Rating summary
| Movie |  | 5.0 |
| Video |  | 4.5 |
| Audio | | 4.5 |
| Extras |  | 4.0 |
| Overall | | 4.5 |
Witness for the Prosecution Blu-ray Movie Review
A fantastic presentation for a classic Billy Wilder gem
Reviewed by Neil Lumbard December 12, 2019
With an exciting and suspenseful story (based upon the work of the great Agatha Christie), Witness for the Prosecution is a superb courtroom thriller that cannot be missed for fans of great classic cinema. It matches Martin Scorsese's definition of cinema perfectly and is a must-see feature-film. Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power) is accused of murder and must be defended. Sir Wilfred Roberts (Charles Laughton) takes the task with clear determination to see that justice is done. Leonard's spouse Christine (Marlene Dietrich) is brought to the stand to try and convict him of murder. Directed by Billy Wilder (Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Sunset Boulevard), Witness for the Prosecution is a wonderful film full of great performances and a “can't-miss” conclusion that will leave viewers stunned.
A riveting court-room drama with suspense and intrigue.
For more information on the film and a full film review please refer to the primary review written by my Blu-ray.com colleague Jeffrey Kauffman.
Witness for the Prosecution Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality
The picture-quality on the U.K. edition of Witness for the Prosecution bears a striking similarity to the release produced from Kino Lorber in the United States (and for more information on that edition please refer to the review written by my Blu-ray.com colleague Jeffrey Kauffman). However, in comparing the specs of the two editions, the U.K. Release is given an even greater bit-rate to let the presentation breathe a bit more with even more refined encoding on the disc. The MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation is excellent through-and-through. The Eureka Entertainment release has an enormously healthy bit-rate of 30 mbps whereas the US edition has a more meager bit-rate of only 21 mbps. Viewers hoping to get the absolute best out of the film presentation will want to opt for the one with the better encode (especially for viewers watching on large screens).
Witness for the Prosecution Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality
Unlike the video-presentation on the release (which bears a striking similarity to the US Blu-ray release reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman here), the audio presentation provided on this release of Witness for the Prosecution is different (and is superior to what can be found on the US release). While the US edition only had 16 bit DTS-HD Master Audio the U.K release in the Masters of Cinema series has 24 bit uncompressed PCM 2.0 mono audio. The overall clarity and fidelity of the track is exceptional. Dialogue reproduction is altogether superb from beginning to end. The sound quality is also free from issues with hiss, static, cracks, and warps. The track is extremely clear and has been properly restored. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.
Witness for the Prosecution Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras
Audio Commentary featuring Kat Ellinger
Monocles and Cigars: Simon Callow on Charles Laughton (HD, 16:07) features the acclaimed actor discussing Laughton's
Interview with Neil Sinyard (HD, 24:35) begins with a warning to viewers that the interview contains spoilers regarding the end of the film (just in case you felt like watching the bonus features before the main presentation, folks).
Billy Wilder on Witness for the Prosecution (SD, 13:40) is an excerpted segment taken from the full length three-part "Billy, How Did You Do It?" program. The focus on the short supplemental feature is the main film, Witness for the Prosecution. In order to view the complete documentary viewers can see the complete cut as found on the release of The Lost Weekend (reviewed here by my colleague Dr. Svet Atanasov).
Witness for the Prosecution Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation
Witness for the Prosecution is an excellent film which is a must-see for all fans of classic cinema. With first-rate direction by the great Billy Wilder and a suspenseful storyline with twist after twist, the high quality Blu-ray release from Eureka Entertainment comes highly recommended for it's exceptional presentation of the film. Please note that the Blu-ray release is Region B "locked" and viewers will need either a UK disc player or a region free modified player (as the menu for the film so playfully recommends to viewers when one inserts the disc without it being set to the correct region).
