119 min
7.4
1962
France
Josef K wakes up in the morning and finds the police in his room. They tell him that he is on trial but nobody tells him what he is accused of. In order to find out about the reason for this accusation and to protest his innocence, he tries to look behind the façade of the judicial system. But since this remains fruitless, there seems to be no chance for him to escape from this nightmare.
Overview
Reviews
CinemaSerf wrote:There is something really quite terrifying about the scenario in which "Josef K" (a career-best performance from Anthony Perkins, I think) finds himself in this rather sinister thriller. He is awakened one morning to find the police in his bedroom. He is arrested and told he is to stand trial. For what, you might think? Well, that's what he wonders too - and every effort he makes to establish just what he is supposed to have done fails to deliver. His detention is hardly traditional either. He is largely free to come and go as he pleases, provided always that he is available to attend his questioning sessions by those who seem rather arbitrarily charged with deciding his guilt or innocence. As his (and our) frustrations grow, he explores the lives of those close to him - might the source of his predicament lie there? Luckily, his uncle learns of his situation and engages the learned advocate "Hastler" (Orson Welles) - but is he likely to prove an help or an hindrance? This story is Kafka as his very best. Machiavellian scheming mixed with the ultimate in "Big Brother" state manipulation; the disabling lack of information and the increasing exasperation of young "Josef" are successfully transferred onto an audience that shares his fears and apprehensions. Gradually, we learn a great deal about this man, his flaws, foibles and fetishes, but still are uncertain as to just what he is supposed to have done! A considerable degree of the menace here emanates from the dark photography and from an effective supporting cast who excel in perpetuating the mystery, too. Welles directs this with considerable aplomb, Jean Ledrut provides an evocative and mysterious score to accompany a screenplay that delivers the sense of vexation and chagrin well and compellingly. Fans of horror films ought to watch this too - it's one of the scariest films I have ever seen.
CaseyReese wrote:Joseph K seems perpetually panicked. He squeaks, shouts, cowers, and crows. He feels very guilty about something, but he can't imagine what it could be.
And, under the circumstances, who could fault him for acting so jittery? Men in trench coats have broken into his room, while he slept, to question him about, well, nothing at all. He is, it seems, under arrest, but that needn't keep him from going about his business. It's just one of those things that happens around here, and the judicial system wouldn't want it to keep him from his work.
Orson Welles' rendition of _The Trial_ is, like Kafka's novel, a comedy. But it's a comedy so dark, disquieting, and surreal that you might not be able to manage more than a few nervous chuckles or snorts while you're watching it. It's just not the sort of comedy that makes you want to laugh.
Welles tells us, at the beginning of the film, that the story he's going to tell is much like a dream. Time passes in a disjointed manner. Characters tell us that things are moving slowly, but, honestly, we have no way of telling. It's even tough for us to tell whether it's day or night outside because, in _The Trial,_ even daylight is dark.
Things seem familiar, but, somehow, distorted. Joseph K is dwarfed by churches, courthouses, and corporate offices, but might hit his head on the ceiling of his apartment. He finds himself engulfed by books and records meant to provide people with information, but, clearly, no one has read any of them. He's been accused of something, but no one, not even the court, seems to know what it might be. Infinitely long lines of people stand around awaiting trial just out of sight of an infinitely large formation of convicts waiting for an appeal. Cases cascade back and forth through the courts without ever reaching a meaningful decision.
Remind you of anything? Like Joseph K, many of us have woken up one day to notice that we've been overwhelmed by social institutions that seem to exist only to perpetuate their own existence and step on us while they're at it. As absurd as it might seem on that day, there's really nothing very funny about it.
_The Trial_ is about our waking nightmares. It is, as expressed by Kafka and Welles, a comedy without laughs.
