Compulsion (1959) | |
| Director(s) | Richard Fleischer |
| Producer(s) | Richard D. Zanuck |
| Top Genres | Biographical, Crime, Drama, Film Adaptation, Film Noir, Historical |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, Book-Based, College, LBGT |
Featured Cast:
Compulsion Overview:
Compulsion (1959) was a Crime - Drama Film directed by Richard Fleischer and produced by Richard D. Zanuck.
SYNOPSIS
A tough dramatization of the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case in which two college students kidnapped and killed a boy purely for kicks. Welles plays the defense attorney who knows the truth and hopes only to forestall the death sentence. An adaptation of reporter Meyer Levin's novel.
(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).
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BlogHub Articles:
Orson Welles: Mr. Arkadin (1955) and Compulsion (1959)
By 4 Star Film Fan on Nov 28, 2023 From 4 Star FilmsMr. Arkadin (also known as Confidential Report) has the abundance of canted angles and striking visual flourishes one usually attributes to the films of Orson Welles. It also boasts his ever more disorienting sense of space and shot-reverse-shot even as the international cast, financing, and locales... Read full article
The Leopold and Loeb case is the basis for “Compulsion”
By Stephen Reginald on Mar 5, 2021 From Classic Movie ManThe Leopold and Loeb case is the basis for “Compulsion” Compulsion (1959) is an American crime drama directed by Richard Fleischer and starring Orson Welles, Diane Varsi, Dean Stockwell, and Brandford Dillman. The film is based on a novel written by Meyer Levin, which was a fiction... Read full article
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Quotes from
[last lines]
Jonathan Wilk: In those years to come, you might find yourself asking if it wasn't the hand of god dropped these glasses... And if he didn't, who did?
Arthur Straus: When we made the deal, you said you could take orders. You said you wanted me to command you.
Judd Steiner: I do - as long as you keep your part of the agreement.
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Facts about
Although top-billed, Orson Welles doesn't appear in the film until one hour and five minutes have passed.
In his treatment of the Leopold-Loeb case, Rope, Alfred Hitchcock used his famous "ten-minute takes" and segued from one to the other with a "natural wipe" generally focusing on the back of one of the character's suit jackets. Perhaps as an homage to The Master, this film's director, Richard Fleischer, uses a "natural wipe" focusing on the front of Bradford Dillman's suit to end a scene.
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