To talk about some creative works that move me is a rough topic. It’s big—it can be a movie, music, drawings, books, etc.—and it’s also small—it has to be creative and it has to move me. After giving careful thought, I decided to talk about one of the first twist movies I watched: Witness for the Prosecution.
Overall, the plot of this movie is about a court defense. The man Leonard Vole is suspected of murdering Emily French, a wealthy, childless widow who has become enamored of him and has named him as the main beneficiary in her will. Strong circumstantial evidence points to Vole as the killer, but Sir Wilfrid, who serves as the defense for Vole, believes Vole to be innocent. The only witness that could verify Vole’s innocence is Vole’s wife, Christine, but a loving wife’s alibi cannot be used. However, it is surprising to see that Christine is actually summoned as a witness for the prosecution, and she testifies that Vole has committed the murder. Before the court is about to close, Sir Wilfrid is contacted by a mysterious lady who provides evidence that shows Christine’s testimony is perjury. Therefore, the court declares Vole innocent. Then comes the twist. The mysterious lady is actually Christine herself. She deliberately perjures so that the court would trust Vole because she loves him too much. Eventually, it turns out that Vole has an affair and leaves Christine, causing Christine to angrily kill Vole.
Certainly, the part of the movie that moved me was the twist. The strongest feeling I had when I first saw the twist was shock. I even sensed some cold sweat, since the twist came so unexpectedly. While it’s not the only twist movie I’ve watched, the reason this movie leaves such an impression is that I never expected a twist. Throughout the movie, I was in the shoes of Sir Wilfrid. From the way Sir Wilfrid talked, I sensed that he’s very experienced, knowledgeable, and smart. His method of using the reflection of the monocle to check Vole’s innocence, along with some clumsy behaviors of Vole, fooled me into thinking that Vole is just an unlucky but innocent person. Until the last 10 minutes of the movie, the setting was somewhat relaxing, if not like a comedy. The various conversations Sir Wilfrid had with Miss Plimsoll, his private nurse, as well as the part where the maid could not hear clearly in court, brought a humorous tone to the whole movie. I admit, the fact that the movie was black-and-white also played a huge role in assuring myself that the plot would go as I expected (I didn’t know Agatha Christie at that time!). In recall, I was thinking exactly the same way the director wanted the audience to. The initial implication of Vole being innocent lies in implicit details, making the audience believe that it’s their smartness that discovers Vole’s innocence. Ironically, although Sir Wilfrid insisted many times in the court on the importance of evidence, his, as well as the audience’s, trust in Vole lies completely not in evidence. Vole’s act in the court of such despair and agony also resonated with people getting wronged. Christine’s pretense as a cold and self-possessed lady successfully deceived most people as well. Overall, the reason why it moved me was clear: it made me feel like I was the smart person knowing the truth, whereas the ending showed that all my ideas were manipulated by the director. Probably due to the influence of chess, I’m really afraid of letting others know what I’m really thinking about. Therefore, mindreading me is as terrifying to me as stripping me. So, in the last ten minutes of the movie, I felt shocked, excited, but at the same time, a little bit scared.
A poster I found
Look how confident Sir Wilfrid (me as well) is at this point.