Kafka (film)
| Kafka | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Written by | Lem Dobbs |
| Produced by | Harry Benn Stuart Cornfeld |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Walt Lloyd |
| Edited by | Steven Soderbergh |
| Music by | Cliff Martinez |
Production companies | Baltimore Pictures Pricel Renn Productions |
| Distributed by | Miramax Films (United States) AMLF (France) |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes |
| Countries | United States France |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $1.1 million |
Kafka is a 1991 mystery thriller film directed by Steven Soderbergh, from a screenplay by Lem Dobbs. Ostensibly a biopic based on the life of Franz Kafka, the film blurs the lines between fact and Kafka's fiction (most notably The Castle and The Trial), creating a Kafkaesque atmosphere. It stars Jeremy Irons in the title role, with Theresa Russell, Ian Holm, Jeroen Krabbé, Joel Grey, Armin Mueller-Stahl, and Alec Guinness. Simon McBurney appears in his film debut.
Released after Soderbergh's critically acclaimed debut Sex, Lies, and Videotape it was the first of what would be a series of low-budget box-office disappointments. It has since become a cult film, being compared to Terry Gilliam's Brazil and David Cronenberg's Naked Lunch.