Witness to Murder-1954

A minor but entertaining film noir thriller, Witness to Murder is elevated by the bravura performance of the always dependable Barbara Stanwyck, as well as solid work from George Sanders in a familiar vein. Witness is kept from the "A" list of noir films by its rather pedestrian screenplay. Its starting point -- a person sees a murder and no one believes him/her -- has certainly been made to work to great effect in other films (see Rear Window, released the same year), but here it comes across as "well-worn" rather than "time honored." However, there are a number of interesting twists and turns , as well as some good, punchy dialogue and the major set pieces do give the cast a good deal to work with. Stanwyck makes the most of these, setting her jaw firmly against those who would deny her justice, and using those luminous, liquid eyes so that only an actor as bland as Gary Merrill could resist her. Director Roy Rowland also gets a big boost from John Alton's moody cinematography, a feast of shadows and key lights that never misses an opportunity to throw slashes of darkness across the screen.

Cast.

Barbara Stanwyck - Cheryl Draper

George Sanders - Albert Richter

Gary Merrill - Lawrence Mathews

Jesse White - Eddie Vincent

Harry Shannon - Capt. Donnelly

Claire Carleton - The Blond

Lewis Martin - Psychiatrist

Dick Elliott - Apartment Manager

Harry Tyler - Charlie

Juanita Moore - Woman

Joy Hallward - Fellow Worker

Adeline Reynolds - Old Lady

Gertrude Graner - Policewoman

Sam Edwards

Jean Fenwick

Fred Graham

Helen Kleeb

Lyn Thomas

Ted Thorpe

Brad Trumbull