Jul 27, 2009 12:27 AM
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Order.... Order...!!
I love courtroom Dramas. And all those trademark phrases that go with it -"Membraan-e-Jury (Members of the Jury)", "Objection Milord", "Yeh adalat ki tauheen hai (This is Contempt of Court)" & my favorite by far "Mere Faazil Dost....(My learned friend)". And so I loved watching movies like To Kill A Mockingbird, Anatomy of a Murder, The Verdict and Witness for the Prosecution.
Director Billy Wilder, alongwith Elia Kazan ruled the Hollywood roost back in the 40s & 50s. That was the Golden period of Hollywood when good actors/directos came a dime a dozen. And so too did good movies. Wilder himself came up with fantastic movies, and in a variety of genres too, including Double Indemnity, A Foreign Affair, Sunset Boulevard and Some Like it Hot. Today however, I want to write about another Wilder masterpiece namely, Witness for the Prosecution.
Released in 1957, Witness for the Prosecution is a rivetting courtroom drama based on a short story by Agatha Christie. The movie was nominated for several Oscars. I'm not sure if it won any though.
The Plot - Sir Wilfred (Charles Laughton), is a veteran lawyer revered by all & sundry. He has just had a heart attack and his doctors have advised him complete rest & abstinence from smoking/drinking. But he cant get over his weakness for Cigars, Rum & Criminal Cases. Despite repeat remonstrations from his nurse/caretaker Ms. Plimsoll, Sir Wilfred takes up the case of Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) who has been accused of murdering Mrs. French, an opulent middle aged woman, with a view to benefit from her will. The circumstantial evidence is heavily incriminating Vole and the chances for the Defendant look rather bleak at the outset.
Marlene Dietrich plays Christine, Vole's wife of German origin. Christine is a remarkably self-possessed woman with a mind of her own. But Sir Wilfred isnt so sure about her behaviour in court. This coupled with the fact that being the defendant's wife, her words would have less credence before the court, Sir Wilfred decides against using her as a witness. But to his surprise and chagrin, the Public Prosecutor establishes that Vole's Marriage to Christine is invalid and hence she can act as a witness for the prosecution. Christine then testifies against Vole and confesses that he had indeed killed Mrs. French.
When the verdict is about to be given against Vole, Sir Wilfred is contacted by a mysterious woman, who sells him letters supposedly written by Christine to a person called Max. Sir Wilfred uses this piece of evidenvce to prove that Christine is a lair and saves his client from the gallows. But the story is far from over. There are twists and turns yet.....and every twist has a tale....
The end has two or three twists done so brilliantly in quick succession that the story could have made to end at any of these junctures. Charles Laughton is fantastic in his portrayal of a seasoned British lawyer while Marlene Dietrich's is stunning in her role and the Defendant's wife. I remember having read somewhere that she had once caught a 0.22 bore bullet between her teeth. Didnt get a chance to see that but one of the scenes in flashback show her million dollar legs, for those of us who are her fans.
Just like it was done in Psycho (Please dont give away the ending. Its the only one we have ! ), at the end of the movie, the filmmakers make a verbal plea to their audience not to divulge the secret of the ending of the movie.
The film has its moments of humour when Sir Wilfred uses a portable lift to slide up & down staircases in his office and later when he cleverly substitutes rum for coffee. Courtroom humour is at its best as shown in the uploaded video clip.
Trivia - In a bid to keep the ending a secret from the press, Wilder did not give the actors the final ten pages of the script until it was time to shoot those scenes. This secrecy of plot is believed to have cost Dietrich an Academy Award, as her portrayal of the cockney woman who sells the incriminating letters to Sir Wilfred, went unrecognised.
All in all, Witness For The Prosecution is a very engrossing drama that has tons of hairsplitting and legal nuances for those who have a love for it. Its easily one of the best Courtroom movies that you'll ever get to see.
