Prestuplenie i nakazanie (1970)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Lev Kulidzhanov

Writers:

Fyodor Dostoyevsky (novel)
Nikolai Figurovsky (writer)

Release Date:

21 September 1970 (Soviet Union)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-law student, kills an old pawnbroker and her sister, perhaps for money...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Murder | Based On Novel

Cast

Georgi Taratorkin	...	Raskolnikov
Innokenti Smoktunovsky	...	Porfiry Petrovitch
Tatyana Bedova	...	Sonya Marmeladova
Viktoriya Fyodorova	...	Avdotya Romanovna
Yefim Kopelyan	...	Svidrigailov
Yevgeni Lebedev	...	Marmeladov
Maya Bulgakova	...	Yekaterina Ivanovna
Irina Gosheva	...	Pulkheriya Aleksandrovna
Vladimir Basov	...	Luzhin (as V. Basov)
Aleksandr Pavlov	...	Razumikhin (as A. Pavlov)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Vladimir Belokurov
Inna Makarova	...	Nastasya
Sergei Nikonenko
Valeri Nosik	...	Zametov (as V. Nosik)
Dzidra Ritenberga	...	Luiza Ivanovna
Ivan Ryzhov
Yuri Sarantsev	...	Lieutenant 'Powder' (as Yu. Sarantsev)
Lyubov Sokolova	...	Yelizaveta

Also Known As:

Преступление и наказание (Soviet Union: Russian title)
Crime and Punishment (USA)

Runtime:

221 min

Country:

Soviet Union

Language:

Russian | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:16 (f) | Finland:K-12

Company:

Gorky Film Studios

Movie Connections:

Remake of Crime and Punishment (1917)

Too much of a good thing

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.