Detective fiction queen Agatha Christie adapted her own short story Witness for the Prosecution into a play. One version was staged by the Hong Kong Repertory Theatre in 1981. 1957 was a glorious year for courtroom movies, with Witness for the Prosecution by Billy Wilder and 12 Angry Men (1957), Sidney Lumet’s first film. Both were nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars. Recovering from a grave illness, a barrister takes on a case in which a rich woman died and the beneficiary of her will becomes the prime suspect of her murder. When the suspect’s wife testifies at court, she turns into a witness for the prosecution, accusing her husband of murder. Wilder remained faithful to Christie's narrative twists and preserved the surprise ending, creating a film that surpassed the stage production. Most eye-catching of all is still Marlene Dietrich with her screen presence as a film goddess. Preservation funding provided by The Film Foundation..

15/3

(Fri)

7:30pm

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

*Post-screening talk with Lam Chiu-wing, in Cantonese