IMDb > Compulsion (1959)

Compulsion (1959) More at IMDbPro »


Overview

User Rating:
7.4/10   1,487 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?

Down 27% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Richard Fleischer

Writers:

Richard Murphy (screenplay)
Meyer Levin (novel)

Contact:

View company contact information for Compulsion on IMDbPro.

Release Date:

May 1959 (West Germany) more

Tagline:

Sometimes murder is just a way to pass the time. more

Plot:

Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case. full summary | add synopsis

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 4 nominations more

User Comments:

Murder and Dean Stockwell's Eyes more (37 total)


Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Orson Welles ... Jonathan Wilk
Diane Varsi ... Ruth Evans
Dean Stockwell ... Judd Steiner
Bradford Dillman ... Arthur A. Straus

E.G. Marshall ... District Attorney Harold Horn
Martin Milner ... Sid Brooks

Richard Anderson ... Max Steiner
Robert F. Simon ... Police Lt. Johnson (as Robert Simon)
Edward Binns ... Tom Daly
Robert Burton ... Charles Straus
Wilton Graff ... Mr. Steiner
Louise Lorimer ... Mrs. Straus aka 'Mumsy'

Gavin MacLeod ... Padua - Horn's Assistant
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ina Balin ... Mike's girlfriend (scenes deleted)
Edmund Cobb ... Policeman (scenes deleted)
Frank Conroy ... (scenes deleted)
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Runtime:

103 min | 99 min (FMC Library Print)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1 more

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (Westrex Recording System) | Mono (35 mm optical prints) (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (certificate #19194) | Canada:PG (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15


Fun Stuff

Trivia:

Although the story was obviously a thinly-disguised recreation of the Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murder case, the legal department of 20th Century Fox was still concerned about a possible lawsuit from the still-living Leopold. A great effort was made not to mention Leopold or Loeb in the movie, press releases, and interviews. However, there was apparently poor communication with the advertising department, since when the movie came out, newspaper ads stated, "Based on the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case." Leopold sued the filmmakers. He did not claim libel, slander or anything false or defamatory about the film. Instead, he claimed an invasion of privacy. The court rejected his claim in part because Leopold had already published his own autobiography "Life Plus 99 Years", publicizing essentially the same facts. more

Quotes:

[first lines]
Judd Steiner: To the perfect crime!
Arthur Straus: Crime. Oh, my wealthy fraternity brothers. 67 dollars, and a second-hand typewriter.
more

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Apartment Zero (1988) more


FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
36 out of 41 people found the following comment useful.
Murder and Dean Stockwell's Eyes, 27 April 2007
9/10
Author: M. J Arocena from New Zealand

Seeing "Compulsion" again after a very long time, it amazed me how well I remembered it. In fact I remembered every tiny little turn in Dean Stockwell's eyes. He is superb in the part of the young semi genius with a weakness for the shallow Bradford Dillman. The Leopold and Loeb case was the base for this thrilling Richard Fleischer film. It won acting awards for Stockwell, Dillman and Orson Welles at the Cannes Film Festival but with the benefit of hindsight, Dean Stockwell emerges as the winner against the famous test of time. Dillman seems a little bit too everything. Welles is great fun to watch and E G Marshall is terrific as the man determined to unmask the "powder poofs". Stockwell fainting at the trial, something that could have been so over the top, is in fact, shattering. The Leopold and Loeb story was also the base for Hitchcock's "Rope" and the wonderful Tom Kalin's "Swoon" Another version was rumored in 1991, directed by Martin Donovan with River Phoenix in the Stockwell part.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (37 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Compulsion (1959)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Welles' awful melodrama computersaysno_cough
dean stockwell teejay6682
Gavin MacLeod ... Padua sm_cohn
Books about this for interested readers kag2-1
Who played Sally? miriamwebster
Really Two Movies lexnlido2
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Call Northside 777 The Black Widow The Laramie Project Fracture The Pelican Brief
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Biography section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.