"The Witness for the Prosecution" is a legal movie. As a law graduate, I have seen too many such movies. But I really like this one, and I highly recommend it. I like Agatha Christie's novels very much, and suspenseful reasoning is a frequent reading for me to exercise my brain cells. I have to say ----- this adaptation is really good.
The story goes something like this: An elderly wealthy widow was killed, Mr. Wall had intimate contact with the widow before her death, and all the evidence pointed to Mr. Wall, so he was arrested as a suspect. Mr. Wall found the famous London criminal case barrister Sir Wiffey to defend him. Sir Wiffey had just recovered from a serious illness and was still in a lot of discomfort. Out of curiosity about the case, he took up the case. But what Mr. Wall's wife did was shocking. And at the end of the story, the twists and turns, we see a woman who is deeply in love, foresight, resourceful and skilled in acting. Mr. Wall was acquitted, but he could not escape the punishment of God.
Plot summary So far, let's see, there's nothing special about it. But after being added by Bill Wilder, the plot development has a strong connection, twists and turns everywhere, and it is delicate. For example: 1. There is no nurse in the original work of
nurses who thread the needles and perform wonderfully .
Bill Wilder put the role in to enhance the film's dramatic conflict and comedy. Barrister Laughton's real-life wife, British actress Elsa Lancaster, has shown her talent in comedy as always. And the opposite scene between her and Lawton, because of their true husband and wife status, makes the performance more exciting, and the comedy effect is stronger.
Second, the key thing - the introduction of cigars
The lawyer moved home from the hospital to recuperate, accompanied by a talkative but dedicated nurse. The lawyer hated the nurse, but there was nothing he could do. When they got home, the shrewd nurse confiscated the lawyer's cigar hidden in the cane. At this time, the assistant lawyer led the defendant to the door. The barrister, who wasn't ready to take on a homicide case, stumbled across two cigars in his assistant's pocket and changed his mind. On the grounds of hearing the case statement, he pulled him to the study to take a few sips. Unfortunately, neither of them had any matches, so they could not call in the defendant who was waiting outside the door. He has no fire, firewood but has a lighter. So the barrister's life was saved. As if in return, he sat down and listened to the reason for the case.
3. The key thing—the introduction of hats The
defendant's narrative: One day, he was passing by a clothing store and happened to see a wife (the deceased) picking hats. When she tried one, she happened to glance at the defendant standing outside the store window. The defendant shook his head at her, expressing his dislike of the hat. So the lady changed into a high hat, and the defendant nodded approvingly. The lady ran out to greet him a few words, and then they said goodbye. A few weeks later, in a movie theater, the defendant was watching a movie, and the lady came in and sat in the front row directly in front of the defendant, wearing the top hat that the defendant had chosen for her. But the top hat blocked the defendant's vision. He headed to the front row, just about to complain, but suddenly recognized the other party, so the two of them chatted excitedly...
Fourth, the ups and downs of the defendant's wife
The defendant's wife visited the barrister. Judging from the testimony she provided, the defendant Seems to be guilty indeed. The barrister immediately pointed out that she was the wife of the defendant and could not testify against the defendant. But the other party's response is even more shocking: In fact, the two are not husband and wife! Then the defendant's testimony in court overturned all her previous claims, accusing the defendant of guilt. Then the letter provided by the strange woman reversed the case again, proving that the defendant was lying. Towards the end, she herself reversed all the statements again, telling the real process and the real murderer. But in the end, the defendant reversed again. Stunning!
The whole movie is a naked IQ crush.
A lot of details amaze Billy White's ingenious mind.
The role of the barrister is the old British star Charles Laughton is the core character of the film. The main part of the trial in the second half of the film is almost entirely dominated by him. This character is arrogant, arrogant, and unreasonable. But at the same time, he possesses the necessary qualities of a good law firm: keen observation and careful thinking.
For example, he added a visual gimmick when expressing his case handling style: talking to the parties involved, he always likes to take out his unilateral glasses and examine his opponents carefully. The lenses reflect the sunlight outside the house and flash directly on the other person's face. According to the barrister's words: By observing the instant reaction of the person being shaken, he can judge whether the other party is telling the truth.
For example: in the scene where the barrister is portrayed, there is also an interesting detail about the pills. During the trial, whenever others spoke, he played with more than two dozen pills on the table, arranged in different shapes. When the camera returned to the courtroom, the pills on his desk were less than half of what they were. In one shot later, there were only four or five pills left. Because of the previous situation: the nurse asked him to take medicine every half hour. So this set of shots is actually hinting at how long the court trial lasted to the audience... It seems to be a pure cinematic expression of "knowing things", which may be a bit complicated and obscure, but it is also interesting.
And Marlene Derich, who played the wife of the defendant, may be a real evergreen in Hollywood history. Watching the film, I had a really hard time imagining that this 30-something-year-old actress was already a 56-year-old man.
In fact, I think the most interesting is the maid of the deceased. This old lady is full of joy from her appearance to her pronunciation, especially her round hygienic eyes and her expression of amazing fighting power. Although she is only a small supporting role, she still left a deep impression on me.
Bill Wilder made this courtroom drama full of tension. So that the audience can completely put aside the horror and suspense, and simply treat it as an excellent comedy or drama. The wonderful performances of several performing artists also contributed. Perhaps this is the great tradition of Hollywood's golden age, and the film relies on a great story, with superb performances by all the actors in the lead and supporting roles. Maybe that's the real reason why I like old movies.
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