Franz Kafka Movies

The third volume in this ongoing series of videos collecting outstanding short films includes notable featurettes both old and new. Titles in this volume include: Alain Resnais's classic Night and Fog, a subtle yet harrowing look at the holocaust. Flying Over Mother follows a Russian cosmonaut as he thinks about his childhood while returning to Earth. Os Camarada is a Brazilian film based on a story by Franz Kafka about a man trapped in the mire of bureaucracy. And Joe is a perceptive portrait of a mental patient who has found shoes to be the key to his happiness. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

This Czech drama is the first film version of Kafka's unfinished novel. The film has a theatrical feel as it follows protagonist Karel Rosmann from Europe to America where stays with his Uncle Jacob, an industrialist. Karel has many experiences there that leave him beginning to feel paranoid; especially after he becomes victim to the sexually forward daughter of a business associate of his father. In disgrace he leaves his uncle's and takes up with Topic, an alcoholic hobo, and a barmaid, Klara. Topic pushes Karel into a fight and Karel, believing he's killed him goes into hiding where he is protected by Green, a nasty old man, and Mack, a punk. His two protectors are literally the death of him. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Based on Franz Kafka's famous novel, director Jaakko Pakkasvirta created this interpretation of the woebegone Josef K. (Carl-Kristian Rundman), who is trapped in an ever-increasing labyrinth of double talk and bureaucratic nonsense in his efforts to reach the castle. As Josef seeks to make an appointment to see the ruler Herr Klamm inside his inaccessible abode, he becomes enmeshed in abuse from lowly villagers and bureaucrats alike. His endless false starts toward the castle's enigmatic interior are partly offset by a few sexual encounters but nothing alleviates his role as a victim of forces beyond his control. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

This exotically-titled multipart effort was inspired by the works of Franz Kafka, whose protagonist in The Trial was named Joseph K. The six Kafka tales depicted herein are all tied in with recent Chinese ideological history, with emphasis on Maoism. Wayne Mockett heads the largely unknown cast in the role of "K". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Much of Orson Welles' latter-day reputation as an "unfathomable" genius rests upon his seeming unwillingness to tell a story in clear, precise fashion. Sometimes, as in such films as Touch of Evil, Welles' spotty storytelling skills can be forgiven in the light of the excellent visuals. In other cases, as in his 1962 adaptation of Kafka's The Trial, Welles'style comes across as empty virtuosity, precious and petulant when it should be profound. Anthony Perkins plays Joseph K, a man condemned for an unnamed crime in an unnamed country. Seeking justice, Joseph K is sucked into a labyrinth of bureaucracy (Welles once described the character as being a "little bureaucrat" himself, who deserves to be punished. This is never clearly expressed in the finished film). Along the way, he becomes involved with three women -- Jeanne Moreau, Romy Schneider, Elsa Martinelli -- who in their own individual ways are functions of the System that persecutes him.

While Welles considered The Trial one of his finest films, this enthusiasm is not universally shared; even his most fervent admirers have been known to emerge from a screening of the film with quizzical, disappointed expressions on their faces. On the plus side, Welles and his cinematographer Edmond Richard perform miracles in transforming an abandoned French railway station into the headquarters of a totalitarian, red tape-ridden society. It's also fun to hear Welles' voice emanating from several of the supporting characters (his post-dubbing budget was nil). All in all, however, The Trial never truly works; it is unfair, however, to lay the blame for this entirely on Welles, inasmuch as the 1948 and 1994 attempts to cinematize the original Kafka novel likewise came a cropper. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi