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).
.
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
See all Compulsion articles
Quotes from
Judd Steiner: Not tomorrow afternoon.
Arthur Straus: Oh, you got another date?
[in disbelief]
Arthur Straus: Are you ditching me for some girl?
Judd Steiner: I haven't been able to find you for three days.
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.
read more quotes from Compulsion...
Facts about
Although the story was obviously a thinly-disguised recreation of the Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb murder case, the legal department of 20th Century Fox was still concerned about a possible lawsuit from the still-living Leopold. A great effort was made not to mention Leopold or Loeb in the movie, press releases, and interviews. However, there was apparently poor communication with the advertising department, since when the movie came out, newspaper ads stated, "Based on the famous Leopold and Loeb murder case." Leopold sued the filmmakers. He did not claim libel, slander or anything false or defamatory about the film. Instead, he claimed an invasion of privacy. The court rejected his claim in part because Leopold had already published his own autobiography "Life Plus 99 Years", publicizing essentially the same facts.
During his closing arguments speech Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles) mentions that he has practiced law for 44-45 years. Welles, however, was only 43 years old when the movie was made.
read more facts about Compulsion...
