Witness for the Prosecution - 1957

A dying-but-defiant barrister takes on one last case: an amiable inventor accused of murdering the wealthy widow who adored him, with only his cool, unreadable wife standing as his alibi. Billy Wilder's courtroom thriller twists and twists again on its way to one of classic Hollywood's most famously guarded endings.

Essential ElementsDirector: Billy WilderStars: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, Charles LaughtonBased on: Agatha Christie's short story and 1953 stage playRelease: December 17, 1957Running Time: 116 minutesAwards: 6 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture; 100% on Rotten Tomatoes; AFI's #6 courtroom drama

Trivia

• Dietrich agreed to play Christine only if Wilder directed — and by his account, she brought him the project herself.
• She also plays the mysterious scarred Cockney letter-seller, unrecognizable under makeup — a secret that may have cost her an Oscar nomination.
• William Holden was first choice for Leonard Vole; Power eventually took the role alongside Solomon and Sheba for $300,000 apiece, but died of a heart attack before making the second film.
• Charles Laughton faked a heart attack in his own pool to test whether he could convincingly play one on screen.
• United Artists posted guards at the soundstage doors and had cast sign pledges not to reveal the ending; Hitchcock borrowed the same no-late-admission trick for Psycho three years later.
• Agatha Christie reportedly called this her favorite adaptation of her own work.

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