The r in prefer links into to, so the two run together.
Mrs Vole, or Mrs Helm, which do you prefer to be called?Witness for the Prosecution · 1957 — 第 20 / 27 章 · 2'51" · B2
Myers Destroys Christine on the Stand, Explained：a chronic and habitual liar
Myers doesn't attack Christine's story so much as her right to tell it. He lists every lie — her marital status, the authorities, her wedding vows, the police — then lands the question: 'were you lying then, are you lying now?' Sir Wilfrid protests she is being bullied; the judge grants the defence 'every latitude', and Myers keeps cutting.
あらすじ
Back in the witness box, Christine — addressed as Frau Helm — faces the prosecutor Myers. He takes her through a string of admitted lies: she lied about being married when she met Leonard in Hamburg, lied to the authorities to arrange the marriage, lied in her wedding vows, and lied to the police about how Leonard cut his wrist. Then he asks whether she is lying now.
注目の表現
take a serious view oflove, honour and cherishbelieved himselfa chronic and habitual liar
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このシーンの表現
a chronic and habitual liar
an inveterate liar
Sir Wilfrid stacks chronic and habitual to declare lying part of her very character.
Everyone knew him as a chronic and habitual liar.
このシーンの他の表現
- take a serious view of
treat as serious
- love, honour and cherish
the wedding vows
- believed himself
thought himself
- every latitude
full freedom
- be gained by
be gained from
このシーンのメモ一覧
32 行のセリフに 23 件のメモ
treat as serious
Sir Wilfrid remarks on how seriously marriage is viewed here, an indirect jab at the witness.
In this country we are inclined to take a rather more serious view of marriage.married or not
However, it would appear that when you first met the prisoner in Hamburg - you lied to him about your marital status. - I wanted to get out of Germany, so...only yes or no
You lied, did you not? Just yes or no, please.In quick speech did you can blur into a single sound like didja.
You lied, did you not? Just yes or no, please.be honest
I, um, did not tell the truth to the authorities.the wedding vows
Sir Wilfrid uses the wedding vows to set the solemn promise against her present lies.
And in the ceremony, when you swore to love, honour and cherish your husband, - that too was a lie? - Yes.thought himself
Sir Wilfrid calls Vole a man who believed himself married and loved, making his devotion sound deluded.
And when the police questioned you about this wretched man who believed himself married and loved, - you told them... - I told them what he wanted me to.relative clause: The relative clause describes the man as someone who thought himself married and loved.
And when the police questioned you about this wretched man who believed himself married and loved, - you told them... - I told them what he wanted me to.back then versus now
The question is, Frau Helm, were you lying then, are you lying now?Mrs (German) — German for Mrs, kept here to mark the witness as German.
The question is, Frau Helm, were you lying then, are you lying now?an inveterate liar
Sir Wilfrid stacks chronic and habitual to declare lying part of her very character.
Or are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!a person who lies — A blunt insult; avoid it in any formal exchange.
Or are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!a charge punishable by death
Mr Myers, this is a capital charge and, within the bounds of reason,parenthetical phrase: The inserted phrase sets a limit: freedom for the defence, but only within reason.
Mr Myers, this is a capital charge and, within the bounds of reason,full freedom
The judge grants the defence every latitude because the charge carries the death penalty.
I should like the defence to have every latitude.as she herself admits
My lord, may I also remind my learned friend that his witness, by her own admission,be gained from
The judge says nothing more can be gained from further questions, closing the cross-examination.
I doubt if anything is to be gained by questioning you any further.lying under oath
Sir Wilfrid asks whether she knows the word perjury, setting up his warning about prison.
Mrs Helm, I presume you know the meaning of the English word "perjury"?a long prison sentence
And are you aware, Mrs Helm, that the penalty in this country for perjury is a heavy term of imprisonment?the full sworn truth
Mindful of this fact, I ask you once more, is the evidence that you have given the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?relative clause: The clause pins the question on the evidence she has actually given.
Mindful of this fact, I ask you once more, is the evidence that you have given the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?The t in but merges with the following sound, so one consonant is lost.
Mindful of this fact, I ask you once more, is the evidence that you have given the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?「Myers Destroys Christine on the Stand」を読み解く
What's really going on
The prosecution is not trying to convict Leonard here — it is demolishing its own witness. By making Christine admit lie after lie, Myers turns her into a woman whose word means nothing, so that whatever she says in Leonard's favour can be ignored. 'Or are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!' he thunders, and when Sir Wilfrid complains that the witness is being bullied, the judge rules that on a capital charge the defence must have 'every latitude.' Myers then raises perjury and its heavy penalty, and Christine answers with 'So help me, God.' Her credibility is destroyed on the record, which is exactly what the Crown wants: a witness no jury will believe.
