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The Trial
Le Procès
1962 119 min France, Germany, Italy 16+
★7.7
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Director: Orson Welles
📖 Based on the novel
«The Trial»
byFranz Kafka
Trailers
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EN
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Description
Arrested for an unnamed crime, Josef K. is trapped in a surreal bureaucratic maze where justice is unknowable and guilt is assumed.
Budget:
$1.3M
US Gross:
$93,533
Worldwide:
$94,243
Starring
Anthony Perkins
Actor
Arnoldo Foà
Actor
Jess Hahn
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 2 nominations total
Key opinion
Orson Welles' adaptation of The Trial is widely regarded as a visually masterful and thematically profound translation of Kafka's work, though it polarizes viewers with its surreal, expressionistic approach. While many praise the film's ability to externalize psychological dread and bureaucratic absurdity, some critics find its stylistic choices disjointed and its departure from the novel's slow-burn tone frustrating.
| Acting | Anthony Perkins delivers a powerful, deeply committed performance that anchors Josef K.'s struggle against the system. | |
| Cinematography | Welles utilizes expressionistic, nightmarish cinematography and set design to effectively externalize the protagonist's internal psychological torment. | |
| Adaptation | The film maintains the spirit of the source material by successfully translating Kafka's complex themes of bureaucratic dehumanization and internalized guilt. | |
| Score | The score effectively mirrors the protagonist's shifting internal states, alternating between oppressive heaviness and frantic, absurd pacing. | |
| Pacing | The film's pacing and narrative flow are divisive, with some finding the constant, dream-like movement compelling and others viewing the disjointed structure as exhausting or confusing. |