Rating: 
Summary: Courtroom+Agatha Christie=Entertainment
Review: I should probably make a few things clear before I review this film. First of all, I have always loved courtroom dramas. Secondly, I also enjoy a good Agatha Christie mystery. Since this film is a combination of both, it's hardly a surprise I enjoyed it so much. Tyrone Power is accused of murdering an older woman he was involved with, and it's up to barrister and heart patient Charles Laughton to defend him. Power's best hope for help is his wife, Marlene Dietrich, while Laughton is forever being babied by his nurse, Elsa Lanchester. There are a series of surprise revelations that take the viewer on a winding road to the truth, and the trip is a lot of fun. The performances are all excellent. Laughton gets to ham it up, and he does so with relish and style, while Power is surprisingly impassioned and convincing. Both Dietrich and Lanchester give their usual quality performances, and it's fun to see an older Una O'Connor as the dead woman's maid. O'Connor was a very distinctive character actress that added a lot of humour to many a film. There are some great lines in the film delivered by Laughton (evidence of director and co-writer Billy Wilder's hand), and when added to a terrific mystery, you have the makings of a good evening's entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Wilder Magic
Review: Laughton is nothing short of terrific as the aging barrister. His wife (real life) , Elsa Lanchester providing golden moments frame the rest of the drama with Dietrich and Power in fine form. This film also contains a solid veteran supporting cast; Torin Thatcher, Henry Daniell , J. Willaims and Una O,Connor.
Rating:
Summary: "What Hypocrites You English Are!"
Review: Lawyers Charles Laughton and Henry Daniell get quite flustered when Marlene Dietrich hurls that line at them, after Laughton suggests that an older murdered woman doted on Dietrich's husband (and prime suspect) Tyrone Power as a son. The victim changed her will in his favor, you see, shortly before her murder and Power doesn't seem ever to have mentioned that he was a married man. He seems a likeable enough fellow, for all that, so Laughton decides to take the case, although as a heart patient he really ought to be resting. Well, at least his nurse Elsa Lanchester will do her part and coax and cajole him into compliance (or so she thinks). But when the prosecution shows up with a surprise witness, Laughton has to chew a lot of pills and use all his wits to try to secure an acquittal of his client."Witness for the Prosecution" is a great story, and why wouldn't it be, since it stems from the mind of Agatha Christie herself. Everyone is turning in a top-notch performance; my only criticism concerns Mr. Power. It's much like my complaint against Richard Basehart in "Moby-Dick"--too many pointed references to the youthfulness of the character when the man before us is obviously not a whippersnapper. The vanity implied makes it a bit absurd, you see. Anyway, the extreme youth of Power's character isn't really the operative point; he's younger than the murder victim, and that's enough. The real firework displays come from Laughton and Dietrich. Both give Academy Award-calibre performances in their adversarial roles. Proof of the pudding is in the eating moment: During his first viewing of it, my generally hard-to-please brother calmly turned to us and said that it was the best movie he'd ever seen! The verdict is in: You're to be taken to a VCR where you should see "Witness for the Prosecution" as soon as possible.
Rating: 
Summary: "Be prepared for hysterics and even a fainting spell."
Review: Leonard Vole: But this is England, where I thought you never arrest, let alone convict, people for crimes they have not committed. Sir Wilfrid: We try not to make a habit of it. When the name "Billy Wilder" is mentioned, most people immediately think of "Sunset Blvd." (1950), "Some Like It Hot" (1959), or "The Apartment" (1960). However, "Witness for the Prosecution" should be mentioned in the same breath. It is one of the hidden gems of cinema that not many people know of, but is beloved by those that do. Never has a courtroom drama been so entertaining, clever, and fun at the same time. You will be guessing throughout the film thanks to its twists and turns and be giddily amused when the facts are all finally set straight. The story opens with Sir Wilfrid (Charles Laughton) returning to work after recovering from health problems. The cranky barrister is eager to resume his legal duties despite warnings to take it easy from his personal nurse. He gets more excitement than he bargained for when he is referred a client named Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) - a man who is about to be arrested for murdering a wealthy widow. Is Vole innocent as he claims? The surrounding circumstances are suspicious: the widow had recently changed her will, leaving all of her money to Vole, and Vole's only alibi for the night in question is his wife. The police believe they have their man but Sir Wilfrid thinks otherwise and takes the case. As he pieces the facts together, Sir Wilfrid senses something is not right. He immediately figures out that Vole's wife, Christine (Marlene Dietrich), is playing a mysterious game of her own. But how exactly does she fit into the puzzle? Laughton as Sir Wilfrid is brilliant as the hardheaded barrister who stubbornly refuses to be stumped by the mystery at hand. Power also turns in a quality performance as the accused. His performance perfectly balances his character's charm and sliminess so that you're not quite sure whether he is guilty or not until the very end. Yet, the person who steals the show is the mesmerizing Dietrich. She manages to maintain the same level of screen presence as Laughton and proves to be a most adequate foil for him. The final scenes where she and Laughton put everything into perspective after the trial concludes are riveting. Both performers are at the top of their game in this film. When all is said and done, "Witness for the Prosecution" will prove to be the most fun you've ever had in a courtroom.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful!
