In Kafka's novel The Trial, why kill K with a knife, not a gun or dynamite? Because it is related to the theme of the novel.
The novel "Trial" tells that bank clerk K was arrested one morning. The charges were unclear. For this reason, he searched the court and lawyers to no avail, and was finally sentenced to death. This work exposes the absurdity of modern legal society and describes the powerlessness of modern people living in it. The novel reveals ruthlessness, indifference and alienation between the lines, which is exactly in line with the tool of the knife. The knife gives people a cold and sharp feeling. Killing with a knife is very consistent with the tone of the novel.
Orson Welles' adaptation of The Trial, on the other hand, kills K with a dynamite explosion at the end. An explosion is a series of chemical reactions that instantly generate a huge amount of light, heat and impact, which visually makes people feel a sense of frenzy and destruction. While Orson Welles' filmic style of indifference and alienation is a perfect fit for Kafka's novel, the explosion at the end is enough to wash away the pictorial alienation the film creates. This is a sad fly in the ointment.
The movie would be perfect if the ending stayed true to the book and killed K with a knife instead.
View more about The Trial reviews