Rent Compulsion (1959)
3.7 of 5 from 81 ratings
1h 39min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- Feature is a compelling, stylish thriller that sees two callous law students murder a young boy in cold blood to prove their intellectual superiority. Having been raised by wealthy, snobbish families Artie Straus is a sadistic bully and Judd Steiner a timid introvert. The two college friends concoct the "perfect crime" the murder of a young boy, but their arrogance and conceit leads to their arrest. The inimitable Orson Welles plays the criminal defense lawyer, based on the famous Clarence Darrow, who takes on their almost impossible case. This courtroom drama directed by Richard Fleischer is based on the notorious and horrific 1924 murder trial of thrill-killers Leopold and Loeb.
- Actors:
- Orson Welles, Dean Stockwell, Diane Varsi, Bradford Dillman, E.G. Marshall, Martin Milner, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Edward Binns, Robert Burton, Wilton Graff, Louise Lorimer, Gavin MacLeod, Don Anderson, Brandon Beach, Terry Becker, Russ Bender, Peter Brocco, Alan Carney, Harry Carter
- Directors:
- Richard Fleischer
- Producers:
- Richard D. Zanuck
- Writers:
- Richard Murphy, Meyer Levin
- Studio:
- Second Sight
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Thrillers
- Collections:
- A History of Gay Cinema: According to Hollywood, Acting Up: Top 10 Performances At Cannes, Memory Lane: Films Set in 1920s, Top 10 Films of 1959
- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 29/02/2016
- Run Time:
- 103 minutes
- Languages:
- English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, English LPCM Stereo
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- The Guardian Interview with Richard Fleischer (1981, audio only): the award-winning director discusses his career after a screening of 'Compulsion'
- The Guardian Interview with Richard Fleischer (1994): Fleischer returns to the NFT for this filmed interview
- Orson Welles in the Courtroom Scene from Compulsion (1959, audio only): reproduction of the original 7" vinyl
- Lobby Cards, Posters and Stills Gallery
- Theatrical Trailer
