

Witness for the Prosecution
The most electrifying entertainment of our time!
An ailing barrister is thrust back into the courtroom in what becomes one of the most unusual and eventful murder cases of the lawyer's career when he finds himself defending a man being tried for the murder of a socialite.
TMDB
8.2/10
1,800 votes
IMDb
Not rated yet
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- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $3M
- Box office
- $9M
- Language
- German
- based on novel or book
- nurse
- widow
- cigarette
- letter
- trial
- murder
- lawyer
- courtroom
- murder mystery
- tiki culture
- suspicious
Top billed cast















Behind the camera
Director
Writers
Music
Produced in
United States of America
Where to watch
All optionsAvailability for India. Provided by JustWatch through the TMDB API.
Gallery












Videos
Release dates
United StatesUS
- TheatricalNR17 Dec 1957
United KingdomGB
- TheatricalU30 Jan 1958
CanadaCA
- Theatrical14A17 Dec 1957
BrazilBR
- Theatrical12imdb21 Feb 2023
ChinaCN
- Theatrical (limited)28 Nov 2025
- Theatrical5 Dec 2025
FinlandFI
- PremiereK-1628 Feb 1958
FranceFR
- TheatricalU19 Feb 1958
- TheatricalRe-release6 Aug 2003
- PhysicalDVD18 May 2004
- Digital / OTTVOD1 Jan 2006
- PhysicalBlu-Ray5 Feb 2019
- Digital / OTTArte•tv15 Mar 2026
- TVArte15 Mar 2026
GermanyDE
- Theatrical1228 Feb 1958
HungaryHU
- TheatricalKN22 Jan 1962
IrelandIE
- Theatrical1221 Feb 1958
NetherlandsNL
- TheatricalALRe-release24 Apr 2003
- TVALNederland 229 Jul 2007
- PhysicalALDVD11 Feb 2013
PolandPL
- Theatrical121 Jan 1960
Frequently asked questions
Witness for the Prosecution was released on 17 December 1957.
Audience reviews
6- A8/10
Andres Gomez
11/26/2012
Great thriller with superb classical interpretations. The plot moves sometimes too lazily.
- S10/10
Shreyance Parakh
5/4/2017
**Why don't they make THESE movies anymore?** Apart from being a **GREAT** courtroom drama_(which some people don't think this movie is)_, this movie is so much **FUN** and **ENTERTAINING** to watch.Especially because of the characters of _Charles Laughton_ and _Elsa Lanchester_. But _Tyrone Power_ and _Marlene Dietrich_ were convincing too in their portrayal of an _innocent, afraid for his life man and a disloyal…
- J9/10
John Chard
10/1/2019
I'm constantly surprised that women's hats don't provoke more murders. Leonard Steven Vole finds himself on trial for the murder of a wealthy widow from whom he has inherited a fortune. Top barrister Sir Wilfrid Robarts takes up the defendants case, but he, along with everyone else, is stunned when Vole's seemingly loving wife Christine turns up to testify against the defendant. Based on Agatha Christie's succe…
- C8/10
CinemaSerf
11/3/2022
I might be asking for trouble here, but did Charles Laughton ever actually make a bad film? He leads this one as the brilliant but curmudgeonly barrister "Sir Wildred Robarts" with oodles of charisma and style. Marlene Dietrich portrays the evil, manipulative "Christine Vole" marvellously and even Tyrone Power, more the matinée idol than the serious actor, delivers as required in Billy Wilder's outstanding rendition …
- M10/10
Martin Oaks
6/4/2025
**Billy Wilder’s Fascinating Scrutiny** This may well be the most definitive masterpiece directed by the genius Billy Wilder, which is already saying volumes. Without a shadow of a doubt, Witness for the Prosecution stands as the finest cinematic adaptation of an Agatha Christie play. It is a courtroom drama that keeps audiences on the edge of their seats from the opening frame to its unexpected climax. Based on t…
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