Though debatable as an adaptation of the Franz Kafka novel, Orson Welles's nightmarish, labyrinthine comedy of 1962 remains his creepiest and most disturbing work; it's also a lot more influential than people usually admit.
The Trial
The Most Remarkable Motion Picture Ever Made!
1962 · 1h 59m · Not Rated
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Directed by
Orson Welles
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The Trial
Overview
Arrested for an unnamed crime, Josef K. is trapped in a surreal bureaucratic maze where justice is unknowable and guilt is assumed.
Director and cast
- Orson Welles Director
- Anthony Perkins as Josef K.
- Romy Schneider as Leni
- Orson Welles as Albert Hastler
- Akim Tamiroff as Bloch
- Jeanne Moreau as Marika Burstner
- Elsa Martinelli as Hilda
- Suzanne Flon as Miss Pittl
- Madeleine Robinson as Mrs. Grubach
- Max Haufler as Uncle Max
- Max Buchsbaum as Examining Magistrate
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
The blackest of Welles' comedies.
At best, it is another demonstration of the camera vers atility of Mr. Welles; at worse, a further Kafka demonstration extending to the demanding medium of the screen.
The Trial is splendid to look at and teeming with ideas about the individual, society, and of course, film itself.
Above all a visual achievement, an exuberant use of camera placement and movement and inventive lighting.
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