Trial (film)

Trial is a 1955 American drama film directed by Mark Robson and starring Glenn Ford, Dorothy McGuire, Arthur Kennedy, John Hodiak, Katy Jurado, Rafael Campos, and Juano Hernandez. Adapted by Don Mankiewicz from his own novel of the same name, the story concerns the trial of a Mexican boy accused of rape and murder who is initially victimized by prejudiced accusers, and then becomes a pawn of his communist defender, whose propagandist purposes would be best served by a guilty verdict.

Plot
On the evening of June 7, 1947, residents of the small California town of San Juno are celebrating an annual event called Bass Night at a local private beach. Angel Chavez, a Mexican-American teenager, wanders onto the beach and meets Marie Wiltse, a non-Hispanic girl he knows from high school, and the pair begin to kiss. Marie, whose heart has been weakened by rheumatic fever, gets nervous and starts to leave, but she suddenly collapses and dies. Angel calls out for help and is promptly arrested and charged with felony murder on the grounds that Marie's death was caused by his attempt to seduce her—which, as they are minors, would be statutory rape, even if consensual.

David Blake is a law professor at State University who is told his contract will not be renewed unless he gets some courtroom experience. After being rejected by a number of alumni of the college, Barney Castle agrees to let David work for him over the summer to handle Angel's case. The situation is San Juno is volatile, and a racist mob attempts to break Angel out of jail and lynch him, but the sheriff persuades them to stop by promising the youth will be executed after a fair trial.

Castle and Angel's mother travel to New York City to raise money to defend Angel. Castle leaves his secretary Abbe Nyle to help Blake, and they fall in love. Detectives working for Castle's firm uncover an attempt to tamper with the jury on behalf of the prosecution, resulting in a new jury being empaneled. Over a weekend break during jury selection, Castle calls Blake to New York to join him at a fundraising rally. Blake quickly realizes Castle is primarily using the case as a propaganda and fundraising tool for an American Communist group. Insulted at being used, he returns to San Juno to see the trial through to the end and represent Angel's interests.

Blake's trial strategy is to rebut the prosecution's case sufficiently that he does not need to present a defense. However, at the last moment, Castle returns and, using his influence on Angel's mother, threatens Blake with removal unless Angel testifies. Although Blake realizes that Castle wants Angel subjected to a harsh cross-examination that will ensure his conviction and execution—making him a martyr with ongoing fundraising value—he remains on the case, but the cross-examination goes as poorly as he feared. Angel is found guilty, and, since the jury did not recommend leniency, he must receive a death sentence.

Castle fires Blake to keep him from speaking during sentencing, but Blake shows up at court anyway and receives amicus status, allowing him to address the court. He argues that, since Chavez is a minor, Judge Motley can technically apply a statute intended for more trivial offenses and give Angel an indeterminate sentence to be spent at a reform school. With the consent of the prosecutor, Motley accepts the suggestion. Then Motley, who is African-American, sentences Castle, who has tried to race-bait him during Blake's argument, to 30 days in jail for contempt.

Reception
According to MGM records, the film earned $2,312,000 in the U.S. and Canada, and $993,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $518,000.