Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case.
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Title: Compulsion (1959)
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Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Orson Welles | ... | ||
| Diane Varsi | ... |
Ruth Evans
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| Dean Stockwell | ... | ||
| Bradford Dillman | ... |
Arthur A. Straus
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| E.G. Marshall | ... |
District Attorney Harold Horn
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| Martin Milner | ... |
Sid Brooks
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| Richard Anderson | ... |
Max Steiner
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| Robert F. Simon | ... |
Police Lt. Johnson
(as Robert Simon)
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| Edward Binns | ... |
Tom Daly
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| Robert Burton | ... |
Charles Straus
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| Wilton Graff | ... |
Mr. Steiner
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Louise Lorimer | ... |
Mrs. Straus aka 'Mumsy'
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| Gavin MacLeod | ... |
Padua - Horn's Assistant
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In 1924 Chicago, Artie Strauss and Judd Steiner are friends and fellow law students who both come from wealthy backgrounds. They have few true friends as they believe all their contemporaries are intellectually inferior. Within their relationship, Artie is the dominant and Judd the submissive who says he will do whatever Artie tells him. Although Judd acts intellectually arrogant to others, he also shows signs of weakness and reticence most evident to Artie. Part of their goal in life is to experience how it feels to do everything. As such, they plot to commit what they consider the perfect crime - a kidnapping and murder - not only so that they can experience the sense of killing for killing's sake, but also taunt the law with the knowledge of it and their superiority after the fact. They believe their crime is above the law. Their murder of young Paulie Kessler is not so perfect, with evidence at the scene uncovered by one of their law school colleagues, Sid Brooks, who also works ... Written by Huggo
Taglines:
THEIRS WAS THE PERFECT CRIME they thought! They were too sure...too smart...too careful to leave a clue -- but they did! and it exploded -- The shocking story of two teenagers out for kicks...looking for thrills...and finding them! See more »Certificate:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
April 1959 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Der Zwang zum Bösen See more »Filming Locations:
Los Angeles High School - 4650 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA See more »Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (FMC Library Print)Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) (Westrex Recording System)| Mono (35 mm optical prints) (Westrex Recording System)Color:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1
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Judd Steiner: To the perfect crime!
Arthur Straus: Crime. Oh, my wealthy fraternity brothers. 67 dollars, and a second-hand typewriter.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Made in 1959, some 35 years after the real murder. See more »Goofs
When D.A. Horn is interviewing Straus, Horn sits down in a chair that was meant for Straus and moves a floor lampshade back down that had been directing its light at that chair. Straus moves to stand beside the floor lamp. The light is then variably on and off as shots between the two change. See more »Quotes
[first lines]Judd Steiner: To the perfect crime!
Arthur Straus: Crime. Oh, my wealthy fraternity brothers. 67 dollars, and a second-hand typewriter.
See more »
I had never even heard of this movie until today.WHERE in the world are the historians?This is on par for courtroom drama with Lionel Barrymore's great dissertation at the end of, "A Free Soul"-1931.This, also, was a fact based portrayal of Adele Rogers St.John's father's career.
I have to concur with Ms. Brown, and ask the question as to why this movie is not shown more often;i saw it on AMC. The bottom line is the line by Mr. Darrow:"You don't stop killing human beings by killing human beings".Mr. Welles was never in finer form, than when he gives this speech... i understand this speech is verbatim of the transcript of the trial.