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      Witness to Murder

      1954 1 hr. 23 min. Mystery & Thriller List
      Reviews 54% 100+ Ratings Audience Score From her window, Cheryl Draper (Barbara Stanwyck) sees a neighbor, Albert Richter (George Sanders), murder a young woman. When Cheryl goes to the police, they cannot find any evidence because Richter has hidden the body. Cheryl persists in her claims without evidence, leading concerned policeman Larry Mathews (Gary Merrill) to worry that she is becoming obsessed. After Richter becomes aware of Cheryl's accusations, he conspires to make it appear that she is insane. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Steve D By the numbers and not worthy of Barbara. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 06/27/23 Full Review Kensi B This movie holds up so well it is actually the same plot of many contemporary thrillers such as The Woman in the Window. In fact, Barbara Stanwyck's character is much more modern than in the modern take-offs of this plot. She has a job, she's tough, she's not a drunk or drug addict or crippled with mental illness, and she isn't intimidated by the idiotic men who keep telling her she's crazy and even put her into a mental institution. The only weird thing is how casually the characters behave when they say that the neighbor is an "ex-Nazi." I guess there were plenty of them around in the USA back then, which is scary! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/23/21 Full Review Frances H Not exactly riveting but not bad. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/21/21 Full Review Audience Member Not going to go so far as to say that Hitchcock lifted from this flick, but elements of it can be seen in both Rear Window (released later the same year) and Vertigo (released 4 years later.) Whole flick felt like a combo of Vertigo, Rear Window, and Gaslight (released 10 years prior.) Not an outstanding flick but a damn fun noir, to be sure. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member This could have been a great one as George Sanders delivers an excellent performance as the bad guy. He's spotted committing a murder and then fiendishly goes about casting the witness as mentally unhinged. Barbara Stanwyck is so strong a figure to make us believe she'd been mentally manipulated, but this is the 50s. Gary Merrill's implausible character of a disbelieving cop/love interest didn't work for me. But, the film noir cinematography is spellbinding. Genre fans should enjoy. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member TCM showed it the same night as Rear Window so I was interested but, save some nifty camera work, it very simply doesn't match up to Hitchcock's film very well. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Critics Reviews

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      Dan Callahan Slant Magazine This threadbare little thriller looks like it was written and shot over a weekend. May 1, 2006 Full Review Nicholas Bell IONCINEMA.com Magnificently photographed by John Alton, it's a shadowy and angular motion picture, enjoyable for its considerable melodrama as a portrait of misinformed and misogynistic gender politics. Rated: 3/5 Oct 29, 2020 Full Review Andrew L. Urban Urban Cinefile The story is strong and well told, building tension in the final act, delivering a satisfying payoff Feb 20, 2009 Full Review Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews The camerawork of John Alton is the star of this vehicle. Rated: B- Sep 11, 2003 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis From her window, Cheryl Draper (Barbara Stanwyck) sees a neighbor, Albert Richter (George Sanders), murder a young woman. When Cheryl goes to the police, they cannot find any evidence because Richter has hidden the body. Cheryl persists in her claims without evidence, leading concerned policeman Larry Mathews (Gary Merrill) to worry that she is becoming obsessed. After Richter becomes aware of Cheryl's accusations, he conspires to make it appear that she is insane.
      Director
      Roy Rowland
      Screenwriter
      Chester Erskine
      Production Co
      Chester Erskine Productions
      Genre
      Mystery & Thriller
      Original Language
      English
      Release Date (Streaming)
      Mar 7, 2021