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Witness for the Prosecution · 1957 — 第 25 / 27 章 · 4'38" · C1

Sir Wilfrid's Blue Letter Trap, Explained：a pack of lies

On the surface, Sir Wilfrid is testing whether Mrs Helm wrote a love letter to a man named Max. Underneath, he is dismantling her story piece by piece: she swears the letter is "a forgery," insists she only uses small blue paper, then collapses when he produces exactly that — "I wrote the letter."

あらすじ

In a packed courtroom, Sir Wilfrid cross-examines Christine Helm about a letter she allegedly wrote to a man named Max. She denies it and calls the correspondence a forgery. He then asks whether a sheet of blue paper looks like hers, and warns that an expert can identify her handwriting. Cornered, she finally admits: "I wrote the letter."

CourtroomInterrogationsConfrontingWarningRivalsC1mediumbritish
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注目の表現

under oathon intimate terms witha pack of liesletter paper

00:00 / 04:38
Space 再生 · ← → セリフ移動 · R リピート
いま
  16. ❝ 独白Reading Christine's letter to Max29 行練習ページ ↗
セリフをタップするとそこから再生

このシーンの表現

a pack of lies

a set of complete lies

Christine loses control in the witness box, refusing to hear a pack of lies.

His whole story turned out to be a pack of lies.

このシーンの他の表現

  • under oath

    bound by an oath

  • on intimate terms with

    very close to someone

  • letter paper

    writing paper for letters

  • identify your handwriting

    confirm whose handwriting it is

  • count the hours

    wait eagerly for something

このシーンのメモ一覧

53 行のセリフに 27 件のメモ

表現 · B2have doubts about something

doubt something

If you still have doubts about Mr Vole, I wouldn't mind betting you a box of cigars.
表現 · B2be under oath

bound by an oath

The judge reminds Christine that she is still under oath and must tell the truth.

Mrs Helm, you appreciate you are still under oath?
発音under oath

Link under and oath; keep the th in oath clear.

Mrs Helm, you appreciate you are still under oath?
発音named Max

Link named and Max, and cut Max short.

- Do you know a man named Max? - I don't know what you mean.
表現 · B2do you or do you not do something

yes or no

It's a simple question. Do you or do you not know a man called Max?
文法 · B2Do you or do you not know a man called Max

alternative question: The do you or do you not pattern forces a yes-or-no answer and adds pressure.

It's a simple question. Do you or do you not know a man called Max?
表現 · A2a long time ago

long in the past

In Germany, perhaps, but a long time ago.
文法 · C1but one of a series written to the same man

but as only: Here but means only, a formal use that shrinks the letter to a single item.

The letter was but one of a series written to the same man.
表現 · C1on intimate terms with someone

very close to someone

Sir Wilfrid chooses a careful phrase to suggest Christine was close to Max.

You seem to have been, well, let us say, on intimate terms with this man.
表現 · C1the general trend of something

the overall pattern

I'm not concerned with the general trend of this correspondence, only one letter.
表現 · B2a pack of lies

a set of complete lies

Christine loses control in the witness box, refusing to hear a pack of lies.

I will not stand here and listen to a pack of lies!
表現 · B1have one's initials on something

the first letters of a name

I write my letters on small blue paper with my initials on it.
表現 · B1Bermuda shorts

knee-length casual shorts

This is a bill from my tailor for a pair of extremely becoming Bermuda shorts.
スラング · B2becoming

flattering to wear — A slightly old-fashioned, playful word for flattering.

This is a bill from my tailor for a pair of extremely becoming Bermuda shorts.
スラング · B2the fox

a sly person — A nickname; teasing, not formal.

Wilfrid the fox! That's what we call him and that's what he is.
表現 · B2identify someone's handwriting

confirm whose handwriting it is

Sir Wilfrid offers to bring in an expert to identify her handwriting, closing her escape.

Now, if you like, I can have an expert identify your handwriting.
スラング · B2Damn you

a curse at someone — A curse; never in polite speech.

Damn you!
表現 · B2the ... in question

the letter being discussed

Sir Wilfrid, will you now read the letter in question so that the jury may hear it?
表現 · B2be suspected of doing something

believed to have done it

"Leonard is suspected of murdering the old lady I told you about."
表現 · A2depend on someone

rest on someone

"His only hope of an alibi depends on me and me alone."
文法 · C1Suppose I testify that he was not at home with me

suppose clause: Suppose introduces a hypothesis, and the that-clause spells out what the testimony would say.

"Suppose I testify that he was not at home with me at the time of the murder,
表現 · B2count the hours

wait eagerly for something

The letter ends with Christine counting the hours until she and Max are together.