Review: Let me simply say this is a fantastic film. Incredible performances abound, particularly in the main leads. Charles Laughton as the crusty lawyer is wonderful, as his oscar for best actor for this role attests. Elsa Lanchester and Tyrone Power are also at the top of their game, but it's Marlene Dietrich who is the soul of this film. She breathes life into Christine Vole, and supplies the juice in what would be otherwise simply a typical sordid courtroom drama. The twists and turns of the plot will keep you guessing, and ending will amaze you. My family watched this film on video, and they simply couldn't keep from watching, not to mention the sheer amazement at the ending. I've read that this is considered to be one of the finest courtroom dramas ever made, and it really deserves that accolade.
Rating:
Summary: ...don't give away the surprise ending!
Review: Marlene Dietrich and Tyrone Power as a couple who devise a scheme to get Power to beat a murder wrap. Defense attorney Charles Laughton is left "out of the loop" and is fooled by Dietrich's "performance" as the witness for the prosecution. I will not reveal the surprise ending, but if you have never seen this film, you won't be disappointed. This is a true Hollywood Classic!
Rating:
Summary: When is the DVD coming out?
Review: May be it is because Billy Wilder directed so many brilliant films that this one is not yet available on DVD. Worse even, the VHS version is almost impossible to get hold off. A masterpiece of twists and turns, it will keep you guessing until the end. If you liked sunset boulevard, you'll love this one. If the studios are listening: WE WANT ALL HIS FILMS ON DVD RIGHT NOW.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Courtroom Drama Ever Filmed
Review: Other films have had courtroom scenes, but "Witness for the Prosecution" soars above them. Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, and Elsa Lanchester show what acting is all about. Laughton's crafty barrister is matched by Dietrich as the "witness." But, what surprised me the most upon first viewing of this film was the performance by Tyrone Power. I had long dismissed him as one of those "pretty boy actors" of whom millions of American women fantasized. He turns in an Oscar-caliber performance as the defendent who is on trial for the murder of his matronly "friend." A well-written and supremely acted motion picture that deserves shelf space in a videophile's collection.
Rating: 
Summary: BEAR WITNESS TO A PENNY-PINCHING TRANSFER FROM MGM
Review: Part of the problem with MGM DVD releases of late is that they weren't the studio responsible for producing the original feature film. Their disinterest shows. Most MGM DVD's have been mastered (and I use the term loosely) from second, third or fourth generation prints instead of original camera negatives. Many are bare bones in the way of extra features and almost all of the newly released classic line of catalogue titles don't even come with a color insert that lists chapter breaks. "Witness for the Prosecution" can bear witness to all of the above.
Basically, this is an overdone courtroom drama - think of an episode of "Law and Order" transported to a British locale and stretched to feature length running time and that's basically the idea behind this movie. Charles Laughton is a barrister defending Tyrone Power, who is accused of killing his employer one stormy night. There's plenty of melodrama and some really bad acting by Marlene Dietrich in the second half as she tries to impersonate a cockney waif in order to throw Laughton off course. The one salvation of the film is Laughton's performance - it's brilliant!
As pure cinema, this movie would play as moderately entertaining if it weren't for the fact that MGM has once again given us the short end of the stick. A non-anamorphic print, riddled with aliasing, edge enhancement and pixelization. The gray scale is rendered properly (a small comfort)and the audio is amply provided for (another small comfort) but we basically get a forty year old print that's been run through the projector once too often and presented for us with no attempt to clean up the original camera negative before rushing things out to DVD. Of course there are no extras. From a studio that can't even give you a slip of paper inside to tell you how many chapter breaks there are - was there ever any doubt about extra features?!?
Rating:
Summary: BEAR WITNESS TO A PENNY-PINCHING TRANSFER FROM MGM
Review: Part of the problem with MGM DVD releases of late is that they weren't the studio responsible for producing the original feature film. Their disinterest shows. Most MGM DVD's have been mastered (and I use the term loosely) from second, third or fourth generation prints instead of original camera negatives. Many are bare bones in the way of extra features and almost all of the newly released classic line of catalogue titles don't even come with a color insert that lists chapter breaks. "Witness for the Prosecution" can bear witness to all of the above.
Basically, this is an overdone courtroom drama - think of an episode of "Law and Order" transported to a British locale and stretched to feature length running time and that's basically the idea behind this movie. Charles Laughton is a barrister defending Tyrone Power, who is accused of killing his employer one stormy night. There's plenty of melodrama and some really bad acting by Marlene Dietrich in the second half as she tries to impersonate a cockney waif in order to throw Laughton off course. The one salvation of the film is Laughton's performance - it's brilliant!
As pure cinema, this movie would play as moderately entertaining if it weren't for the fact that MGM has once again given us the short end of the stick. A non-anamorphic print, riddled with aliasing, edge enhancement and pixelization. The gray scale is rendered properly (a small comfort)and the audio is amply provided for (another small comfort) but we basically get a forty year old print that's been run through the projector once too often and presented for us with no attempt to clean up the original camera negative before rushing things out to DVD. Of course there are no extras. From a studio that can't even give you a slip of paper inside to tell you how many chapter breaks there are - was there ever any doubt about extra features?!?
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