Witness for the Prosecution

1957, USA, Billy Wilder, 116 min, English/German
With Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton

Introduced by filmmaker Mark Levinson.

When a wealthy widow is found murdered, her married suitor, Leonard Vole (Power), is accused of the crime. Vole’s only hope for acquittal is the testimony of his wife (Dietrich)… but his airtight alibi shatters when she reveals some shocking secrets of her own! Nominated for 6 Academy Awards® including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Laughton) and Supporting Actress (Elsa Lanchester).

Screen legends Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton star in this “brilliantly made courtroom drama” (Film Daily) that left audiences reeling from its surprise twists and shocking climax. Directed by Billy Wilder, scripted by Wilder and Harry Kurnitz, and based on Agatha Christie’s hit London play, this splendid, one-of-a-kind classic “crackles with emotional electricity” (The New York Times) and continues to keep movie lovers riveted until the final, mesmerizing frame.

About the Introducer

Before turning to filmmaking, Mark Levinson earned a PhD in particle physics. In the film world, he became a specialist in working with actors in post-production. He has worked on such films as The English Patient, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Cold Mountain, Goya’s Ghosts, The Pledge, Seven, and The Social Network. He directed the feature film, Prisoner of Time, about two former Russian dissident artists in the aftermath of the Soviet Union. Most recently, he directed the documentary, Particle Fever, an intimate look at the particle physics community on the verge of discovery at the Large Hadron Collider.