Crime and Punishment

Crime & Punishment being one of my favorite books, I've been trying to find a film adaptation that does the book justice. This is it! Prior to this version, I'd attempted to watch a couple American versions, which were loosely based on the novel but, of the few I found, I couldn't get through the first five minutes. This Russian adaptation, on the other hand, sucked me in immediately. Georgi Taratorkin was near perfection as the paranoid intellectual, Raskolnikov. On all accounts, the roles were well cast, the book's characters coming alive in three dimension on the screen. The screenplay also translated well from Dostoevsky's original, which is rare. And the film editing, though dated and in black-and-white, I would argue reflected the book's dark storyline. Great movie, and even greater book!

Crime and Punishment is my favorite book, and so I've consciously kept away from any versions of the story. Apprehensively, I gave this Russian version a try (I trusted them more than American versions). It's a wonderful adaptation. Sonya is played by an actress who--if she's not a teenager--looks like a teenager. And none of the actors seem out of the age range they should be in. The film seems low budget, with few cuts in the scenes. But I say that referring to only the best of low-budget, arty films. The crowd scenes are full of people, giving the seamless look of fullness. If you are wondering which version to see, this is the one people.

Anyone with a love of Dostoyevsky's classic novel cannot fail to be enraptured by this marvellous film. It captures the heart and soul of that complex tale more closely than any other version. Perhaps this is because it is Russian, for there are those who believe non-Russians require a leap of imagination to grasp the meaning of Crime and Punishment. And I believe that Dostoyevsky himself would have liked this film!

The picture is visually stunning and the casting is immaculate. Some of the performances are quite breathtaking; Georgi Taratorkin is totally convincing as the haunted, conflicted Raskolnikov, depths of emotions playing in his dark, expressive eyes; Maya Bulgakova tugs at the heartstrings as the wretched Katerina Ivanovna; Innokenti Smoktunovsky puts in a masterly performance as Porfiry, playing him with a regretful, fatherly air whilst Tatyana Bedova is simply sublime as a beautiful, fragile, holy Sonia.

It is a darkly claustrophobic film and flicking the pause button can seem like coming up for air - but that's the point - that's just how reading the novel feels! The film has been described as lumbering - but I longed for it to last even longer!

The print isn't the best quality and the subtitles are sometimes difficult to read - but persevere if you can...it's worth it...it's a masterpiece.

It is very interesting to compare this Russian version of "Crime and Punishment" with the Julian Jarrold version of 2002, since both are so outstandingly excellent, but in different ways. Also here all the actors' performances deserve nothing but praise, although some more than others, especially Georgi Taratorkin as Raskolnikov: he couldn't be more perfect, exactly as he is described in the novel, acting convincingly feverish enough all the way without overacting, while Sonia, Katerina and Dunia also are very well found, better than in the BBC production. The settings are also more than perfect, especially the den of Raskolnikov, better than in any other film and communicating precisely the correct atmosphere of the book. Rasumichin, Porfiry, the mother and Luzhin are less apt, Luzhin too much of a cad, Rasumichin too much dressed up, the mother like any mother and Porfiry as formal as a dummy. Here we enter the lacks of this film: it never really comes to life, it lacks the necessary dramatic touch, it is too stiff and formal, the lack of any music except sound effects gives it a certain sterility, and the scenography is entirely without imagination, like a formal theatre setting in the suburbs, although it's the same St. Petersburg so overwhelmingly well rendered in the BBC film. Still, Georgi Taratorkin is the best Raskolnikov you'll ever see, and you can't make a less than excellent movie on such a major masterpiece of world literature. Like the English film, the piety towards the original proves rewarding enough to to make the film a feature of paramount excellence.

Despite a 3 hour 40 minute running time, this film just scrapes the surface of Dostoevsky's great novel. It manages to lose all trace of the (usually bleak) humor that pervades the work and also every hint of the religious message that provides the underpinning of the story. Despite these reservations, this film is nonetheless worth seeing for the performances -- especially those of Georgi Taratorkin as Raskolnikov and Yefim Kopelyan as Svidrigailov. Innokenti Smoktunovsky appears as a quirky Police Inspector on Raskolnikov's trail. The film also does a good job of depicting the shabby milieu in which Raskolnikov lives. This is slated for release on DVD, one of these days, by Ruscico.