The Trial (1962)★ 7.4/10

Orson Welles’ modern interpretation of Franz Kafka’s posthumously published eponymous novel, "The Trial", opens with a pinscreen animation of the author’s parable “Before the law”, which encapsulates his pessimistic take on the nature of our society’s involute law system.

As a screen adaptation of Kafka’s novel, "The Trial" doesn’t quite align with my personal understanding of the source material. Still, I deeply admire Orson Welles for taking on such an intensely personal and abstract work and fearlessly translating it to film.

The film features densely packed dialogue, a uniquely oppressive visual perspective, and impeccable control of light and shadows, and highly symbolic imageries. It tells the story of a man burdened with an unfounded guilt, trapped in a twisted, dark, and ugly justice system, seeking to defend his innocence. While rooted in Kafka’s work, Orson Welles also leaves his own indelible mark on the film.

The film is well-made, but it utterly fails to capture the essence of Kafka’s novel. Orson Welles' flamboyant and technically expressive directing style is entirely unsuited for adapting Kafka’s work, which is characterized by its singularity, dryness, and a cold, rigid logic that deconstructs itself. Kafka’s novels build a world that is real yet unnatural—a structure that simply cannot be translated into film.

La película está bien hecha, pero no logra captar la esencia de la novela de Kafka. El estilo de dirección extravagante y técnicamente expresivo de Orson Welles es totalmente inadecuado para adaptar la obra de Kafka, que se caracteriza por su singularidad, sequedad y una lógica fría y rígida que se deconstruye a sí misma. Las novelas de Kafka construyen un mundo que es real pero antinatural, una estructura que simplemente no puede traducirse al cine.