Episode 146: Billy Wilder’s “Witness For The Prosecution”
A discussion of Billy Wilder’s 1857 film “Witness For The Prosecution.”
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In 1957, Billy Wilder took on a courtroom drama that engaged and enthralled both the UK and the US. “Witness For The Prosecution” was the film adaptation of Agatha Christie’s widely popular best-selling novel. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director for Billy Wilder, and Best Actor in a Leading Role for Charles Laughton.
Why was “Witness For The Prosecution” so riveting for general audiences? What did directing legend Orson Welles bring to the film? And How did “Witness For The Prosecution” solidify Billy Wilder as one of the best directors working in the Hollywood System of the 1950s?
Billy Wilder’s “Witness For The Prosecution” is the subject of episode 146 of the AuteurCast…
I guess I’m somewhere between West and Rudie on this. I was thoroughly enjoying “Witness” until the Cockney witness showed up and, to me, she was clearly Marlene Dietrich in makeup. At first, that didn’t bother me because I thought it was a stunt–that Dietrich was portraying two separate characters–until it was revealed that we were *supposed* to have been fooled. Well, that took me right out of the film and I guess I just felt cheated.
It’s been several years since I’ve seen this, so it might me time for a re-watch now that my feelings of disappointment have evaporated.
Either way, keep up the great work, guys.