Compulsion (1959) in Color — Starring Dean Stockwell & Bradford Dillman

Compulsion (1959) — Buy This Classic in Color

Buy Compulsion (1959) in color — a chilling courtroom drama based on one of America’s most infamous real-life crimes, featuring Orson Welles delivering one of the most powerful closing arguments ever committed to film. This professionally restored and colorized classic film is available now as an instant, DRM-free digital download in HD quality. Directed by Richard Fleischer.

Plot Summary

In 1924 Chicago, two brilliant but dangerously arrogant University students — Judd Steiner (Dean Stockwell) and Arthur Straus (Bradford Dillman) — commit the kidnapping and murder of a young boy purely as an intellectual exercise in Nietzschean philosophy. They believe the act of committing a so-called “perfect crime” will prove their superiority over ordinary morality. But careless mistakes lead to their arrest, setting off a national media sensation. Their attorney, the legendary Jonathan Wilk (Orson Welles), mounts a groundbreaking defense against capital punishment — arguing that executing two young men, however monstrous their crime, would be an act of state barbarism no different from the violence they showed their victim.

E.G. Marshall is formidable as the relentless District Attorney pressing for the death penalty. Diane Varsi and Martin Milner add emotional grounding as peripheral figures drawn into the orbit of the case. Richard Fleischer directs with clinical precision, keeping the film’s tension coiled tight until Welles’s legendary final summation electrifies the courtroom and the viewer alike.

Cast & Crew

• Starring: Dean Stockwell, Bradford Dillman, Orson Welles, E.G. Marshall, Diane Varsi, Martin Milner, Richard Anderson, Robert F. Simon, Robert Burton, Wilton Graff
• Director: Richard Fleischer
• Runtime: 103 minutes
• Year: 1959
• Language: English

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This professionally restored and colorized version of Compulsion enhances the film’s meticulous period detail with natural, era-accurate color. The opulent 1920s interiors of the killers’ privileged world — rich mahogany paneling, Persian rugs, silk ties — contrast sharply with the austere grey of the courtroom in ways that black and white photography obscures. The restored visuals amplify the film’s portrait of wealth, arrogance, and justice. Orson Welles’ commanding physical presence fills the frame differently than ever in vivid HD color.

The colorization process uses advanced digital techniques to ensure historically accurate colors while preserving every detail of the original cinematography.

Add this landmark classic movie to your digital library for just €15.00 — instant, DRM-free, and compatible with any MP4-capable device. For international audiences, this title is also available in colour via AlwanFilm’s colorized crime drama collection.

Historical Significance

Compulsion is a thinly fictionalized account of the real 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case, in which Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold were defended by legendary attorney Clarence Darrow in one of the most debated capital trials in American legal history. Meyer Levin’s 1956 novel provided the source material. At the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, Orson Welles shared the Best Actor award for his performance. The film also earned nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay, and it remains a landmark in the genre of courtroom drama and in the American debate over the death penalty.

Technical Details

• Original Format: Black and White (1959)
• Colorized: Frame-by-frame HD restoration
• Resolution: HD 720p
• File Format: MP4 / MKV
• Running Time: 103 minutes
• Language: English
• Delivery: Instant download link on-screen and sent to your email upon purchase.
• Price: €15.00
• License: Personal, non-commercial use

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: What real crime does Compulsion dramatize?
The film fictionalizes the 1924 Leopold and Loeb case, in which Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb — two wealthy Chicago students — murdered a young boy to prove they could commit the perfect crime. Clarence Darrow’s defense saved them from execution in a landmark trial.

Q: What makes Orson Welles’ final courtroom speech so memorable?
Welles’ summation as defense attorney Jonathan Wilk runs nearly twelve unbroken minutes, a tour de force of passionate oratory arguing against capital punishment. It mirrors Clarence Darrow’s real closing argument almost verbatim in spirit, and stands as one of the finest single scenes in American courtroom cinema.

Q: How do Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman divide the roles?
Dillman plays the calculating, dominant Straus, while Stockwell portrays the more emotionally volatile and philosophically obsessed Steiner. Their contrasting approaches mirror the real psychological dynamic of Leopold and Loeb, with each actor delivering a career-defining performance.

Q: Is this the original film with color added?
Yes. This is the authentic original black-and-white film professionally colorized frame-by-frame to produce natural, vibrant HD color.

Q: Is the download DRM-free?
Yes — your digital download is completely DRM-free. Watch it on any compatible device at any time with no restrictions.

Q: What devices can I watch this on?
Any device that plays MP4 files, including Smart TVs, Windows and macOS computers, tablets, and iOS/Android smartphones.

Q: How do I receive my download?
A secure download link appears on the purchase confirmation page immediately after payment, and a copy is also sent to your email address.

Related Colorized Classics

• Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
• Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
• 12 Angry Men (1957) Full Movie in Color —
• Long Day’s Journey Into Night (1962)