Trial (1955)

There are just too many Complicated Issues on Display in this Well Meaning but Ultimately Frustrating and Meandering Film to make it anything more than a Confusing Curiosity of its Time. Bigotry, Greed, Communism, the Flawed Judicial System, Liberalism, Conservatism, Inter Racial Relationships, Corrupt Politicians and Law Enforcers, Martyrdoms, and Academia are all Touched on here with Varying Degrees of Insights and Outright Stereotypes.The Movie is just too Heavy and is brought down by its own Weight of Wondering about so Many Things that it Rarely Attains any Valuable Views on its Multitude of Controversial Subjects. Well Acted, with some Unsure Directing by the Occasionally Brilliant Mark Robson (see 1943's The Seventh Victim), the Problem here is a Convoluted and Overloaded Script that, in the end, does no Justice to the Myriad of Matters it Explores.There are Hispanics and Blacks in Major Roles and there are Things On Screen that did not Juxtapose Easily with the Conservative Fifties, so the Film is at least Credited for Trying to Shed some Light on Wrongs in Search of a Remedy.

"Trial," released in 1955 and directed by Mark Robson, starts out quite typically. A Hispanic young man (Rafael Campos) is accused of assaulting and murdering a 15-year-old girl. There is all of the accompanying town prejudice.A law professor, David Blake (Glenn Ford) who needs trial experience in order to keep his job is taken on by attorney Barney Castle (Arthur Kennedy) and assigned the case. Though Blake's instincts go against Castle's orders, his insecurity kicks in and he conducts the pre-trial procedures the way that Barney wants them, little realizing that Barney has a very hidden agenda.This interesting film was done at the height of the Red Scare. It's very well-acted if disconcerting - only because there is no hint at the beginning as to where this film is going to lead. Dorothy McGuire plays Castle's assistant and ex-girlfriend who falls for Blake, and Katy Jurado plays the boy's easily influenced mother. Someone else mentioned the black actor, Brazilian-born Juano Hernandez, who plays the judge. A former Broadway actor, Hernandez gives a marvelous performance and is inspired casting. Sadly, all of these actors -- Ford, McGuire, Kennedy, Campos, Hernandez, Jurado, John Hodiak (who plays the prosecutor) and Ray Middleton (the sheriff) are gone now.Well worth watching.

Trial is a very powerful film with a believable story line, revolving around a young Mexican/American boy accused in the death of a teenage girl with a heart condition, the death being caused by an alleged sexual assault. It first appears to be a straightforward courtroom drama, but before long, the plot begins to unfold revealing the film's ulterior message: That nothing is as it appears! The film's pronounced right-wing position does not seem at all offensive, as it clearly shows to what extent the political left will go to achieve it's agenda. As it is portrayed here, one is sickened as an ultra-left lawyer at first appears to be genuinely concerned with his client's case. At this point in my review, to go further in this direction would be a "Spoiler". If you get the opportunity to see this film, don't miss it! I've only seen it twice, both times on Turner Classic Movies; I do not know if it is available on either VHS or DVD.

Trial is a movie that begs for a re-make, but in the current climate of political correctness, it is a story that cannot be told today. The Left Wing writers and actors that populate Hollywood would never allow that. This story was perfect for its time. Although it ostensibly is about the trial of a young Hispanic boy, it tells the tale of how activist groups twist and turn the laws and the people of the US in such circles that people come to believe that wrong is right. The bad guys were the Communists in this movie, but they have been defeated... or have they? Watch this movie and instead of the Communists, slip in the names of other prominent modern Leftist groups and you'll see that the story is not as dated as it looks.