The Last Witness (1960)

Crime
Drama

Director Wolfgang Staudte who left East Germany in 1953 to make movies in West Germany, takes a few swipes at the West German judicial system in this fairly effective courtroom drama about the murder of a four-month-old baby. Police almost immediately arrest the mother Ingrid who is the mistress of the father, a rich business VIP married to another woman. His position and wealth keep him insulated from suspicion. A hot-shot lawyer has to overcome the unaccountably biased perceptions of the police, the judge, the prosecutor and almost everyone else in the judicial system. The defence lawyer, driven to an extreme, knows he has to find the real killer or his client will be convicted.

Cast

Direktor Werner Rameil
Rechtsanwalt Dr. Fox
Dr. Hollberg
Frau Bernhardy
Vorsitzender des Schwurgerichts
Staatsanwalt Thalmann
Dr. Heinz Stephans Anwalt
Gymnastiklehrerin
Beamter beim Nachlassgericht
Ingrid Bernhardy
Dr. Heinz Stephan
Gerda Rameil
Landgerichtsrat Ricker
Assessorin Ebeling
Kriminalinspektor Gerhuf
Kriminalsekretär Wenzel
Anwalt Dr. Beyer

Crew

Screenplay
Original Music Composer
Cinematography