Trial (1955 film)
| Trial | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mark Robson |
| Written by | Don Mankiewicz |
| Starring |
Glenn Ford Dorothy McGuire Arthur Kennedy Juano Hernandez |
| Music by | Daniele Amfitheatrof |
| Cinematography | Robert L. Surtees |
| Edited by | Albert Akst |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,341,000 |
| Box office | $3,305,000 |
Trial is a 1955 American film directed by Mark Robson based on the novel written by Don Mankiewicz. It stars Glenn Ford, Dorothy McGuire, Arthur Kennedy, and Juano Hernandez. It is about a Mexican boy accused of rape and murder; originally victimized by prejudiced accusers, he becomes a pawn of his communist defender, whose propaganda purposes would be best served by a verdict of guilty.
Angel Chavez (Rafael Campos) is a Mexican American teenager who lives in the small California town of San Juno. During an annual event called Bass Night held at the town beach, he wanders onto the beach, off-limits to Mexican Americans. There he meets a non-Hispanic girl he knows from high school, but she has a weak heart due to rheumatic fever and dies suddenly, and Angel is arrested. On the grounds that her heart attack was caused by Angel's attempt to seduce her—which, as they were minors, would have been statutory rape even if consensual—he is charged with felony murder. A racist mob attempts to break Angel out of jail and lynch him, but the warden persuades them to stop by promising that the youth will be executed after a fair trial.
David Blake (Glenn Ford) is a law professor at the state university. He is told he must stop teaching until he has had some courtroom experience. Rejected by many law firms, he finds work at a small one run by Bernard Castle (Arthur Kennedy). Castle wants to defend Angel and agrees to hire Blake to handle the case. Castle and Angel's mother (Katy Jurado) travel to New York City to raise money to defend Angel. Castle leaves his law clerk Abbe Nyle (Dorothy McGuire) to help Blake, and they fall in love.
...
Wikipedia