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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (31) | Top Critics (4) | Fresh (31) | Rotten (0) | DVD (2)
His theatrical mise-en-scene -- his proscenium framing -- serves the material well, as does Charles Laughton's bombastic portrayal of the defense attorney.
...the film's origins as an Agatha Christie novel and play, combine to give the movie a heavy -- almost stolid -- theatrical flavour.
A courtroom meller played engagingly and building evenly to a surprising and arousing, albeit tricked-up, climax...
And the air in the courtroom fairly crackles with emotional electricity, until that staggering surprise in the last reel.
it's Laughton who is afforded free reign to explore his character and demonstrates impeccable comic timing.
Laughton knocks it out of the park as Robarts, and his scenes with real-life missus Lanchester are hysterical.
The whole film is so indubit- ably, exuberantly recommendable (for aunts. grandparents, grandchildren, highbrows, low- brows, husbands, wives, and almost anyone else you can think of at any end of the scale.
Every time the story strays from Sir Wilfrid, the interest level goes down a notch. Fortunately for the viewer, it doesn't get away from him very long at any point.
Witness For The Prosecution has the pace and patience of live theater, but not the look. Wilder doesn't get overly flashy with camera moves and angles, but he does shift positioning subtly and effectively.
Marlene Dietrich tries not to give anything away as usual while Agatha Christie's whodunit plot whirs tidily about her expressionless beauty.
Wilder's adaptation is guilty of being absolutely marvelous.
This Oscar-nominated courtroom drama represents Billy Wilder at his most theatrical and old-fashioned, but the saga is enjoyable and so is the acting of all-star cast.
The star here is definitely Charles Laughton, who steals the show and makes each one of his lines sound memorable in this delightfully witty and clever plot by Agatha Christie adapted by Billy Wilder into a near perfect piece of thought-provoking entertainment.
Super Reviewer
Witness for the Prosecution is a wonderfully-directed, by-the-numbers courtroom drama based on an Agatha Christie play. The story doesn't tread too much new ground but Charles Laughtron keeps the show going magnificently and more than makes up for it. Between this and Night of the Hunter he's my new favorite underrated actor. The chemistry between him and his real-life wife Elsa Lanchester as his buzzkill nurse is gold and Jesus, was Marlene Dietrich great! And as far as the musical number, can anyone say Blazing Saddles? The feeling that something isn't quite right tips you off to an impending twist but it winds up being more like a pretzel factory.
This movie was too boring, I didn't watch it all the way through.
One of those films that shows how truly incredible films transcend time and place. Witness for the Prosecution had me gripped, more than any recent film has, or even tried to. Based on a play, the film is quite the talker, but every line of dialogue can only belong to the specific character saying those lines. It's a great character piece, with dazzling bouts of verbal fisticuffs and procedural moments of tension. The performances are so strong, so different, and yet, play seamlessly off one another. The film ends with a request, not to divulge the secret ending. Out of admirable respect for this film, I shan't. However, I enjoyed, and was surprised by every turn.
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