Witness for the Prosecution

In Witness for the Prosecution, Billy Wilder has no need to set aside his trademark cynicism to adapt Agatha Christie’s crowd-pleasing play. The courtroom drama already comes equipped with an embittered worldview characteristic of Wilder. Before becoming a filmmaker, the writer-director worked as a crime and tabloid reporter in Berlin, then fled Germany in 1934, escaping the fascist tide of Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Those experiences shaped Wilder’s perspective and sharpened his edges, giving rise to his caustic films about the dark side of journalism, Hollywood, and human nature. His 1957 film seems like a rather straightforward adaptation of a popular play, largely devoid of the filmmaker’s satiric edge and of his expressionist visual flourishes. The result is seldom positioned in the pantheon of great Wilder films: his stylish noirs such as Double Indemnity (1944), Sunset Boulevard (1950), and Ace in the Hole (1951), and his acerbic, witty comedies from The Major and the Minor (1943) to The Apartment (1960). Instead, Witness for the Prosecution is a sturdy, popular entertainment for its period, and perhaps because of that, it has been viewed as a trifle, albeit one that is expertly made and performed. Still, the film remains a biting look at courtroom justice and among the most rewatchable legal dramas ever made, owing to the superb execution by its star director and ensemble of skilled performers.

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