The Last Witness
Der letzte Zeuge
Synopsis
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.
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Martin Held
Direktor Werner Rameil
Hanns Lothar
Rechtsanwalt Dr. Fox
Ellen Schwiers
Ingrid Bernhardy
Jürgen Goslar
Dr. Heinz Stephan
Adelheid Seeck
Gerda Rameil
Werner Hinz
Landgerichtsrat Ricker
Lore Hartling
Assessorin Ebeling
Siegfried Wischnewski
Kriminalinspektor Gerhuf
Harald Juhnke
Kriminalsekretär Wenzel
Otto Graf
Anwalt Dr. Beyer
Albert Bessler
Dr. Hollberg
Lucie Mannheim
Frau Bernhardy
Hans Hessling
Vorsitzender des Schwurgerichts
Hellmut Grube
Staatsanwalt Thalmann
Rudi Schmitt
Herbert Tiede
Dr. Heinz Stephans Anwalt
Blandine Ebinger
Gymnastiklehrerin
Martin Berliner
Beamter beim Nachlassgericht
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Wolfgang Staudte
- Screenplay & Story
- Robert A. Stemmle, Thomas Keck
- Original Score
- Werner Eisbrenner
- Original Title
- Der letzte Zeuge
- Country of Origin
- Germany
- Spoken Languages
- French, German
- Runtime
- 1h 42m
- Production Studios
- Kurt Ulrich Filmproduktion
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Wolfgang Staudte
Robert A. Stemmle, Thomas Keck, Maximilian Vernberg
Werner Eisbrenner
Wolfgang Wehrum
Kurt Ulrich
Department Leadership Roster
Kurt Ulrich
Producer
Wolfgang Wehrum
Editor
Wolfgang Staudte
Director
Robert A. Stemmle
Screenplay
Werner Eisbrenner
Original Music Composer
Thomas Keck
Screenplay
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for The Last Witness.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring The Last Witness.
Legal Films
Courtroom dramas, legal thrillers, legal comedies and films about lawyers.
The Last movie list
Similar Titles to The Last Witness
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
7.6
7.3
7.1
7.6
8.0
8.0
7.8
7.0
8.0
8.0
6.4
7.0
6.0
6.0
6.1
7.5
6.6
6.2
6.7
5.7
More Like The Last Witness
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About The Last Witness
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is The Last Witness about?
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.
Who directed The Last Witness?
The Last Witness was directed by Wolfgang Staudte.
Who stars in The Last Witness?
The principal cast of The Last Witness includes Martin Held, Hanns Lothar, Ellen Schwiers, Jürgen Goslar, Adelheid Seeck.
When was The Last Witness released and how long is it?
The Last Witness was released in 1960 with a total runtime of 1h 42m.
Who composed the musical score for The Last Witness?
The original motion picture soundtrack for The Last Witness was composed by Werner Eisbrenner.
What is the age rating and content advisory for The Last Witness?
The Last Witness holds official age classifications: DE: 12 (FSK 12 — Restricted to viewers aged 12 and older.).