Witness for the Prosecution

If you know anything about me, you’ll already be aware that I love mysteries. I devour crime novels and love a good thriller movie. I especially adore Agatha Christie; she’s just so fun and light-hearted in those murky murder mysteries of hers. And from the start, it’s obvious she wrote this.

We meet Leonard Steven Vole (Tyrone Power), as he gets arrested for murdering a widow acquaintance of his. Aging and sickly (but still very mischievous) lawyer Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton) is hired to defend him. As they go to trial, we see glimpses of what really happened; we learn more about Vole’s past and eventually the puzzle pieces start falling into place. And it’s a blast to try and work it out for yourself.

As for the cast, it’s mostly stellar. You have Marlene Dietrich as Christine, Vole’s German wife. Laughton is a lot of fun to watch as the deliciously devious lawyer. And finally, here’s Elsa Lanchester again, as his nurse. They are all excellent, especially Lanchester, who provides much of the comic relief in her interactions with Laughton. The two were married in real life at the time, and must have had an absolute blast on set.

Power, however, is weak. Very weak. I don’t believe I’ve seen him in any other movie prior to this, but I felt he was constantly over the top. He’s shouting and emoting to his heart’s content — perhaps Wilder should have reigned him in a bit more. Which brings me to another thing that didn’t impress me: I felt the scenes at the Old Bailey had aged poorly. They also felt a little drawn out. Other than that though, I have no real complaints.

I won’t say much about the plot for fear of spoiling it. I’ll just say that as an avid fan of Christie, I could see one twist coming. However, I wasn’t expecting a second. Or a third. It’ll keep you on your toes, this movie.

Maybe if you’re not a fan of the genre, you won’t like this. For me, however, it was perfect for a Sunday afternoon. Comedy, scheming, and murder — what more could you possibly want?