Compulsion

1959
Approved
1h 43m

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

7.9K

YOUR RATING

Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman in Compulsion (1959)

Trailer for this film based on the best selling novel

Play trailer2:27

1 Video

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True Crime Biography Crime Drama History Thriller

Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case.Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case.Two wealthy law-school students go on trial for murder in this version of the Leopold-Loeb case.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.4/10

7.9K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 1 win & 5 nominations total

Trivia
Although the story was 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, nor anything false nor 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," presenting essentially the same facts.

Goofs
When the murdered boy is in the morgue, his uncle recognizes him instantly, and the coroner doesn't mention to the young journalist (who found the glasses) that the kid had acid burned all over his face so he couldn't be identified. In the real life case, his face was burned and, most importantly, at the very end of the movie, Orson Welles as the defending attorney mentions that the murdered boy's face was burned with acid.

Quotes
Jonathan Wilk: If there is any way of destroying hatred and all that goes with it, it's not through evil and hatred and cruelty, but through charity, love, understanding.

Crazy credits
Opening credits prologue: CHICAGO, 1924

Connections
Featured in The Paper Chase: Commitments (1983)

User reviews97

Review

Featured review

9/10

Murder and Dean Stockwell's Eyes

Seeing "Compulsion" again after a very long time, it amazed me how well I remembered it. In fact I remembered every tiny little turn in Dean Stockwell's eyes. He is superb in the part of the young semi genius with a weakness for the shallow Bradford Dillman. The Leopold and Loeb case was the base for this thrilling Richard Fleischer film. It won acting awards for Stockwell, Dillman and Orson Welles at the Cannes Film Festival but with the benefit of hindsight, Dean Stockwell emerges as the winner against the famous test of time. Dillman seems a little bit too everything. Welles is great fun to watch and E G Marshall is terrific as the man determined to unmask the "powder poofs". Stockwell fainting at the trial, something that could have been so over the top, is in fact, shattering. The Leopold and Loeb story was also the base for Hitchcock's "Rope" and the wonderful Tom Kalin's "Swoon" Another version was rumored in 1991, directed by Martin Donovan with River Phoenix in the Stockwell part.