The Trial (1962)

In January and February, the new Uitkijk series focuses on Invisible Forces. In this series, the films’ characters confront intangible, all-encompassing forces that each control their lives in their own way. The titles veer between horror, magical realism, and existential nightmares, showing how people struggle, falter, and sometimes break under the weight of the unknown.

Orson Welles’s feverish interpretation of Kafka’s “The Trial” (1925). Josef K. (Anthony Perkins) is dragged from his bed by police officers, arrested in complete obscurity, and accused of an unspecified crime. The trial he finds himself in is like quicksand: every move he makes only brings him closer to his conviction. In a dizzying labyrinth of bleak apartment buildings and claustrophobic offices, Josef tries to plead his innocence as the day of his execution approaches. The bureaucratic trap becomes an absurdist nightmare.

In the stunning THE TRIAL (1962), Orson Welles demonstrates his keen eye for visual drama. In this hysterical tale of stifling bureaucracy, Welles also expressed his own denunciation of the film industry. After Welles’s exile from Hollywood during the era of “anti-communist” McCarthyism, he saw THE TRIAL as a deeply personal reaction to all forms of totalitarian oppression, including the blacklist. This is one of Welles’s reasons for considering THE TRIAL one of his best films. 

The people at De Uitkijk have kindly offered a limited amount of free tickets for Subbacultcha members. Please make a reservation by sending an email to mailinglist@subbacultcha.nl with ‘The Trial (1962)’ in the subject line + your name in the email.

Registrations are open until 12.00 PM on weekdays.