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The Trial

Play trailer Poster for The Trial 1962 1h 59m Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.
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The Trial

The Trial

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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.

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Critics Reviews

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Chuck Bowen Slant Magazine 09/20/2023
Unsurprisingly, Orson Welles doesn’t efface his artistic personality for The Trial. Go to Full Review
Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune 03/10/2023
3.5/4
[A] singular two-hour experience, as dynamic and strange as anything Welles made. Go to Full Review
Kevin Maher The Times (UK) 11/18/2022
4/5
[A] fearless Kafka adaptation... Go to Full Review
Jeff Beck The Blu Spot 09/18/2023
2.5/4
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. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 09/14/2023
...among Welles' most brilliantly realized creations... Go to Full Review
Ray Pride Newcity 03/20/2023
10/10
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. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mason M Jun 10 I'll say that this was the first film I've seen from Orson Welles. Even though I'm not the most familiar with the films he's directed, I enjoyed The Trial. Welles's directing in this film was great, and it's very clear that he has a great visual eye for filmmaking. The cinematography in this film was great and the set pieces might be some of the best sets I've ever seen in a film. Anthony Perkins also gives what I'd say is probably his best performance. I really liked how Welles portrayed Kafka's absurdity and paranoia throughout the film. Though I'm not giving this a higher rating because it never quite clicked for me. It doesn't really feel like this film actually has very much to say and there wasn't any deeper meaning for me to grab onto. But despite that, I thought The Trial was a great film that did a great job at what it was trying to do. See more Merick H May 22 Starts off well -- visually striking and thought provoking -- but it begins to meander and quickly becomes an incredible bore. As a whole, it stinks. See more Alec B Mar 5 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. See more Hugh J 12/08/2024 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. See more Camero W 11/08/2024 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. See more Teddy B 04/16/2024 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. See more Read all reviews
The Trial

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Movie Info

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
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