From the Page to the Screen – The Trial
…………………………………………………
From the Page to the Screen – The Trial
The Trial is an iconic 1925 novel by Franz Kafka. It is considered to be his best work and one of the greatest German novels of the 20th century. It remains an influential piece of fiction for its amazing themes and atmosphere, which led to countless film adaptations.
THE FILM ADAPTATION
The best film adaptation of this novel was released in 1962 and it was underappreciated then and unfortunately it still remains underseen. Directed by Orson Welles and starring Anthony Hopkins, this was one of the best movies from both of these men and it really deserves more love.
PLOT
This adaptation is rather faithful to the source material, though clearly some things are changed to make it more intense and cinematic. Most of the changes I actually appreciated and overall I found the script to be pretty much on par with the novel, which was unexpected and delightful to witness.
WINNER – TIE
CHARACTERIZATION
The same goes for the characters. Josef K. was perfectly performed by Anthony Perkins, who particularly excelled at the character’s nervous mannerisms. The other characters are minor, but at least they were very well performed and even impactful for the little screen time that they received.
WINNER – TIE
EMOTION
The atmosphere of paranoia, disorientation and alienation prevailed in the book and they made it much more memorable than it would have been without it. The same effect was beautifully achieved in the movie itself thanks to amazing technical aspects in particular. The emotional plight of the protagonist was also evident throughout.
WINNER – TIE
…………………………………………………
…………………………………………………
THEMES
I actually respect the film for delving much deeper into the book’s themes than most literary adaptations do, but still undeniably the source material is much more thematically rich and sophisticated than the film that focused more on atmosphere and technicalities.
WINNER – BOOK
TECHNICAL ASPECTS
Speaking of those technicalities, this was the best part of this movie. Not only are the sets gorgeous and highly memorable, but the cinematography is brilliant in capturing the atmosphere of alienation and intensity that this story needed. It’s an audio-visual marvel that is hugely cinematic and artistic.
WINNER – FILM
BOOK 4: FILM 4
Overall, while the novel is more sophisticated obviously, the movie is more engaging and very artistic in its cinematography, production design and sound. It’s a wonderful book adaptation that perfectly complements this important piece of fiction and it’s a shame that it remains so underappreciated.
