'

The Trial

Play trailer

The Trial

Released Dec 21, 1962

1h 59m

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

45 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is accused of an unspecified crime and shambles through a series of bizarre encounters in an attempt to clear his name in the face of a hellish bureaucracy.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

Orson Welles may take big liberties in his adaptation of The Trial, but the auteur constructs an absurd nightmare that is unmistakably Kafkaesque -- grounded by an excellent Anthony Perkins as the befuddled Josef K.

Read Critics Reviews

Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

Unsurprisingly, Orson Welles doesn’t efface his artistic personality for The Trial.

Sep 20, 2023

Full Review

Michael Phillips

Chicago Tribune

[A] singular two-hour experience, as dynamic and strange as anything Welles made.

Rated: 3.5/4

Mar 10, 2023

Full Review

Kevin Maher

Times (UK)

[A] fearless Kafka adaptation...

Rated: 4/5

Nov 18, 2022

Full Review

Jeff Beck

The Blu Spot

What we basically end up with is an intriguing road to nowhere, one that has some interesting sights to see along the way, but which needed a little more substance to help make the journey worth it.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

Dennis Harvey

48 Hills

...among Welles' most brilliantly realized creations...

Sep 14, 2023

Full Review

Ray Pride

Newcity

What grubby filth! Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is an office man, an ambitious junior bureaucrat, long and thin as a blade in knife-sharp suits... exacting haircut, encased in timeless tailoring, a trim suit... slim pants with pleats crisp as glass.

Rated: 10/10

Mar 20, 2023

Full Review

Read all reviews

Merick H

Starts off well -- visually striking and thought provoking -- but it begins to meander and quickly becomes an incredible bore. As a whole, it stinks.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

05/22/25

Full Review

Alec B

Welles stages this beautifully and despite the fact that it's a Kafka adaptation, the movie feels totally accessible while not betraying the source material.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/05/25

Full Review

Hugh J

Although slow at times Orson Welles does well enough to bring Kafka's most arguably real dystopian novel to the silver screen. He took an appropriate amount of liberties to make the movie his own while staying true to the source material to make a great adaptation.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

12/08/24

Full Review

Camero W

It was kinda hard to watch at certain points because I thought it would never end like a nightmare. The acting was spot on. Shots were crazy. The way that the film made things look very large and very small reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. Great film. Not for the faint of heart or people with short attention spans.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

Full Review

Teddy B

Franz Kafka's story may be slightly abstracted (to put it lightly), but his ideas and views on the futility and stupidity of society are translated effortlessly through Orson Welle's carefully crafted visuals and tone as well as a fittingly befuddled performance from Anthony Perkins.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/16/24

Full Review

Leaburn O

Starts well, staying faithful to the book and depicting many of the scenes very impressively. Loses its way further along sadly. Worth a watch though given the legendary status of the novel.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/29/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Orson Welles

Director

Anthony Perkins

Josef K.

Jeanne Moreau

Miss Burstner

Romy Schneider

Leni

Orson Welles

Albert Hastler (The Advocate)

Elsa Martinelli

Hilda

The Young Savages

44%

51%

The Young Savages

Watchlist

Victim

100%

87%

Victim

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Victim

Le trou

95%

96%

Le trou

Watchlist

The Manchurian Candidate

97%

90%

The Manchurian Candidate

Watchlist

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

86%

82%

The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Spy Who Came in From the Cold

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

View more photos

Synopsis

Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is accused of an unspecified crime and shambles through a series of bizarre encounters in an attempt to clear his name in the face of a hellish bureaucracy.

Director: Orson Welles
Producer: Alexander Salkind, Michael Salkind
Screenwriter: Orson Welles, Franz Kafka
Distributor: Astor Pictures Corporation
Production Co: Paris-Europa Productions
Genre: Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 21, 1962, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Dec 9, 2022
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $90.5K
Runtime: 1h 59m

Most Popular at Home Now