The Trial (1962)

Directed by Orson Welles. Starring Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Orson Welles, Akim Tamiroff, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli, Madeline Robinson, Arnoldo Foà, Suzanne Flon, William Chappell, Fernand Ledoux, Michel Lonsdale.

Welles brings Franz Kafka’s posthumous novel of an “innocent”, confused bureaucrat trapped in an indeterminate dystopian nightmare to the big screen in his customary stark yet flamboyant style. Perkins is the man, Josef K., arrested and tried for a crime that’s never explained to him, and his efforts to understand what’s happening to him and why are thwarted at every turn. With dialogue as disorienting as the camerawork, the audience is trapped in the same alienated headspace; it’s hard to follow for those unfamiliar with the source material, but intentionally so, I suspect (an instance where the director’s constant post-production tinkering may have worked to the advantage of the film’s harsh themes and unbalanced flow). Creative use of lighting, unorthodox photographic focus, spare but striking art direction, which all contribute to a movie that’s memorable without ever being traditionally “satisfying”—you may be disinclined to revisit (or even stick with it all the way), but the images and frustrated feelings won’t soon be forgotten. Produced by Alexander Salkind.

73/100