Witness for the Prosecution (1957) on Netflix
Approved19571h 56mCrimeDramaMysteryThriller
Recovering from a heart attack, the London barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts takes on the defense of Leonard Vole, accused of murdering a wealthy widow. Vole's alibi rests on his wife, Christine.
- Netflix4.0/5
- IMDb8.4/10164,474 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes100%
Trailer
Plot summary
Sir Wilfrid Robarts is a senior London barrister nearing retirement after a heart attack, and his doctor has warned him against the stress of criminal cases. He agrees to defend Leonard Vole, an unemployed former Royal Air Force sergeant accused of murdering Emily French, a wealthy widow with no children who had named him in her will as her main beneficiary. Sir Wilfrid believes his client innocent. Leonard's German wife, Christine, offers him an alibi, yet Sir Wilfrid warns her that juries often distrust an alibi given by a spouse, so he decides against putting her in the witness box.
Cast
Show all 20 cast
- Walter Baconas Bar Patron (uncredited)
- Benjie Bancroftas Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
- John Bartonas Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
- Brandon Beachas Juror (uncredited)
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- When the producers approached Marlene Dietrich about the part she accepted on condition that Billy Wilder direct; Wilder said Dietrich liked "to play a murderess" but was "a little bit embarrassed when playing the love scenes".
- The German bar-room scene required 145 extras and 38 stuntmen and cost $90,000, and the bar is called Die blaue Laterne, a reference to Dietrich's 1930 film The Blue Angel.
- Vivien Leigh was considered for the role of Christine Vole, and Charles Laughton based his performance on his own lawyer, an Englishman known for twirling his monocle while cross-examining witnesses.
SPOILER
Billy Wilder did not allow the actors to view the final ten pages of the script until it was time to shoot those scenes, and the secrecy reportedly cost Marlene Dietrich an Academy Award nomination, as United Artists did not want to call attention to how unrecognisable she was as the Cockney woman.
