THE TRIAL
West Germany, 1962, 120 minutes, Black and white.
Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau, Elsa Martinelli, Romy Schneider, Susanne Flon, Akim Tamiroff, Orson Welles.
Directed by Orson Welles.
The Trial is a European coproduction from France, Italy and West Germany of Orson Welles' version of Kafka's celebrated novel. Kafka had also been translated to the screen by Maximilian Schell in his version of The Castle. Welles uses his great ability with black and white photography, nightmarish cinematography and philosophic dialogue to try to communicate Kafka's themes from the screen. Critics were divided about the success of the outcome.
Kafka's fables are philosophical and require more intellectual,understanding than,that immediate emotional response that film demands. Anthony Perkins is interesting as Joseph Kay - perhaps somebody who appears more substantial might have given greater seriousness to the role. The leading ladies are celebrated European actresses and give substance to their brief appearances. Orson Welles is of course a huge presence as the corrupt lawyer. Akim Tamiroff is very good as the subservient Block. There are many int~ eresting Kafka ideas as well as many interesting aspects of Orson Welles, filmmaking to make The Trial worth seeing.
1. The status of Franz Kafka's novels? As literature? Existentialism? The human anxiety of the 20th. century ? especially in its origin from Nazi oppression and surveillance? The transition of Ka£ka to the screen? How filmable is Kafka's work?
2. The impact of this film as cinema, as the visualisation of a novel?
3. The film as the work of Orson Welles? Welles and his control of his films, screenplay, direction, acting? His vision? His themes throughout his films of the meaning of life, the individual, society? His skill with black and white photography, light and darkness, shadow etc.? His speaking of the credits? Welles' interpretation of Kafka?
4. The significance of the title and its focus on the trial? The accused, the accusers and their anonymity, presence? Man as a being accused on this earth? The process of the trial? Implications of justice? Crime,' defence, punishment? The story as a fable of human existence and its waning and meaninglessness, The law? The guarding of the law? The individual and society and the law? How accurately and imaginatively was this illustrated?
5. The film as an allegory of human existence? Each incident in Joseph Kay's experience (dream?) as corresponding to man's process through life? A 20th. century allegory? An allegory for people living in a police state? The meaning of man? The meaning of anything transcending humankind? The place of God in such a world - absence?
6. Anthony Perkins' interpretation of Kay? Serious, comic, serio-comic? As an embodiment of every man? Anrhony Perkins' nervous and even neurotic style? As interpreting modern man? The hero of life, the anti?hero? How well delineated was the character. in his circumstances of home, work, encounters with people? Kay's life, dream? Nightmare? When was he awake? His process in the trial, attitudes towards justice? The importance of the interrogations and the meaning of the questions, his capacity for answering? Iris concern about himself? For others? What kind of arrest did he experience? The experience of surveillance? Kay as victim?
7. The Police State, arrest, interrogations and their style? The visual style highlighting the nightmare and menace? The role of the police, the philosophy behind policing? The State and police? The rights of the individual within the State?
8. The portrait of Hastler? Orson Welles' presence, style, a large corrupt man? His lack of interest? His oppression of his assistant, Block? What did he represent in the hierarchy of the world, in the hierarchy of the oppressors? His attitude towards justice, the law?
9. The presentation of the various women and their place in this world? Their place in Kay's dream, his nightmare? His encounter with Miss Burstner, his concern about her, her room? His being tempted to make love to her, afraid for her reputation, her character and her making him leave? The landlady as an authority figure, her talking to Kay, her attitude towards Miss Burstner? The encounter with Leni, her role with Hastler, his making love to her and the filing room as a setting for lovemaking? The comment on love and sexuality? The encounter with Hilda and her being carried off by the student, her lovemaking with him? The presentation of the various minor women, the theatre janitor, officials? Their place in Kay's imagination, psyche ? various aspects of the feminine side of joseph Kay?
10. Themes of relating to woemn, concern and care for them, help from them, love and lust? Complementarity of mwn and women in this world?
11. The portrait of the other people in the world ? the people at work and the rows of people in bureaux and offices, the critique of bureaucracy ? thematically, visually? Clients waiting for justice and their treatment? The other victims that Kay represented? The significance of the trial, the presentation of the court, the farcical aspects, Kay's treatment? The significance of his speech about justice and illustrating modern man's plight?
13. The build up to his final condemnation, the encounter with the painter and the discussion of judicial procedure, the cathedral and the priest's information about his condemnation, the executioners? The buildup to his death? His refusal to kill himself? His having to be blown up? The transition to the atomic bomb? The overtones for the audience? The end of Kay and the end of the world - how appropriate this imagery? Themes of dream, reality, fantasy, nightmare? The real world and the psychic world?
15. How pessimistic Kafka's outlook, Welles' presentation of Kafka? A moral fable and its warning value for people to change? Many critics are favourable to aspects of the film but not to the film as a whole. Why? Is Kafka impossible to film? (How helpful were the long dialogue passages and the symbolic value of the characters to interpret Kafka's world?)
