By RAY KELLY
When I first saw The Trial in the mid 1980s it was on a cheap VHS tape put out by Video Treasures. Orson Welles’ 1962 cinematic adaptation of the Kafka novel with Anthony Perkins as the persecuted Josef K. had fallen into public domain and horrible presentations could easily be found on a number of videotape labels for under 10 bucks.
For many years, my opinion of the movie was colored by that less-than-desirable first presentation. It improved over time, but changed forever when I saw the 4K restoration released to theaters by StudioCanal a few months ago. I gained a new appreciation for director of photography Edmond Richard’s work and Welles’ nightmarish vision.
Now, that 60th anniversary restoration is available for home viewing on a 4K UHD / Blu-ray set from the Criterion Collection. I readily admit to a fondness for Criterion releases and have been impressed by their seven previous Welles-directed releases. The Trial is another success for Criterion and Welles fans.
The single disc Blu-ray contains the film with special features. The 4K two-disc set contains the feature film on a UHD disc along with the Blu-ray of the film and bonus content. Both are available on September 19.
The special features include a new audio commentary featuring film historian Joseph McBride, author of three books on Welles. McBride, who has studied Welles’ work for 50 years, starts off his master class by acknowledging the solemn The Trial is “dark, difficult and overbearing.” McBride sees a connection between Kafka’s disgust with the legal system and Welles’ experience with the Hollywood blacklist. He also highlights the dark comedic touches Welles put in the Kafka story,
In addition to McBride’s audio commentary, Criterion has included Filming “The Trial,” an unfinished 1981 documentary about the film’s production. Running nearly 85 minutes, Filming “The Trial” consists of a question-and-answer session with Welles at the University of Southern California after a screening of The Trial. Filming “The Trial” — not bequeathed by Welles to partner Oja Kodar or claimed by the Welles Estate — has been traded in collector circles and posted on YouTube and other websites or more than a decade. An unremarkable copy was included on Gold Ninja Video’s The Other Side of Gary Graver two years ago. The footage, preserved by the Munich Filmmuseum and included in the Criterion release, has never looked better.
Rounding out the set is the 60th anniversary trailer from StudioCanal and archival interviews with Richard, Welles and actress Jeanne Moreau.
It’s easy with a disc set this good to overlook non-disc extras. Jonathan Lethem has penned a terrific essay on Welles and Kafka. He may be the first to view The Trial as the middle of a trilogy with Mr. Arkadin and The Other Side of the Wind with their “labyrinthine, fractured phantasmagorically subjective worlds.” Lethem previously wrote an essay for Criterion’s The Magnificent Ambersons set.
Longtime Wellesians will recall that there was a time when acquiring a Welles-directed film on home video was not always easy. With the release of The Trial by Croterion, much – though not all – of his work is now available on Blu-ray in the U.S.
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