  We derive an expression for the total photodissociation cross section of a
molecule incorporating both indirect processes that proceed through excited
resonances, and direct processes. We show that this cross section exhibits
generalized Beutler-Fano line shapes in the limit of isolated resonances.
Assuming that the closed system can be modeled by random matrix theory, we
derive the statistical properties of the photodissociation cross section and
find that they are significantly affected by the direct processes. We identify
a unique signature of the direct processes in the cross-section distribution in
the limit of isolated resonances.
