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The Trial

Original title: Le procès
  • 1962
  • Not Rated
  • 1h 59m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
23K
YOUR RATING
Orson Welles, Anthony Perkins, Romy Schneider, and Jeanne Moreau in The Trial (1962)
Official Trailer
Play trailer3:55
2 Videos
86 Photos
DramaMysteryThriller

An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.An unassuming office worker is arrested and stands trial, but he is never made aware of his charges.

  • Director
    • Orson Welles
  • Writers
    • Pierre Cholot
    • Franz Kafka
    • Orson Welles
  • Stars
    • Anthony Perkins
    • Arnoldo Foà
    • Jess Hahn
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    23K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Orson Welles
    • Writers
      • Pierre Cholot
      • Franz Kafka
      • Orson Welles
    • Stars
      • Anthony Perkins
      • Arnoldo Foà
      • Jess Hahn
    • 132User reviews
    • 82Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos2

    The Trial
    Trailer 3:55
    Watch The Trial
    The Trial - Rialto Pictures Trailer
    Trailer 1:02
    Watch The Trial - Rialto Pictures Trailer

    Photos86

    Anthony Perkins in The Trial (1962)
    Orson Welles and Romy Schneider in The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins and Jeanne Moreau in The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins, Jess Hahn, and Billy Kearns in The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins and Romy Schneider in The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins in The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins in The Trial (1962)
    The Trial (1962)
    The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins and Jeanne Moreau in The Trial (1962)
    Orson Welles and Romy Schneider in The Trial (1962)
    Anthony Perkins in The Trial (1962)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Anthony Perkins
    Anthony Perkins
    • Josef K.
    Arnoldo Foà
    Arnoldo Foà
    • Inspector A
    Jess Hahn
    Jess Hahn
    • Second Assistant Inspector
    Billy Kearns
    • First Assistant Inspector
    • (as William Kearns)
    Madeleine Robinson
    Madeleine Robinson
    • Mrs. Grubach
    Jeanne Moreau
    Jeanne Moreau
    • Marika Burstner
    Maurice Teynac
    • Deputy Manager
    Naydra Shore
    • Irmie
    Suzanne Flon
    Suzanne Flon
    • Miss Pittl
    Raoul Delfosse
    • Policeman
    Jean-Claude Rémoleux
    • Policeman
    Max Buchsbaum
    • Examining Magistrate
    Carl Studer
    Carl Studer
    • Man in Leather
    • (as Karl Studer)
    Max Haufler
    • Uncle Max
    Romy Schneider
    Romy Schneider
    • Leni
    Fernand Ledoux
    Fernand Ledoux
    • Chief Clerk of the Law Court
    Akim Tamiroff
    Akim Tamiroff
    • Bloch
    Elsa Martinelli
    Elsa Martinelli
    • Hilda
    • Director
      • Orson Welles
    • Writers
      • Pierre Cholot
      • Franz Kafka
      • Orson Welles
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    6.0
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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In May '62, while filming, Jeanne Moreau suffered a slight nervous breakdown due to the stifling atmosphere of the film.
    • Goofs
      When Josef K. follows Hilda being carried out of the large trial room/hall by the law student, he hastily grabs and throws on his suit jacket. In the succeeding scenes, the jacket's buttons which are buttoned change.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Narrator: Before the law, there stands a guard. A man comes from the country, begging admittance to the law. But the guard cannot admit him. May he hope to enter at a later time? That is possible, said the guard. The man tries to peer through the entrance. He'd been taught that the law was to be accessible to every man. "Do not attempt to enter without my permission", says the guard. I am very powerful. Yet I am the least of all the guards. From hall to hall, door after door, each guard is more powerful than the last. By the guard's permission, the man sits by the side of the door, and there he waits. For years, he waits. Everything he has, he gives away in the hope of bribing the guard, who never fails to say to him "I take what you give me only so that you will not feel that you left something undone." Keeping his watch during the long years, the man has come to know even the fleas on the guard's fur collar. Growing childish in old age, he begs the fleas to persuade the guard to change his mind and allow him to enter. His sight has dimmed, but in the darkness he perceives a radiance streaming immortally from the door of the law. And now, before he dies, all he's experienced condenses into one question, a question he's never asked. He beckons the guard. Says the guard, "You are insatiable! What is it now?" Says the man, "Every man strives to attain the law. How is it then that in all these years, no one else has ever come here, seeking admittance?" His hearing has failed, so the guard yells into his ear. "Nobody else but you could ever have obtained admittance. No one else could enter this door! This door was intended only for you! And now, I'm going to close it." This tale is told during the story called "The Trial". It's been said that the logic of this story is the logic of a dream... a nightmare.

