"Crime and Punishment" (1979) TV mini-series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

28 September 1980 (USA)

Plot Keywords:

TV Mini-Series | Remake | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Francesca Gerrard	...	Lida (3 episodes, 1979)
Fiona Glassbrook	...	Polenka (3 episodes, 1979)
John Hurt	...	Raskolnikov (3 episodes, 1979)
Anne Orwin	...	Nastasya (3 episodes, 1979)
Christine Ozanne	...	St. Petersburg citizen (3 episodes, 1979)
Siân Phillips	...	Katerina Ivanovna (3 episodes, 1979)
Nicky Stoter	...	Kolya (3 episodes, 1979)
Anthony Bate	...	Svidrigailov (2 episodes, 1979)
Yvonne Coulette	...	Raskoinikov's Mother (2 episodes, 1979)
Gordon Gostelow	...	Accuser (2 episodes, 1979)
Colin Higgins	...	Nicolay (2 episodes, 1979)
Gertan Klauber	...	Porter at Pawnbroker's Flat (2 episodes, 1979)
Beatrix Lehmann	...	Pawnbroker (2 episodes, 1979)
Julie May	...	St. Petersburg citizen (2 episodes, 1979)
Frank Middlemass	...	Marmeladov (2 episodes, 1979)
Yolande Palfrey	...	Sonia Marmeladovna (2 episodes, 1979)
Frederick Radley	...	St. Petersburg citizen (2 episodes, 1979)
Prunella Ransome	...	Dounia (2 episodes, 1979)
Malcolm Tierney	...	Zametov (2 episodes, 1979)
David Troughton	...	Razumihin (2 episodes, 1979)
Carinthia West	...	Lizaveta (2 episodes, 1979)
Timothy West	...	Porfiry Petrovich (2 episodes, 1979)
Barbara Young	...	Mme. Lippevechsel (2 episodes, 1979)

Runtime:

UK:225 min (3 parts)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Filming Locations:

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Remake of Crime et châtiment (1956)

Decent but Seriously Flawed

This miniseries has its good points. Raskolnikov's farewell to his mother is moving; Sonya is believably sweet; the interrogation scenes are better than average; Marmeladov's long soliloquy is very well-acted.

However, there are a lot of problems. First, too many of the characters are too creepy and overdrawn, bordering on the freakish. The overacting gets seriously out of hand, especially during the funeral luncheon and its aftermath.

And, as weak as the novel's epilogue is, the film version's is even weaker, amounting to a trite exchange between Porfiry and Sonya and a reprint of the last paragraph of the book over a shot of someone crying.

And I don't think that Svidrigailov should end up as one of the story's more sympathetic characters -- thanks partly to the fact that the actor shows restraint in his role, and therefore seems recognizably human; and partly to the fact that the character's most unsavory urges have been excised from the teleplay.

Finally, I had mixed feelings about Hurt's performance. He spends a lot of the time looking scared and sweaty, but only occasionally conveys Raskolnikov's intelligence and sensitivity.

7/10