Le Procès (The Trial) (1963)

89% of critics liked it
(27 reviews)
86% of users liked it
(6,189 ratings)

Much of Orson Welles' latter-day reputation as an "unfathomable" genius rests upon his seeming unwillingness to tell a story in clear, precise fashion. Sometimes, as in such films as Touch of Evil, Welles' spotty storytelling skills can be forgiven in the light of the excellent visuals. In other… More Much of Orson Welles' latter-day reputation as an "unfathomable" genius rests upon his seeming unwillingness to tell a story in clear, precise fashion. Sometimes, as in such films as Touch of Evil, Welles' spotty storytelling skills can be forgiven in the light of the excellent visuals. In other cases, as in his 1962 adaptation of Kafka's The Trial, Welles'style comes across as empty virtuosity, precious and petulant when it should be profound. Anthony Perkins plays Joseph K, a man condemned for an unnamed crime in an unnamed country. Seeking justice, Joseph K is sucked into a labyrinth of bureaucracy (Welles once described the character as being a "little bureaucrat" himself, who deserves to be punished. This is never clearly expressed in the finished film). Along the way, he becomes involved with three women -- Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli -- who in their own individual ways are functions of the System that persecutes him. While Welles considered The Trial one of his finest films, this enthusiasm is not universally shared; even his most fervent admirers have been known to emerge from a screening of the film with quizzical, disappointed expressions on their faces. On the plus side, Welles and his cinematographer Edmond Richard perform miracles in transforming an abandoned French railway station into the headquarters of a totalitarian, red tape-ridden society. It's also fun to hear Welles' voice emanating from several of the supporting characters (his post-dubbing budget was nil). All in all, however, The Trial never truly works; it is unfair, however, to lay the blame for this entirely on Welles, inasmuch as the 1948 and 1994 attempts to cinematize the original Kafka novel likewise came a cropper. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 58 min.
Directed By: Orson Welles
Written By: Orson Welles
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Dec 21, 1962 Wide
On DVD: Feb 7, 2006
Studio: Gibraltar Films

Critic Reviews

Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
Though debatable as an adaptation of the Franz Kafka novel, Orson Welles's nightmarish, labyrinthine comedy of 1962 remains his creepiest and most disturbing work; it's also a lot more influential than people usually admit.
Bosley Crowther, New York Times
At best, it is another demonstration of the camera vers atility of Mr. Welles; at worse, a further Kafka demonstration extending to the demanding medium of the screen.
Amy Taubin, Village Voice
The Trial is splendid to look at and teeming with ideas about the individual, society, and of course, film itself.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Above all a visual achievement, an exuberant use of camera placement and movement and inventive lighting.
Edward Guthmann, San Francisco Chronicle
The more Joseph tries to understand, the more impenetrable it becomes.
Kim Newman, Empire Magazine
Overwhelmingly bleak, but exciting cinema.
, Film4
Labyrinthine, stylized and tragicomic, this adaptation of Kafka's novel sees Welles at his funniest, and his most despairing.
Phil Hall, Film Threat
Orson Welles' bounced Czech, via Kafka. Not the masterpiece that many Welles fanatics claim, but intriguing and outrageous enough for genuine appreciation.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Welles applied his bravura directorial style to Kafka's landmark 1925 novel about Joseph K (Perkins), an office clerk who gets arrested without being told why.
Dan Jardine, Cinemania
While not exactly Kafka, every inch of it is most certainly Welles
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
The blackest of Welles' comedies.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Welles' adaptation of Kafka's famous work is one of his most innovative and bizarre, a trip through the surreal that would have done Kafka proud.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
A great filmmaker who is an excellent guide into a Kafkaesque nightmare.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
a singularly unique-though somewhat flawed-literary adaptation that mixes that modern and the baroque with luminous black and white photography
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
A singularly unique -- though somewhat flawed -- literary adaptation that mixes that modern and the baroque with luminous black and white photography.
Luke Y. Thompson, New Times
Could stand to be shorter, but overall a great attempt to bring Kafka to the screen.
Dan Lybarger, Nitrate Online
Welles' interpreation of the Kafka classic takes a few liberties, but is suitably thoughtful and creepy.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Fascinating, baroque adaptation of Kafka.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

A very strong and nightmarish piece from one of the masters of cinema, Orson Welles asks us to spend time with a man who is "put on trial" while on a road to self-recrimination and loss of sanity due to his own inner demons. It's a tough film to sort out and one must… More
A very strong and nightmarish piece from one of the masters of cinema, Orson Welles asks us to spend time with a man who is "put on trial" while on a road to self-recrimination and loss of sanity due to his own inner demons. It's a tough film to sort out and one must pay close attention in order to understand what's going on. As a matter of fact, additional viewings may be required. Thankfully, the performances carry the film in its paranoiac downward spiral - making the dialogue really hop and move. Particularly from Perkins, who always seem to be rambling rather than speaking. With Welles' unorthodox camera angles and some extraordinary set design, the film is wonderfully engaging. It's obvious the influence it had on directors like David Lynch and Terry Gilliam (Brazil in particular).
AJ V

