Witness For The Prosecution
__________________________________________________
Director : Billy Wilder
Adapted from : Witness for the Prosecution - a play by Agatha Christie, with screenplay by Billy Wilder.
Adapted from : Witness for the Prosecution - a play by Agatha Christie, with screenplay by Billy Wilder.
Actors : Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams (II), Ian Wolfe, Henry Daniell, Norma Varden and others...
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Overall : 8.5/10
Direction : 8.5/10
Acting : 8.5/10
Cinematography : 8.0/10
Cinematography : 8.0/10
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Billy Wilder is GOD.
That is neither an understatement nor an exaggeration. It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Witness For The Prosecution is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The dialogues are something to be treasured. The performances are so memorable that you're left wishing for the opportunity to have been born during such a glorious era.
Billy Wilder knows the pulse of his audience and does much to test it at every turn. Agreed that this was not an original screenplay, the material being adopted from Agatha Christie's wonderfully crafted play of the same name, but, notwithstanding, Wilder deserves full credit for bringing to screen one of the most exceptional stories of all times. And with such wicked ease...
Sir Wilfrid Robarts, played by the immeasurably talented Charles Laughton, is a very experienced barrister, who is not in the prime of his health - however, as soon as he is discharged from the hospital, he craves for cases that his nurse (Elsa Lanchester) classifies as being of the stimulating nature.
But the man is helplessly drawn into the particularly interesting case of a certain Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), partly because of the cigars that the deal had in store for him, and partly because of the case's simple, yet challenging, nature. Vole is accused of murdering Ms. Emily French (Norma Varden) and the fact that he is later revealed to be the main beneficiary of her will doesn't make matters look any good.
Having heard Vole's side of the story and to establish his alibi on the night of the murder, Robarts has a very uncomfortable encounter with a rather cold Christine (Marlene Dietrich), who is Vole's German wife - through a flashback scene, you're shown that Vole had a romantic encounter with her whilst stationed in Germany during the War.
As time passes, things go out of hand, there is a lot of court-room drama, statements are made, and then retracted - this flick has it all. The twist at the end is something I had guessed - or, at least, a part of it anyway.
But, the fact that you may just decipher some of the codes before the last frame is shot shouldn't be the thing worrying you - the meticulous direction, a crisp screenplay and the sublime performances will be more than sufficient to make up for it.
This is one Billy Wilder movie which you shouldn't miss.
PS : Don't think for a second that this is Wilder's best work. Double Indemnity and The Apartment are on a completely separate level. Reviews coming up soon! Till then wilder away!
Official Trailer
That is neither an understatement nor an exaggeration. It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Witness For The Prosecution is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The dialogues are something to be treasured. The performances are so memorable that you're left wishing for the opportunity to have been born during such a glorious era.
Billy Wilder knows the pulse of his audience and does much to test it at every turn. Agreed that this was not an original screenplay, the material being adopted from Agatha Christie's wonderfully crafted play of the same name, but, notwithstanding, Wilder deserves full credit for bringing to screen one of the most exceptional stories of all times. And with such wicked ease...
Sir Wilfrid Robarts, played by the immeasurably talented Charles Laughton, is a very experienced barrister, who is not in the prime of his health - however, as soon as he is discharged from the hospital, he craves for cases that his nurse (Elsa Lanchester) classifies as being of the stimulating nature.
But the man is helplessly drawn into the particularly interesting case of a certain Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), partly because of the cigars that the deal had in store for him, and partly because of the case's simple, yet challenging, nature. Vole is accused of murdering Ms. Emily French (Norma Varden) and the fact that he is later revealed to be the main beneficiary of her will doesn't make matters look any good.
Having heard Vole's side of the story and to establish his alibi on the night of the murder, Robarts has a very uncomfortable encounter with a rather cold Christine (Marlene Dietrich), who is Vole's German wife - through a flashback scene, you're shown that Vole had a romantic encounter with her whilst stationed in Germany during the War.
As time passes, things go out of hand, there is a lot of court-room drama, statements are made, and then retracted - this flick has it all. The twist at the end is something I had guessed - or, at least, a part of it anyway.
But, the fact that you may just decipher some of the codes before the last frame is shot shouldn't be the thing worrying you - the meticulous direction, a crisp screenplay and the sublime performances will be more than sufficient to make up for it.
This is one Billy Wilder movie which you shouldn't miss.
PS : Don't think for a second that this is Wilder's best work. Double Indemnity and The Apartment are on a completely separate level. Reviews coming up soon! Till then wilder away!
_____________________________________________________________________
Official Trailer
No comments:
Post a Comment