Witness for the Prosecution

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Donald I I had never seen or read any version of this Agatha Christie story before today. I have now watched the 1957 Billy Wilder version and this 1982 production directed by Alan Gibson back to back- so this is going to be a comparison of the two films which take very different approaches to the material. Simply put- the 1957 version is a comedy/murder mystery. This one is simply a murder mystery. Gibson has chosen to make a “serious” production; there is some humor provided in the interchange between Sir Wilfrid and his nurse- but all in all Richardson and Kerr play these parts straight, and that sets the tone for entire movie. In Wilder’s version Laughton and Lancaster are an unbelievably comic odd couple (who were indeed married). They set the tenor of the movie- and the story just thrives in this humorous/unreal world. There is some fine acting in this version (as in 1957), especially Donald Pleasance as the prosecutor. I thought Beau Bridges’ little boy innocence worked well for Mr. Vole. Richardson was masterful, but just too realistic for me. I have a love for Mrs. Peel, I mean Ms. Rigg, and she was fine in a role that Dietrich was stunning in. Wendy Hiller is a pro and did fine, but her part is so much stronger as a comic bit as it was played by Una O’Conner. A little note: It seemed the shots of the courtroom and Sir Wilfrid’s office were paying tribute to the 1957 film. All in all: If you are coming to this story for the first time the ending will still be a complete shocker and a touching theme about Sir Wilfrid’s point in life is brought out sweetly, but the Wilder version is a masterpiece; the Gibson version is good. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 06/05/25 Full Review Glafira Regina O I recently wrote about the identical film from 1952. So, what's wrong with this one? Well, almost all the dialogues—literally almost all—are copied from the older version. Even the movements in some scenes are identical. Meanwhile, the acting is much worse—much more lackluster. The charisma is gone. So, the conclusion is that this is an extremely unsuccessful color plagiarism of the original film. Rated 1.5/5 Stars •  Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars 12/04/24 Full Review Simon T Despite the obvious TV Movie of the Week budget, this is a very well acted version of Agatha Christie's ludicrously plotted whodunnit. Ralph Richardson, in one of his last screen roles, is perfect as the wily old defence barrister, and is blessed with a terrific supporting cast of A-list thesps, including Deborah Kerr, Donald Pleasence, Beau Bridges and Diana Rigg. It zips along and stands easy comparison with Billy Wilder's more famous original. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/01/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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