Arrested for an unnamed crime, Josef K. is trapped in a surreal bureaucratic maze where justice is unknowable and guilt is assumed.
Direction
Welles' towering angles make ceilings crush souls.
Cinematography
Black-and-white labyrinth of infinite corridors and shadows.
Acting
Perkins' twitchy anxiety was born for Kafka.
Director
Orson Welles
Anthony Perkins
Josef K.
Jeanne Moreau
Marika Burstner
Romy Schneider
Leni
Orson Welles
Albert Hastler
Akim Tamiroff
Bloch
Elsa Martinelli
Hilda
Suzanne Flon
Miss Pittl
Madeleine Robinson
Mrs. Grubach
Max Haufler
Uncle Max
Arnoldo Foà
Inspector A
Jess Hahn
Assistant Inspector #2
Billy Kearns
Assistant Inspector #1
Maurice Teynac
Deputy Manager
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Welles shot in an abandoned Paris railway station at 3am, using shadows and angles to hide budget constraints that became the film's visual signature.
Released during the height of Cold War paranoia, the film's impenetrable guilt machinery resonated with audiences fearing invisible accusation from state apparatuses.
US