"I count the hours until we are together. Christine."
文法 · C1I wish to warn you that the law regarding perjury in this country is very severe

object clause: The that-clause is the object of warn, and regarding perjury modifies law.

Before answering, Mrs Helm, I wish to warn you that the law regarding perjury in this country is very severe.
発音regarding perjury

Soften the end of regarding; stress the first syllable of perjury.

Before answering, Mrs Helm, I wish to warn you that the law regarding perjury in this country is very severe.
表現 · C1commit perjury

lied under oath in court

The judge warns Christine that if she has committed perjury, she must not add to it.

If you have already committed perjury in this courtroom, I strongly advise you not to add to your crime.
表現 · B2state the fact

say this clearly

The judge gives Christine a last chance to state that she did not write the letter.

But, if this letter has not been written by you, then now is the time to state this fact.
表現 · C1the case for something

the argument for a side

And that, my lord, is the case for the defence.

「Sir Wilfrid's Blue Letter Trap」を読み解く

What's really going on

This is not really a fight about letter paper. Sir Wilfrid has already let the jury hear him read the letter aloud, so the audience is primed to believe Christine betrayed Leonard; now all he needs is her own admission. Watch how he offers her escape routes — "I can have an expert identify your handwriting" — while warning that "the law regarding perjury in this country is very severe." He is not asking; he is cornering. Christine's outburst, "I will not stand here and listen to a pack of lies!" tells us how hard she is fighting, and how much she has to lose. When she finally says "I wrote the letter," it lands less as a confession than as surrender. The scene's real tension is between a woman who keeps changing her story and a barrister who never raises his voice.

Theme

LiesChristine's story keeps shifting, and the whole case turns on whether a letter is real, forged, or hers — every answer is a lie being tested.
JusticeA barrister calmly traps a hostile witness inside the rules of the court, forcing the truth out without ever raising his voice.

このチャプターで学べること

  • A single detail can undo a confident denial.
  • The letter turns love into a plan for murder.
  • Perjury carries its own threat in the courtroom.
  • The witness breaks exactly when the paper appears.

発音のポイント

  • under oath — Link under and oath; keep the th in oath clear.
  • named Max — Link named and Max, and cut Max short.
  • regarding perjury — Soften the end of regarding; stress the first syllable of perjury.
If you still have doubts about Mr Vole, I wouldn't mind betting you a box of cigars.

A confident challenge: if the other man still doubts Vole's innocence, the speaker will bet a box of cigars on it. It shows how sure he is before the cross-examination turns.

I'm not concerned with the general trend of this correspondence, only one letter.

A precision move: the lawyer refuses to argue about the whole bundle of letters and fixes on the single one that matters. Narrowing the question is how he takes control.

If you have already committed perjury in this courtroom, I strongly advise you not to add to your crime.

A blunt warning: if she has already lied under oath here, she should not pile on another crime. Perjury is the line she is about to cross.

I now ask you again, Christine Helm, did you write this letter?

The closing question that breaks her: after all her denials, the barrister repeats the one thing she cannot dodge. Her answer decides the defence's case.

このシーンについての質問

Did Christine really write the love letter to Max?

Yes — she finally admits "I wrote the letter" after Sir Wilfrid produces blue letter paper matching her description and offers to have an expert identify her handwriting. Earlier she had sworn it was a forgery, so the admission destroys her credibility as a witness.

Why does Sir Wilfrid ask about her letter paper?

Because she claims the incriminating letter is a forgery on the wrong paper. By getting her to describe her real stationery — small blue paper with her initials — he can hold up blue paper and corner her, then threaten a handwriting expert. It is a trap dressed as a harmless question.

What does "a pack of lies" mean here?

It means a whole set of lies — she is accusing the prosecution of fabricating the entire story. She shouts it when the letter is read out, denying that any of it is true rather than disputing one detail.

Is Christine protecting Leonard or betraying him?

It plays both ways, which is what makes the scene unsettling. She fights the letter at first, as if shielding him, then admits writing it, which helps the prosecution. Audiences argue about her motive, and the film's later twist reframes everything she says here.

Who is Max in the letter?

Max is the man Christine is supposedly writing to in secret, and the letters suggest she and Max are lovers. The prosecution uses the name to attack her character, implying she and Leonard were not the devoted couple they pretend to be.

情婦 · 全 27 章

すべて見る →
次のチャプター · 第 26 章dispose ofVole Is Found Not Guilty
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再生中 · 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 25 / 27 章 · 残り約 5 分