandonar el alcohol, el tabaco y los juicios criminales por prescripción médica. Cuando se presenta en su despacho un hombre llamado Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), acusado de asesinar a una adinerada viuda, Robards pasará por alto las saludables recomendaciones de su médico, y asumirá la defensa de Vole.





Témoin à charge
Le jour où il revient de l’hôpital après une attaque cardiaque, l’avocat britannique Sir Wilfrid Robarts reçoit la visite de Leonard Vole, élégant homme sans le sou soupçonné du meurtre d’Emily French, une riche veuve brutalement assassinée quelques jours plus tôt. Quand il est révélé que Vole était l’unique bénéficiaire du testament de la victime, Sir Wilfrid cherche à contacter Christine, l’épouse du prévenu, qui seule par son témoignage peut le disculper. Mais cette allemande mystérieuse, rencontrée par Vole à Berlin, loin d’étayer le fragile alibi de son mari, va se révéler être un témoin à charge contre lui.








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