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Compulsion (1959)
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Overview
User Rating:
Your Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
May 1959 (West Germany)
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Tagline:
Sometimes murder is just a way to pass the time. See more »
Plot:
Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case. Full summary » | Add synopsis »
Plot Keywords:
Student
|
Trial
|
Murder
|
Defense Attorney
|
Law School
See more »
Awards:
Nominated for BAFTA Film Award.
Another 1 win
&
4 nominations
See more »
NewsDesk:
(12 articles)
Cinema Retro's Exclusive Interview With Bradford Dillman
(From CinemaRetro. 31 March 2012, 3:35 AM, PDT)
10 (Kind Of) Great Classic Sci-Fi Flicks You May Have Never Heard Of
(From SoundOnSight. 16 March 2012, 11:27 PM, PDT)
DGA Awards vs. Academy Awards: Odd Men Out Jack Clayton, David Lean, Stanley Donen
(From Alt Film Guide. 9 January 2012, 7:15 PM, PST)
(From CinemaRetro. 31 March 2012, 3:35 AM, PDT)
10 (Kind Of) Great Classic Sci-Fi Flicks You May Have Never Heard Of
(From SoundOnSight. 16 March 2012, 11:27 PM, PDT)
DGA Awards vs. Academy Awards: Odd Men Out Jack Clayton, David Lean, Stanley Donen
(From Alt Film Guide. 9 January 2012, 7:15 PM, PST)
User Reviews:
I agree with Ms. Brown COMPLETELY
See more (48 total) »
Cast
(in credits order) (verified as complete) | 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) |
| Terry Becker | ... | Angry Reporter (uncredited) |
| Russ Bender | ... | Edgar Llewellyn - Attorney (uncredited) |
| Peter Brocco | ... | Albert, Steiner's Chauffeur (uncredited) |
 | Alan Carney | ... | Globe Newspaper Editior (uncredited) |
| Harry Carter | ... | Detective Davis (uncredited) |
| Wendell Holmes | ... | Jonas Kessler (uncredited) |
| Kenner G. Kemp | ... | Juror (uncredited) |
| Henry Kulky | ... | Tough Waiter (uncredited) |
| Mike Lally | ... | Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) |
| Gerry Lock | ... | Emma (uncredited) |
| Jack Lomas | ... | Medical Examiner (uncredited) |
| Dayton Lummis | ... | Dr. Allwyn - Psychiatrist (uncredited) |
| Hank Mann | ... | Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) |
 | Frank McClure | ... | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Ralph Montgomery | ... | Courtroom Reporter (uncredited) |
| William H. O'Brien | ... | Waiter (uncredited) |
| Voltaire Perkins | ... | Judge Matthews (uncredited) |
| Jack Raine | ... | Professor McKinnon (uncredited) |
| Jeffrey Sayre | ... | Reporter on Telephone (uncredited) |
 | Simon Scott | ... | Detective Brown (uncredited) |
| Nina Shipman | ... | Girlfriend (uncredited) |
| Hal Taggart | ... | Reporter (uncredited) |
| Arthur Tovey | ... | Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) |
| Tom Wilson | ... | Juror (uncredited) |
| Wilson Wood | ... | Reporter (uncredited) |
Directed by | |||
| Richard Fleischer | |||
Writing credits | ||
| Richard Murphy | (screenplay) | |
| Meyer Levin | (based on the novel by) | |
Produced by | |||
| Richard D. Zanuck | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Lionel Newman | (music) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| William C. Mellor | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| William Reynolds | (film editor) | ||
Art Direction by | |||
| Mark-Lee Kirk | (art direction) | ||
| Lyle R. Wheeler | (art direction) | ||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Eli Benneche | (set decorations) | ||
| Walter M. Scott | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Adele Palmer | (costumes designed by) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Ben Nye | .... | makeup by | |
| Helen Turpin | .... | hair styles by | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| Ben Kadish | .... | assistant director | |
Sound Department | |||
| Eugene Grossman | .... | sound | |
| Harry M. Leonard | .... | sound | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Charles Le Maire | .... | executive wardrobe designer (as Charles LeMaire) | |
| Ed Wynigear | .... | wardrobe (uncredited) | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Orven Schanzer | .... | first assistant editor (uncredited) | |
Music Department | |||
| Earle Hagen | .... | orchestrations | |
| Bernard Mayers | .... | orchestrator (uncredited) | |
Production Companies
- Darryl F. Zanuck Productions (presents: A CinemaScope Picture) (as Darryl F. Zanuck Productions, Inc.)
- Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (1959) (USA) (theatrical) (released through) (as Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation)
- American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1969) (USA) (TV) (pan/scan)
- Fox Video (1995) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
- Centfox (1959) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Bausch & Lomb CinemaScope lenses by
- CinemaScope acknowledgment: is the registered trademark of Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Additional Details
Also Known As:
See more »
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
103 min | 99 min (FMC Library Print)
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 See 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) | West Germany:18 (f) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15
Filming Locations:
Company:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
The closing arguments monologue was the longest in film history.See 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.
See more »
Judd Steiner:To the perfect crime!
Arthur Straus:Crime. Oh, my wealthy fraternity brothers. 67 dollars, and a second-hand typewriter.
See more »
FAQ
How closely does this movie follow the real story about Leopold and Loeb?Is 'Compulsion' based on a book?
Are there any other movies about Leopold/Loeb?
See more »
See more (48 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 |
| A shallow flawed movie | pery-1 |
| Ruth Evans | flawflows |
| Similar to Rope? | victord |
| psychiatric diagnoses? | Sylviamoon |
| Gavin MacLeod ... Padua | sm_cohn |
Recommendations
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I had never even heard of this movie until today.WHERE in the world are the historians?This is on par for courtroom drama with Lionel Barrymore's great dissertation at the end of, "A Free Soul"-1931.This, also, was a fact based portrayal of Adele Rogers St.John's father's career.
I have to concur with Ms. Brown, and ask the question as to why this movie is not shown more often;i saw it on AMC. The bottom line is the line by Mr. Darrow:"You don't stop killing human beings by killing human beings".Mr. Welles was never in finer form, than when he gives this speech... i understand this speech is verbatim of the transcript of the trial.