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Trial

Play trailer Poster for Trial 1955 1h 45m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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Tomatometer 2 Reviews 84% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
When Mexican-American Angel Chavez (Rafael Campos) is arrested for murder on weak evidence, David Blake (Glenn Ford) agrees to defend him to gain the courtroom experience necessary for law school tenure. Bernard Castle (Arthur Kennedy) runs the law firm paying Blake's expenses. While Bernard takes care of fundraising, Blake prepares for trial with alluring secretary Abbe (Dorothy McGuire) but soon begins to suspect that Bernard is a communist trying to manipulate the trial for his own ends.

Critics Reviews

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Eugene Archer Film Culture 03/29/2022
This nonsense is filmed with a great deal of technical skill. Go to Full Review Clyde Gilmour Maclean's Magazine 10/21/2019
A hard-hitting realistic drama which shows with disturbing clarity how political racketeers skilled in the black arts of showmanship can flourish under the protection of the very laws they despise. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Steve D 07/21/2020 Powerful performances and a strong story. See more 07/04/2019 Trial is a film with depth and an especially strong performance by Arthur Kennedy. His character, a seemingly earnest defense attorney, enlists a law professor (Glenn Ford) to represent a Latino teen accused of murder. Kennedy steals the.film from Glenn Ford who lays things a little too thick at times. Director Mark Robson and legendary cinematographer Robert Surtees more than do justice to the material. See more 03/24/2019 unusual portrayal of fund-raising techniques used still used by many advocate groups today, as well as an expose of the national disgrace of racism - thankfully less out in the open today See more Scott R @ScottR 02/19/2015 Fascinating story showing how outside influences can ruin the justice system. Well made and compelling, it might just be Ford's best performance. See more 06/19/2014 Solid Stanley Krameresque social issues film about a poor migrant boy who is accused of murdering a white girl. The courtroom drama involves issues of race, class and politics. Glenn Ford is the crusading lawyer defending the boy. Dorothy McGuire plays his wife. Arthur Kennedy plays a political broker helping Ford and Katy Jurado plays the boys mother. Performances all around are excellent, but the main drag on the film is the anti-communist story elements, which were appropriate to the story, but sadly date the film. See more 06/13/2012 good court room drama See more Read all reviews
Trial

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Cast & Crew

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Mark Robson

Director

Glenn Ford

David Blake

Dorothy McGuire

Abbe Nyle

Arthur Kennedy

Bernard "Barney" Castle

John Hodiak

District Attorney John J. "Jack" Armstrong

Katy Jurado

Mrs. Consuela Chavez
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Trial

Trial (1955) Trial (1955) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis When Mexican-American Angel Chavez (Rafael Campos) is arrested for murder on weak evidence, David Blake (Glenn Ford) agrees to defend him to gain the courtroom experience necessary for law school tenure. Bernard Castle (Arthur Kennedy) runs the law firm paying Blake's expenses. While Bernard takes care of fundraising, Blake prepares for trial with alluring secretary Abbe (Dorothy McGuire) but soon begins to suspect that Bernard is a communist trying to manipulate the trial for his own ends.
Director
Mark Robson
Producer
Charles Schnee
Distributor
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 7, 1955, Original
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 7, 2000
Runtime
1h 45m