Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Witness for the Prosecution is a 1957 drama movie directed by Billy Wilder, with a running time of 1h 56m. It stars Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton.
Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a barrister just out of hospital and forbidden cigars, cocktails, and excitement by his fussing nurse, cannot resist one more murder trial. The defendant is an affable inventor accused of killing a wealthy widow he had befriended, and the only person who might save him is a wife whose loyalty is hard to read. Billy Wilder keeps the wit dry and the courtroom crackling, with Charles Laughton relishing every cross-examination. A trial picture built on performance and timing rather than gore, playing fair right up to the last question.
Quick answers
What is Witness for the Prosecution about?
Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a barrister just out of hospital and forbidden cigars, cocktails, and excitement by his fussing nurse, cannot resist one more murder trial. The defendant is an affable inventor accused of killing a wealthy widow he had befriended, and the only person who might save him is a wife whose loyalty is hard to read. Billy Wilder keeps the wit dry and the courtroom crackling, with Charles Laughton relishing every cross-examination. A trial picture built on performance and timing rather than gore, playing fair right up to the last question.
When was Witness for the Prosecution released?
Witness for the Prosecution was released on 17 December 1957.
How long is Witness for the Prosecution?
Witness for the Prosecution runs 1h 56m.
Who made Witness for the Prosecution?
Witness for the Prosecution was directed by Billy Wilder.
Where can I watch Witness for the Prosecution?
Witness for the Prosecution is available on Hoopla, Tubi TV, YouTube Free, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store and Fandango At Home.
Where to watch Witness for the Prosecution
Watch free: Hoopla
Watch free with ads: Tubi TV, YouTube Free
Rent: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Google Play Movies, Spectrum On Demand, YouTube
Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Cast
- Tyrone Power as Leonard Vole
- Marlene Dietrich as Christine
- Charles Laughton as Sir Wilfrid
- Elsa Lanchester as Miss Plimsoll
- John Williams as Brogan-Moore
- Henry Daniell as Mayhew
- Ian Wolfe as Carter
- Torin Thatcher as Mr. Myers
- Norma Varden as Mrs. French
- Una O'Connor as Janet
- Francis Compton as Judge
- Philip Tonge as Inspector Hearne
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A few thoughts on Witness for the Prosecution
If you want legal sparring where the case turns on character, A Certain Justice gives you a P.D. James mystery steeped in the London bar, cool and precise on courtroom detail. On screen, Goliath follows a broken-down lawyer clawing his way back into the arena, trading the wit here for grit.
Courtroom dramas that live on the cross-examination
Witness for the Prosecution keeps its drama in the well of the court, every reveal landing during questioning. These series work the same way, where a sharp question can flip a case and a lawyer's real skill is reading the room. Trial by performance, verdict decided on nerve.
Legal thrillers with a sting saved for the verdict
Sir Wilfrid cannot resist one last twisty trial, and these legal thrillers hold their best turn until the final ruling. Grisham and company stack the jury, bury the evidence, and let a courtroom gamble decide it all, the kind of last-page reversal Wilder's film made famous.
True-to-life trials that hinge on a courtroom gamble
Witness turns on whether a killer can be argued out of the dock, and these dig into real or true-to-life cases decided the same way. Poison trials, celebrity defenses, and psychological gambits where the courtroom, not the crime scene, is where guilt is really settled.
Verdicts questioned and cases reopened
The film keeps you guessing who to believe right up to the bench, and these series put the judgment itself under scrutiny. Judges second-guessing a ruling, cases dragged back open, and decisions that may have sent the wrong person down. For the part of Witness that doubts the whole system.