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Compulsion (1959)

Directed by Richard Fleischer · Cinematography by William C. Mellor

Approved103 min42 frames

CrimeDramaHistoryThriller

THEIRS WAS THE PERFECT CRIME they thought! They were too sure...too smart...too careful to leave a clue -- but they did! and it exploded -- The shocking story of two teenagers out for kicks...looking for thrills...and finding them!

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Stills, screencaps & shots from Compulsion

16 of 42 frames — the full set is searchable by lighting, lens, shot size, color and mood with a free account.

Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A crowded public room features a man standing in the foreground facing the camera. The man stands alone in…Compulsion (1959) movie still: closeup — A dark, dimly lit library with tall bookshelves visible in the blurred background. A young man wearing a…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — Two men sit in the front seat of a convertible at night. Dark trees are visible in the background against a…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A dense crowd of people sits together in rows within a large interior hall. A young man with dark hair looks…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A man stands inside a dimly lit booth using a wall-mounted telephone handset. The background shows a blurry…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A dimly lit room with striped wallpaper features a small lamp on a table. Four men are gathered in the space…Compulsion (1959) movie still: closeup — A crowded public gallery fills a dimly lit space with wood paneled walls. A middle-aged man in a dark suit…Compulsion (1959) movie still: wide — A rural asphalt road at night features scattered streetlamps along the path. A man in a dark coat stands in…Compulsion (1959) movie still: closeup — A courtroom with blurred figures in the background seated in rows. A man in glasses speaks directly toward…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A formal interior space with dark wooden paneling and a crowd of seated observers. Three men stand in a line…Compulsion (1959) movie still: wide — A crowded 1940s courtroom features wooden benches packed with spectators and legal counsel. A man stands in…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A courthouse hallway features a sign reading silence court in session on the wall. A young man in a bow tie…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — A wood-paneled courtroom interior features a row of men seated before a wooden partition. A man in a suit…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — Two men stand indoors in front of a window covered by patterned drapes. A younger man faces an older man…Compulsion (1959) movie still: wide — A crowded 1950s courtroom features wood-paneled walls and rows of jurors in hats. A lawyer stands near the…Compulsion (1959) movie still: medium — An interior hotel room features damask-patterned wallpaper, two armchairs, and matching table lamps. Two men…
Compulsion (1959) — © Darryl F. Zanuck Productions, 20th Century Fox

Compulsion — official trailer

What is Compulsion about?

Two close friends' plan to execute a flawless crime is crushed when one of them inadvertently leaves his glasses at the crime scene.

Compulsion is a 1959 American crime drama film directed by Richard Fleischer, based on the 1956 novel 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, and Orson Welles as their defense attorney Jonathan Wilk. Diane Varsi, E. G. Marshall, and Martin Milner play supporting roles.

Second paragraph from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where can you watch Compulsion?

US availability for Compulsion (1959). Data by JustWatch, listings on TMDB. Availability changes — check the provider for current listings.

Who stars in Compulsion?

Who made Compulsion?

What does the cinematography of Compulsion look like?

Across 42 sampled frames, Compulsion builds its coverage from medium shots (67% of the sample), with close-ups (21%) carrying much of the rest. Cinematographer William C. Mellor keeps 48% of it in soft, low-key light. Focus stays shallow in 69% of the frames, isolating subjects from their surroundings.

What is the color palette of Compulsion?

The dominant colors across the sampled frames of Compulsion (1959) are #060606, #8d8d8d, #313131, #6e6e6e, #4a4a4a, #b2b2b2 — measured from the per-frame color data FrameThrower extracts for every film.

  • #060606
  • #8d8d8d
  • #313131
  • #6e6e6e
  • #4a4a4a
  • #b2b2b2

See the full Compulsion colour palette — every hex with its share, plus warmth, saturation and luminance.

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Techniques in this film

More films by Richard Fleischer

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