    • Crazy credits
      The end cast credits are read over by Orson Welles without titles (though the actors are read in a different order from their listing on the screen).
    • Alternate versions
      The short version cut the opening pin screen sequence and also deleted and rearranged a number of scenes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man (1967)
    • Soundtracks
      Adagio D'Albinoni
      Interprété par André Girard (as A. Girard) et Orchestre de l'Association des Concerts Colonne

      Arranged by Jean Ledrut

      Music by Tomaso Albinoni (T.Albinoni)

      Publisher: S.l. : Philips, 1962.

    User reviews132

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A man's struggle against the system
    If you think Orson Welles did his best work during his American period: see 'the Trial' (1963) and think again. Indeed it's in English, but it's a very international production by an international crew French, German, Italian and American crew (original title: le Proces) and a fantastic international cast: seductively beautiful women and embarrassing authority-sensitive men.

    7.7 (IMDb) and still undervalued... I hoped this would not be some sort of endless courtroom thriller. It's not. It is what you make of it: it can be a haunting nightmare or moral terror or unexpected romance. You could be entertained by the cinematography (Edmond Richard) alone. It's probably the only crime-film in which no crime is ever committed, except moral ones. This instantly became my favorite film of Welles. He made no compromises here: every aspect of this film enhances the other. This is said to be his only film that didn't get spiced n' sliced by commercial villains.

    I'd like to compare 'the Trial' with 'Catch-22'. Two of my 10 all-time favorite films. Could the advocate have reincarnated into Catch-22's (1970) general Dreedle (Welles himself) :-) ? Could Joseph K have reincarnated into Catch-22's chaplain Tappman (Anthony Perkins) or even Yossarian? Some of the sophistry is frightening comparable. Is it a coincidence that Joseph Heller's novel Catch-22 was first published in 1962? Another one of my favorites is Brazil (1985, Gilliam). There you have it: the little man's struggle against the (totalitarian) system seems to be the common factor. Joseph K seems to live in a totally separate world: is he the dissident or are all the others? The similarities of 'Joseph K' and Franz (Joseph) Kafka are obvious.

    This is the best b/w cinematography I've ever seen I'm just wondering how much Welles had to do with that ... but then again, who doesn't wonder about that with any of Welles' films? Surrealistic and tense, but then again so is most of Kafka's (1883-1924) work. Richard and Welles would make 'Chimes at midnight' two years later (also with Jeanne Moreau).

    Please take a close look at the mirror scene with Romy Schneider @55 min and the claustrophobic chasing scene @106 min. This is the brilliant and haunting photography that stays with you forever. If you're looking for comparable cinematography (camera-angles, composition, contrast, desolate architexture, lighting and perspective): see 'a Touch of evil' (1958), 'the Third man' (1949) and 'Citizen Kane' (1941). BTW: Albinoni's tragic adagio was among other films also used in Gallipoli (1981, Peter Weir).

    Why o why can't we vote 11 :(
    helpful•8
    2
    • rogierr
    • Jun 5, 2001

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    FAQ2

    • Is "The Trial" based on a book?
    • Is the novel available for reading online?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 22, 1962 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Italy
      • West Germany
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Der Prozess
    • Filming locations
      • 240 Grada Vukovara Street, Zagreb, Croatia(Joseph K. and old lady lugging a trunk)
    • Production companies
      • Paris-Europa Productions
      • Hisa-Film
      • Finanziaria Cinematografica Italiana (FICIT)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $90,526
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $7,280
      • Dec 11, 2022
    • Gross worldwide
      • $90,526
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 59 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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