Witness for the Prosecution

I have always found courtroom dramas to be very entertaining.  My favorite is Anatomy of a Murder (1959) pitting James Stewart against George C. Scott.  Other good ones are To Kill a Mockingbird (1962), The Caine Mutiny (1954) and Adam's Rib (1949).

Today I'd like to talk about another such drama, Witness for the Prosecution (1957) starring Charles Laughton, Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Elsa Lanchester.  

It was nominated for six Academy Awards, winning none:  Best Picture (won by The Bridge on the River Kwai), Best Director (Billy Wilder, won by David Lean for The Bridge on the River Kwai), Best Actor (Laughton, won by Alec Guinness for The Bridge on the River Kwai), Best Supporting Actress (Lanchester, won by Miyoshi Umeki for Sayonara), Best Film Editing (won by The Bridge on the River Kwai) and Best Sound Recording (won by Sayonara).

Senior barrister (UK legal system) Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Laughton), who is recovering from a heart attack, agrees to defend Leonard Vole (Power).  Vole is accused of murdering a wealthy, childless widow who had become enamored of him and had named him as the main beneficiary in her will. 

Strong circumstantial evidence points to Vole as the killer, but Sir Wilfrid believes Vole to be innocent.  Vole's German wife Christine (Dietrich) provides an alibi, although it is not entirely convincing.

During the trial, Christine is called as a witness for the prosecution as she is not legally married to Vole.  She testifies that Vole privately confessed to her that he had killed the victim, and her conscience forced her to finally tell the truth.

During the trial, Sir Wilfred is contacted by a mysterious woman who has evidence that Christine perjured herself.  This convinces the jury that Vole should be acquitted and he is.

However, that is not the end.  There is a surprise that I don't want to divulge.

This was Tyrone Power's last finished movie.  He died of a heart attack (while making another) at age forty-four.

In real life, Laughton and Lanchester, who played Sir Wilfred's nurse in the film, were a married couple.