Compulsion (1959 film)

Compulsion
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Richard Fleischer
Screenplay by	Richard Murphy
Based on	Compulsion 1956 novel by Meyer Levin
Produced by	Richard D. Zanuck
Starring	Orson Welles Diane Varsi Dean Stockwell Bradford Dillman E. G. Marshall Martin Milner
Cinematography	William C. Mellor
Edited by	William H. Reynolds
Music by	Lionel Newman
Production company	Darryl F. Zanuck Productions
Distributed by	20th Century-Fox
Release date	April 1, 1959 (1959-04-01)
Running time	103 minutes 99 minutes (FMC Library Print)
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$1,345,000[1]
Box office	$1.8 million (est. US/ Canada rentals)[2]

Compulsion is a 1959 American crime drama film directed by Richard Fleischer, based on the 1956 novel of the same name by Meyer Levin, which in turn is a thinly-fictionalized account of the Leopold and Loeb murder trial. The film stars Dean Stockwell and Bradford Dillman as the perpetrators (called 'Judd Steiner' and 'Artie Straus' in the film), and Orson Welles as their defense attorney (based on Clarence Darrow). Diane Varsi, E. G. Marshall, and Martin Milner play supporting roles.

The film was released by 20th Century-Fox on April 1, 1959. It received positive reviews from critics, who singled out the lead performances. At the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or and Welles, Stockwell, and Dillman collectively won the Best Actor Award.