Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

lesdroits This Russian version -- didn't expect that much, especially being a 1970 movie - but it was free as an Amazon prime member. And Wow! - so much more advanced than most 1970 movies stateside-- such realism, such minute observations, so well capturing the essence of the lives and small homes (hovels often) and wonderfully local faces. Unbelievably great choice in cast-- and the best of all is Georgi Taratorkin who plays Raskolnikov. First, he has a fascinating, beautifully chiseled face that alone is enough to holds your interest throughout. And what a masterful job he does, as if he is actually living through all the torments and various other emotions that the character went experienced. Not a false step (to the extent I can tell being dependent on subtitles) I see on IMDb that Crime and Punishment is being made again in US (there many versions -- as with Anna Karenina, they just keep redoing ), but do not believe any could beat this film. Chilling yet beautiful.By the way, IMDb says it is black and white. What I've watched on Amazon is in warm, rich, authentic-appearing color -- if colorized, not detectable as such.

Martin Teller I'd been wondering if there was a really good adaptation of "Crime and Punishment" out there and my cousin suggested Kulidzhanov's might be worth a look. And it's not bad. There are some wonderful shots and nice touches, particularly in the tense early scenes. Taratorkin does a fine job as Raskolnikov, haunted and conflicted. Most of the other roles are well-cast too, although unfortunately the female parts tend to hysteria, but that's more likely the fault of the director than the actresses. It's quite watchable for a 3.5 hour movie. However, I felt too much time was spent on secondary characters. It's been a while since I've read the novel, but I'm certain that many of those terrific Raskolnikov-Porfiry battles of wits are missing. The scenes involving Sonya or Svidrigailov or Luzhin make for interesting drama, but they're given too much prominence here. What we care about is Raskolnikov's state of mind, and perhaps this is where any adaptation is destined to fail. Although the action of the story is compelling and the production is generally more than competent, it just feels like there's something missing.

simon-1303 Uniformly excellent cast and competent handling of scenes and interactions, with both humour and drama. However, a faithful rendering gives three hours plus of sticking fairly closely to the book, so much of the film lacks tension: depressed looking actors having depressing conversations in depressing dingy rooms, which all look rather similar. Apparently realistic settings and social issues tend to reduce themselves to a claustrophobic bubble, with little obvious connection to the real world. Even the external shots don't bring much relief and there is no score to lift the mood. The familiar plot doesn't deliver many surprises, with plot development achieved through dialogue rather than action, with of course notable exceptions. The tremendous acting and overall drama of the plot carry the film, but don't expect to be on the edge of your seat and the length is something to bear in mind.

shandarose 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.