Witness for the Prosecution

1957 courtroom drama

Rating: 18/20 (Jen: 18/20)

Plot: Sir Wilfrid isn't supposed to be taking any stressful cases following a heart attack. Of course, he's not supposed to be drinking or smoking cigars either. So when a juicy murder case falls into his lap, he can't help himself. Married inventor Leonard Vole has been arrested for the murder of an old woman. He claims he's innocent, and his wife helps back up an alibi. But when the trial begins and the wife takes the stand as the main titular witness for the prosecution, things might get more stressful than Sir Wilfrid imagined.

This Wilder/Christie piece is an enormously entertaining courtroom drama with a little dark humor thrown in. It'll appeal if you're looking for a twisty and turny mystery or if you're looking for a fun character study. Charles Laughton's Wilfrid is just the type of character I really like--kinda violent and really surly, the old guy I'll eventually be provided I live that long. Tyrone Power and Marlene Dietrich get top billing here, but this is really Laughton's show, especially in the early going. Don't get me wrong--Dietrich is really good, too, in this multi-dimensional role. Power? He could have been anybody and probably gets in the way too much if you want to be honest. The writing sparkles, lots of wit and irony. One line that I liked was when Laughton compliments Vole by telling him he thinks like a criminal. Pretty brilliant writing. The twists in this work which is really something considering how much time has passed and how much stuff like this has been duplicated. I won't type anymore because that poster up there is telling me not to. The poster up there also calls this "the most electrifying entertainment of our time," and although I'm not sure if that's entirely accurate, everything Billy Wilder does could be described as electric and entertaining. Subtly electric!

I should point out that Jennifer claimed right after the opening credits that she had the whole mystery figured out. She wouldn't elaborate, probably because she didn't want to ruin things for me. At the end of the movie, after the last big twist, she started laughing maniacally and then ran circles in the yard.

Brother's Keeper

1992 documentary

Rating: 16/20

Plot: The Brothers Ward have lived in the same dinky and rickety shack in the middle of Middle-of-Nowhere, New York. They've got the minds of four-year-olds but work hard. The other occupants of Middle-of-Nowhere, New York, don't pay much attention to them until Delbert is accused of murdering his brother for reasons ranging from euthanasia to, more bizarrely, sexual frustration. The townfolk rally around the brothers after he apparently confesses to the murder, an act that Delbert's feeble mind may not have fully understood.

Watching the Ward Brothers is a lot like watching the Beales in Grey Gardens, an oft-uncomfortable invasion of privacy that, at times, you almost feel bad watching. The brothers are simple minded, yes, but in a way, it's hard not to admire the simple lives they lead. It's just hard to believe that people like this exist in our fast-moving 21st Century culture, and that's even prior to the revelations that their dirty little shack might contain some dirty little incest secrets. So Brother's Keeper works as a cultural document. The dynamics of the whole city mice vs. the country mice thing added another layer, and the courtroom scenes were riveting. The documentarians treat the subject matter both objectively and lovingly. You can tell Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky spent a great deal of time with the brothers, and you get such an intimate portrait of them. We don't get all the answers because they don't really matter all that much. Brother's Keeper sets up more questions than it answers, but that's part of the beauty of it. I also really liked how this showed the media's despicably voyeuristic role in a case like this, the almost gleeful talking heads that flocked to Middle-of-Nowhere, New York, to report on the story. In the end, I felt almost happy that these filmmakers helped me see the humanity in this mystery, made me seem like a much better person than the slimy news reporters and the big city big-wigs. I ended up liking simple-minded Delbert quite a bit, and after the filmmakers contrast scenes with him admiring his chickens that he keeps in a run-down school bus converted into a coop with a brutally and graphically violent scene featuring a random guy slaughtering a pig, you just get the feeling that there's no way Delbert could have done anything cold blooded. Or maybe he could. Who knows? Euthanasia or death by natural causes? Perhaps it's the little liberal in me trying to get out, but I don't think it even matters.

The Devil and Daniel Webster

1941 movie

Rating: 17/20

Plot: Good-natured New Hampshire farmer Jabez Stone trades his soul to Mr. Scratch for seven years of prosperity. Good fortunes change him, making him an avaricious womanizing bastard. When his seven years are up and Jabez is on top of the world, Mr. Scratch comes to collect. Only politician and orator Daniel Webster can save the day!

Seems like I've seen a lot of devil movies this year. This could probably be the Year of Satan if it wasn't already the Year of "Man" Movies and the Year That Shane, Sans Pants, Watches 365 Movies. That last part was for the ladies. But yeah, this will be a hotly (pun intended) contested "Satan of the Year" award. Walter Huston's is damn good though. His Mr. Scratch isn't your typical devil like the one who attacks Santa Claus in Santa Claus. He's more that ornery trouble-maker who has a decent sense of humor, a guy you wouldn't mind sharing a few drinks with because you just know he's got some good stories to share. The Stephen Vincent Benet short story this is based on has always seemed odd to me (Why Daniel Webster?) but it's a fascinating one that William Dieterle's visuals tell remarkably. My favorite thing about this movie (other than Huston's performance or the shape of Simone Simon's face) might be the lighting. There are so many shots in this that are just so artistically set up. This really is a beautiful film to look at. There are some creepy, almost surreal bits, too, like the scene with the moth, the miser's last dance, and the climactic courtroom scene. This easy-to-connect-with interpretation of the Faust story seems ahead of its time, is entertaining from start to finish, and has a timeless moral.

Until next time, ladies.