Theme
LiesChristine's admitted lies — about her marriage, the vows, the police — are used to make her whole testimony worthless.
DeceptionThe scene asks which version of a habitual liar to believe, then answers that neither can be trusted.
このチャプターで学べること
- The then-and-now question leaves the witness no safe answer.
- Every earlier lie is laid out before she is asked again.
- A warning about perjury turns words into a legal threat.
- The judge's latitude is what lets the defence press so hard.
発音のポイント
- prefer to — The r in prefer links into to, so the two run together.
- did you not — In quick speech did you can blur into a single sound like didja.
- nothing but the — The t in but merges with the following sound, so one consonant is lost.
The question is, Frau Helm, were you lying then, are you lying now?The prosecutor's trap: if she lied before, why should the jury believe anything she says now?
Or are you not, in fact, a chronic and habitual liar?!The attack goes beyond the specific lies — he labels her entire character as untrustworthy.
In this country we are inclined to take a rather more serious view of marriage.A pointed aside that frames her casual attitude to marriage as a moral failing before the jury.
My lord, is my learned friend to be allowed to bully and insult the witness?The defence's protest that the cross-examination has crossed from testing evidence into abuse.
このシーンについての質問
Why does Myers attack Christine if she is his own witness?
She was called by the prosecution, but her evidence turns hostile to their case. Destroying her credibility means the jury will ignore anything she says that helps Leonard.
Why does the judge let Myers bully the witness?
He rules that this is a capital charge, so the defence — and by extension forceful questioning — must be given 'every latitude' within reason, even if the questioning is harsh.
Why does Myers bring up perjury and prison?
It is a warning: if she keeps changing her story under oath, she can be prosecuted herself. The threat is meant to freeze her into one version for good.
What is the point of Christine saying 'So help me, God'?
It is the formal end of the oath, reaffirming that her evidence is true. Coming after a string of admitted lies, it sounds less like piety than defiance.
Who is Frau Helm, and why do they call her that?
Frau Helm is Christine under her German married name. The court uses it because her legal marriage to Leonard is exactly the point Myers is using against her.
情婦 · 全 27 章
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次のチャプター · 第 21 章shed new light onSir Wilfrid Calls Leonard Vole
第 1 章put it in mothballsSir Wilfrid Goes Home
第 2 章when her back is turnedSir Wilfrid Hides Cigars in His Cane
第 3 章circumstantial evidenceVole Tries to Hire Sir Wilfrid
第 4 章in the hands ofLeonard Tells Sir Wilfrid His Story
第 5 章not cricketHow Vole Met Mrs French
第 6 章a hot potatoLeonard Recounts the Night of the Murder
第 7 章with flying coloursInspector Hearne Arrests Leonard
第 8 章call it what you likeChristine Vole Meets the Lawyers
第 9 章a way with womenChristine and the Green Socks
第 10 章worships the ground I walk onChristine Denies She's His Wife
第 11 章on the chance thatWilfrid Photographs Vole in Prison
第 12 章gave someone ideasLeonard Meets Christine in Hamburg
第 13 章clutching at a razor bladeVole Tells How He Married Christine
第 14 章to a pointLeonard Vole Pleads Not Guilty
第 15 章take someone by surpriseHearne Testifies About the Prints
第 16 章account forThe Bloodstained Jacket in Court
第 17 章hither and thitherJanet McKenzie Takes the Stand
第 18 章a scheming rascalWilfrid Cross-Examines the Housekeeper
第 19 章an accomplice toChristine Testifies Against Vole
再生中 · 第 20 章a chronic and habitual liarMyers Destroys Christine on the Stand
第 21 章shed new light onSir Wilfrid Calls Leonard Vole
第 22 章establish an alibiMyers Cross-Examines Leonard Vole
第 23 章wild-goose chaseThe Call About the German Wife
第 24 章on the slySir Wilfrid Buys the Letters
第 25 章a pack of liesSir Wilfrid's Blue Letter Trap
第 26 章dispose ofVole Is Found Not Guilty
第 27 章call someone namesChristine Reveals Leonard Was Guilty第 20 / 27 章 · 残り約 25 分