The Trial (1993)

33% of critics liked it
(6 reviews)
55% of users liked it
(686 ratings)

Franz Kafka's classic tale of Josef K., a bank clerk who is placed on trial for an unnamed, unknowable crime, is given a faithful, if not overly literal, treatment in this drama. Knowing only that he has been charged, Josef naturally sets out to defend himself, but soon finds himself deeply mired in… More Franz Kafka's classic tale of Josef K., a bank clerk who is placed on trial for an unnamed, unknowable crime, is given a faithful, if not overly literal, treatment in this drama. Knowing only that he has been charged, Josef naturally sets out to defend himself, but soon finds himself deeply mired in a battle against an incomprehensible government bureaucracy. Following Orson Welles's adaptation of the book by some three decades, director David Jones chooses to avoid the earlier film's expressionistic approach. Instead, he sets Josef's travails against a realistic background that specifically recalls Eastern Europe during the early 20th century, the time of the book's writing. Similarly, the screenplay by famed British playwright Harold Pinter, whose own darkly absurd vision owes much to Kafka, hews closely to the original text. This faithful approach helps ground the story in historical reality, and allows for a good use of brooding Prague locations. However, many critics have found this approach less effective than the low-budget abstraction of Welles' version, which is more successful at highlighting the universality and symbolic nature of the tale. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 48 min.
Directed By: David Hugh Jones, David Jones
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: May 13, 1993 Wide
Studio: Angelika Films

Critic Reviews

Clint Morris, Moviehole
The trial was sitting through this film

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Featured Audience Ratings

Lady D

Did anyone completely get this film? It's possibly one of the strangest films I have ever seen and I've not yet worked out, whether I liked or disliked it. Fans of Anthony Hopkins beware, the dvd cover blatently shows Anthony Hopkins, but he appears in the film for about… More
Did anyone completely get this film? It's possibly one of the strangest films I have ever seen and I've not yet worked out, whether I liked or disliked it. Fans of Anthony Hopkins beware, the dvd cover blatently shows Anthony Hopkins, but he appears in the film for about 5 minutes. This is one you definitely have to make your own mind up with.

Cast

            Kyle MacLachlan as Josef K.

            Anthony Hopkins as The Priest

            Jason Robards as Dr. Huld

            Jean Stapleton as Landlady

            Polly Walker as Leni

            Alfred Molina as Titorelli

            Juliet Stevenson as Fraulein Burstner

            Michael Kitchen as Block

            Patrick Godfrey as Court Usher

            Paul Brooke as Deputy Bank Manager

            Harry Burton as K's assistant

            Anthony Haygarth as Willem

            Douglas Hodge as Inspector

            Robert Lang as K's Uncle

            Leon Lissek as Stairman

            Roger Lloyd Pack as Stairman

            Trevor Peacock as Examining Magistrate

            David Schneider as Kullich

            David Thewlis as Franz

            Andrew Tiernan as Berthold

            John Woodvine as Herr Deimen

            Karel Augusta as Executioner

            Jiri Schmitzer as Thin Defendant

            Petr Skarke as Man in the Window

            Ondrej Vetchý as Kaminer

            Petr Drozda as Executioner

            Don Henderson as Flogger
See full cast