Stars and Letters: Agatha Christie praises Billy Wilder

3 December 2014

Agatha Christie praises Billy Wilder

There are many examples of movie adaptations that were hated by the original author. For instance, Ernest Hemingway is said to have disliked all of the adaptations of his short stories and novels, in particular the 1932 version of A Farewell to Arms; Ayn Rand hated the movie adaptation of The Fountainhead (1949) even though she had written the screenplay herself; and Tennessee Williams was none too happy with the 1958 film version of his play Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, seeing that the homosexual elements had been removed for the film. On the other hand, there are also authors who were pleased with the adaptation of their work. Harper Lee, for instance, thought that the film version of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) was "one of the best translations of a book to film ever made" and -apart from some minor criticisms- Margaret Mitchell was content with Gone with the Wind (1939).

In 1957, Billy Wilder adapted Agatha Christie's play Witness for the Prosecution, based on Christie's own short story. Agatha Christie was very happy with Wilder's adaptation and reportedly said it was the best adaptation ever done of her work. Wilder had followed the basic story of Christie's play, but also made several changes giving the film his personal signature. The most significant change was the addition of the character Nurse Plimsoll, played by Elsa Lanchester whose scenes with husband Charles Laughton are imbued with Wilder's delightful sense of humour. Witness for the Prosecution became a big hit, praised by audiences and critics alike. And Agatha Christie herself enjoyed it so much that she wrote Wilder the following note (shown below).