The Witness for the Prosecution and other stories - Level 3
When a rich lady is murdered, there is one obvious suspect. Even his wife says he is guilty – but then his lawyer discovers evidence that brings everything into question. Is anyone telling the truth?Accompanied by three other short stories: The Rajah’s Emerald, Philomel Cottage, and The Actress.Witness for the Prosecution is soon to be released as a major motion picture starring Ben Affleck.
The action of Murder in the Cathedral occurs in and around Canterbury Cathedral;
Part One takes place on December 2, 1170, the day that Archbishop Thomas Becket returned to England and twenty-seven days before his murder by four knights of King Henry II. When the play begins, a Chorus comprised of the Women of Canterbury huddle outside the cathedral, certain that something is about to happen but unable to articulate any details: “Some presage of an act / Which our eyes are compelled to witness, has forced our feet / Towards the cathedral.
In our Eye Witness series we talk to those who were present for the moments that changed the world. We dig beneath the surface, get their first-hand account of the sights, sounds and smells on the ground and find out what it was like to witness history in the making.
How can defendants be tried if they cannot understand the charges being raised against them? Can a witness testify if the judges and attorneys cannot understand what the witness is saying? Can a judge decide whether to convict or acquit if she or he cannot read the documentary evidence? The very viability of international criminal prosecution and adjudication hinges on the massive amounts of translation and interpreting that are required in order to run these lengthy, complex trials, and the procedures for handling the demands facing language services.
While accompanying his grandmother and her new husband to Alaska, J.P. Beaumont finds himself investigating the murder of a middle-aged divorc ee aboard a cruise ship, a crime in which the only witness is an Alzheimer's patient.