This movie is very confusing and strange, but also intellectual and compelling, I didn't know what to think of it. I loved Perkins, but the movie itself could be better, less confusing I mean.
jay n

Ponderous
Stella D

fantastic looking portrayal of josef k's nightmare but i'm not taken with perkins' performance. the rest of the cast is outstanding
Pierluigi P

Two geniuses, Kafka and Welles, give birth to the ultimate "individual vs. state" paranoid fantasy. A nightmarish and mesmerizing trip to the confines of human mind, in its desperate fight beyond hope, against the terrible and insatiable monster of totalitarianism. I, as a… More
Two geniuses, Kafka and Welles, give birth to the ultimate "individual vs. state" paranoid fantasy. A nightmarish and mesmerizing trip to the confines of human mind, in its desperate fight beyond hope, against the terrible and insatiable monster of totalitarianism. I, as a law student, feel disgusted and yet fascinated by the bureaucratic chaos, so stylishly displayed by the baroque Orson Welles, and marvelously portrayed by Anthony Perkins. One of the highest points of cinema-literature marriage.
Ken S

One of the greatest achievements in film history. A dream like nightmare that has obviously influenced Scorsese, Terry Gilliam and David Lynch.
Michael G

Welles does an exemplory job of capturing the essence of Kafka's novel. A visual masterpiece.
Gevvy S

Mesmerizing film by Welles. A great example of storytelling visually. The cinematography is excellent in it's claustrophobic effect and its experimentation. Never a dull moment, but definitely a hard film to pin down, it all depends on how it translates as an adaptation of Kafka… More
Mesmerizing film by Welles. A great example of storytelling visually. The cinematography is excellent in it's claustrophobic effect and its experimentation. Never a dull moment, but definitely a hard film to pin down, it all depends on how it translates as an adaptation of Kafka (who I haven't read) and of it's impact on the viewer. Definitely worth a watch.
Mike T

Possibly the strangest work that Orson Welles ever did as a director, The Trial also boasts some of the most awe-striking sets and memorable images in his filmography. A jagged, dizzying portrait of a nightmare, it glows with Welles' brilliance in every scene. This film is an… More
Possibly the strangest work that Orson Welles ever did as a director, The Trial also boasts some of the most awe-striking sets and memorable images in his filmography. A jagged, dizzying portrait of a nightmare, it glows with Welles' brilliance in every scene. This film is an ideal canvas for his dramatic, stylish sensibility. A well-cast Anthony Perkins turns in a very good performance; he appears to constantly be on the edge, twitching and babbling like someone whose sanity might be slipping. Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider and Elsa Martinelli are all great, playing beautiful seductresses who are somehow both ominous and magnetic.
Edward S

Orson Welles's "Le Proces" is simply baffling. Visually it is beyond exceptional; it's as if a Felliniesque dream has been twisted and turned into a baroque, austere, industrial, bureaucratic neonoir nightmare. This film's mise-en-scene is, dare I say, some of… More
Orson Welles's "Le Proces" is simply baffling. Visually it is beyond exceptional; it's as if a Felliniesque dream has been twisted and turned into a baroque, austere, industrial, bureaucratic neonoir nightmare. This film's mise-en-scene is, dare I say, some of the finest and most daunting in cinema. Welles creates spatial magic with his exuberant sets, character placement (he even seems to play with their shadows,) and endlessly impressive cinematography. Therefore, I was shocked when I found, somewhere along the end of the 2nd to the whole 3rd act, myself to be terribly, aggravatingly bored. As the film progresses and Perkins, who's excellent in this film, aimlessly navigates the labyrinth sets, the dialogue increases in both inanity and quantity. Eventually every word of dialogue spoken is as interesting as a 86-hour debate on C-Span. As another femme fatale or minor character is introduced, you eventually stop caring as Perkins interrogates yet another heavily accented man, whose voice sounds like a book recording to the echoing, about.... something. The sets themselves also get claustrophobic and convoluted, to a point where even the steady camera gives the droll feeling of a play. Occasionally the confusion and chaos is interrupted by another fantastically surreal set piece or by first-rate editing, but by then the only feeling produced is frustration. On the other hand, perhaps this is where the genius of the film comes from. As the viewer hopelessly tries to piece together a sense of meaning or direction from the screenplay and whatnot, only more paranoia, anger, and confusion is provoked. Perhaps the Kafkaesque film has done its job so well that, instead of us observing and being entertained by the events onscreen, we have literally been sucked into the film itself. Usually I can tell when I've seen a great, enriching movie. "The Trial" may be one of them. A multiple viewing, where one can feel less overwhelmed by the layers and layers of innovative visuals and dense screenplay hammering their senses, is imperative for appreciating this existentialist, anti-authoritarian, thriller comedy mystery.... thing.