Based on the play of the same name by Agatha Christie, it was Marlene Dietrich who, interested in the leading female role, suggested the material for a film adaptation to her friend Billy Wilder. The role of the chilly Christine Vole gave her ample opportunity to play with the ambivalent feelings of the movie audience.
The movie mainly takes place during a trial. Leonard Stephen Vole (Tyrone Power) is accused of murder. He is defended by the barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts (Charles Laughton). The case seems hopeless until Vole’s wife (Dietrich) appears as a witness for the prosecution and a sophisticated game of credibility and guilt unfolds.
Only a few exterior shots were filmed in London. Production designer Alexandre Trauner, with whom Billy Wilder would later shoot The Apartment (1960), built the courtroom and even an entire train station in the studio. The costume designs were by multiple Oscar-winner Edith Head. With her severe, high-necked costumes and narrow waists, she emphasised what the press called Dietrich’s “frosty beauty”. The premiere took place in London. Billy Wilder’s direction and Charles Laughton’s acting were unanimously praised, even Agatha Christie was satisfied with the film version. Dietrich’s performance was praised as “mysterious” and “fascinating”. It was said that she had transformed herself into a “black angel”. Witness for the Prosecution received six Academy Award nominations, although Dietrich was not included. Today, the film is considered one of the best courtroom movies.

Kristina Jaspers