Picture of the film THE TRIAL by Orson WELLES © DR
1962: Orson Welles adapts Kafka’s The Trial
A cult book and a no less legendary adaptation. Cannes Classics is bringing back The Trial, the adaptation of Kafka by Orson Welles. Twenty-one years after Citizen Kane, he brought together an all-star cast of Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau and Romy Schneider. The Trial can be (re)discovered in a restored 4k version.
Confusion upon getting out of bed. Men have come to arrest Joseph K. (Anthony Perkins). For what crime? Who has accused him? No one knows, least of all the main person concerned. Thus begins a long period of wandering in the halls of justice, as absurd as it is oppressive, and from which any way out seems impossible.
In the hands of Welles, The Trial becomes a singular and intimate object. Although seduced by the dreamlike, burlesque and theatrical qualities of the text, he reinterprets the idea of guilt that is central to the book in the light of his own personal experience. This feeling haunted Orson Welles all the way into his dreams, following the death of his father. In terms of his direction, the filmmaker sweeps away the sobriety of the locations described by Kafka to present us with a theatre of excess that crushes Joseph K.
Upon release of The Trial in 1962, international reviews were mixed, with the exception of the French press, who loved the adaptation. In response, Orson Welles declared in a BBC interview: "Say what you will, but The Trial is the finest film I have ever made."
A presentation of Studiocanal and the Cinémathèque française. Restoration undertaken by Studiocanal and the Cinémathèque française. Restoration work on the images was done at the L’Image retrouvée laboratory (Paris/Bologne) based on the original 35mm print. This project was supervised by the Studiocanal team, Sophie Boyer and Jean-Pierre Boiget. Film restored thanks to the patronage of Chanel. Distributor in French theatres: Potemkine.
