Silver Screen Standards: Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

Witness for the Prosecution (1957)

On my most recent visit to London, I went to see a
stage production of Agatha Christie’s 1953 play, Witness for the Prosecution,
and of course I had to rewatch the 1957 film adaptation again as soon as I got
home so that I could see how they compared to one another. The 1957 film,
directed by Billy Wilder and nominated for six Academy Awards, differs from the
play in some significant ways but still earned Christie’s approval at its
release. Perhaps, like most of us, she was won over by the outstanding performances
of some of classic Hollywood’s greatest talents, including Tyrone Power,
Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, and Elsa Lanchester. Those performances
ensure that Witness for the Prosecution remains as gripping and
effective today as it was in 1957, especially if you don’t spoil the ending for
a first-time viewer.

Tyrone Power stars as Leonard Vole, who asks barrister
Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) to defend him in the English courts
against the charge of murdering a wealthy widow (Norma Varden). Having recently
suffered a near fatal heart attack, Sir Wilfrid at first refuses but then
becomes fascinated by the details of the case, including the involvement of
Vole’s enigmatic wife, Christine (Marlene Dietrich). When Christine
unexpectedly appears as a witness for the prosecution during Vole’s trial, Sir
Wilfrid struggles to understand her motivation and defend his client against
seemingly damning evidence.

Christie published the original version of this plot a
century ago as a 1925 short story titled “Traitor’s Hands.” She changed the
name to “The Witness for the Prosecution” in 1933 and made additional changes
to the ending when she wrote the play (which is the same as the ending for the
1957 film). The play is very much a courtroom drama, but the film adaptation
presents several key scenes that take place at other times and locations. We
see how Leonard and Christine met during the war, and we see how Leonard met
the dead woman, Emily French, and her suspicious housekeeper, Janet MacKenzie
(Una O’Connor). We are even able to accompany Sir Wilfrid in search of a
mysterious person offering last-minute evidence during the trial, which
provides the film with one of its most memorable scenes. More importantly, the
film makes Sir Wilfrid a heart attack patient and adds the completely new character
of his nurse, Miss Plimsoll (Elsa Lanchester). I didn’t miss her character when
I watched the stage production, but the stage version of Sir Wilfrid has no
need for her, while Laughton’s fussy, temperamental take on the barrister
really benefits from the adversarial relationship with the relentless nurse. By
the time they appeared in this film, their tenth together, Laughton and
Lanchester had been married for nearly thirty years, and their easy comedic
sparring is so natural and delightful that it’s hard to imagine the movie
without it. Both Laughton and Lanchester earned Oscar nominations for their
performances, while Power and Dietrich were both shut out.

Despite the Oscar snubs, Power and Dietrich both
deliver some of their best work thanks to the meaty, dramatic roles they have
to play. In his last finished film before a fatal heart attack at the age of
44, Power looks haggard, a darker and world-weary version of the dashing
heartthrob who had wooed audiences in the 1930s and early 40s. Power always
wanted to be more than a pretty face and campaigned hard for films like Nightmare
Alley (1947), and Witness for the Prosecution offers a final
testament to the actor’s ability to tackle such roles. Dietrich was deeply
disappointed when her performance yielded no Oscar nomination, but unlike Power
she would live to make other great pictures, including Touch of Evil
(1958), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and even an Oscar-nominated
documentary about her life called Marlene (1984). As Christine (renamed
from “Romaine” in the play), Dietrich is a mesmerizing, inscrutable sphinx,
drawing us and Sir Wilfrid in because we never know what she’s really thinking.
Her greatest contributions to the picture come in the most shocking scenes,
which I won’t discuss here except to say that anyone who hasn’t seen the movie
yet needs to do so immediately in order to appreciate Dietrich’s commitment and
talent. It’s much easier to avoid spoilers by praising the supporting
performers who populate the background of Leonard and Christine’s story,
especially Norma Varden as the lovestruck Mrs. French and the great Una
O’Connor as her loyal but cantankerous housekeeper. There are a lot of women in
Leonard’s life, and he seems to inspire strong feelings in all of them, ranging
from adoration to absolute loathing.

If, like me, you’re a fan of Agatha Christie film adaptations, check out And Then There Were None (1945), Murder She Said (1961), Murder on the Orient Express (1974), and The Mirror Crack’d (1980). After Witness for the Prosecution, Billy Wilder’s next directorial efforts would be Some Like It Hot (1959) and The Apartment (1960), both of which also earned him nods for Best Director, with The Apartment actually bringing wins for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Writing. Revisit Tyrone Power’s younger days with Alexander’s Ragtime Band (1938), The Mark of Zorro (1940), or Blood and Sand (1941), or see Marlene Dietrich’s only Oscar-nominated performance in Morocco (1930). For more of Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester together onscreen, see The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933), Rembrandt (1936), Tales of Manhattan (1942), and The Big Clock (1948). If you get the chance to visit London, don’t miss the fantastic stage production of Witness for the Prosecution in the historic courtroom at County Hall, where it has been running since 2017. Even better, make it an Agatha Christie double bill and see The Mousetrap at St. Martin’s Theatre, as well, but remember not to give away the endings for either show!

…

— Jennifer Garlen for Classic Movie Hub

Jennifer Garlen pens our monthly Silver Screen Standards column. You can read all of Jennifer’s Silver Screen Standards articles here.

Jennifer is a former college professor with a PhD in English Literature and a lifelong obsession with film. She writes about classic movies at her blog, Virtual Virago, and presents classic film programs for lifetime learning groups and retirement communities. She’s the author of Beyond Casablanca: 100 Classic Movies Worth Watching and its sequel, Beyond Casablanca II: 101 Classic Movies Worth Watching, and she is also the co-editor of two books about the works of Jim Henson.