Crime and Punishment (1935)

Man is haunted by a murder he's committed.

Director:

Josef von Sternberg

Writers:

Joseph Anthony, Fyodor Dostoevsky (novel) (as Dostoievsky, Feodor Dostoievsky)

Stars:

Edward Arnold, Peter Lorre, Marian Marsh

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Peter Lorre	...	Roderick Raskolnikov
Edward Arnold	...	Insp. Porfiry
Marian Marsh	...	Sonya
Tala Birell	...	Antonya Raskolnikov
Elisabeth Risdon	...	Mrs. Raskolnikov
Robert Allen	...	Dmitri
Douglass Dumbrille	...	Grilov
Gene Lockhart	...	Lushin
Charles Waldron	...	University president
Thurston Hall	...	Editor
Johnny Arthur	...	Clerk
Mrs. Patrick Campbell	...	Pawnbroker
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
A. Gest	...	Clerk

Storyline

Roderick Raskolnikov, a brilliant criminology student and writer, becomes embittered by poverty and his inability to support his family. When he sees a desperate prostitute, Sonya, degraded by a vicious pawnbroker, Raskolnikov, a proponent of the idea that some people are imbued with such intelligence that the law cannot be applied to them as to other people, decides to rid the world of the pawnbroker and thus save his family and Sonya as well from the fate poverty forces on them. When Porphiry, the police detective investigating the murder, encounters Raskolnikov, he finds a man nearly crippled by the guilt and paranoia his deed has burdened him with. But Raskolnikov clings with as much coldness and calculation as he can muster to his guiding idea, that some crimes ought not to be punished.

---

Plot Keywords:

fainting man | garnet | psychotronic film | pawnbroker | criminology | 

---

Taglines:

A Monumental Human Document Flames Anew as a Masterpiece of Screen Entertainment!

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama

---

Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 January 1936 (Sweden)

Also Known As:

Crimen y castigo

Filming Locations:

Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

B.P. Schulberg Productions, Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

[Mrs. Patrick Campbell on Josef von Sternberg] I grasped how foolish I had been to imagine for one moment that there was going to be any intelligent pleasure in working even with this man. He wanted only obedience and silence to get his own effects. Anything in my face and figure that wasn't ugly enough, he made into a camera distortion. The director and the cameraman together did the 'acting' of my short role, helped, I suppose, by the cutting room. When I saw the rushes, I knew beyond question that no director asks for imagination, gifts, or experience from the artist. I had myself wished to put the necessary horror and ugliness into my face, voice, and movements, but instead it was achieved through the exaggeration of every shadow on my face, and even of the pores of my skin.

---

Quotes

Roderick Raskolnikov: After all Professor, this is your problem, not mine. You promised to show me your blundering police methods and you certainly have. Sorry, I can't give more assistance. Good luck.
Insp. Porfiry: Thanks. Why did you call me Professor?
Roderick Raskolnikov: Because, eh, you profess to know something about crime.
Insp. Porfiry: Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha...

---

Crazy Credits

One of the credits reads "Story by Dostoievsky". There is an asterisk next to this credit, and at the bottom it says, "Feodor Dostoievsky, Russia's foremost author, wrote 'Crime and Punishment' in 1866'".

---

Connections

Referenced in Taxi: Crime and Punishment (1982)

User Reviews

remarkable film

I read the book so long ago that I'd forgotten many details, which was fine - I watched it as a rainy afternoon film presented by Ted Turner, and it is indeed a Turner Classic Movie.

Slammed by many, it is in fact very well written, extremely well acted, and a revelation of Peter Lorre's range. He carries the film brilliantly. It's essentially a long dialog between Raskolnikov, a brilliant, impoverished writer on crime, and Inspector Porphyry, nicely interrupted by Raskolnikov's thoughts on crime, interludes with his family, and his love-life. Made on a low budget, it proves yet again that money isn't everything. Intense, excellent acting, direction, editing and camera work do the job, as with so many low budget European films. It's about people and ideas, not special effects and stardom.

What you get is a minor classic with no empty spaces and nothing extra. The narrative drive is cumulative and very human. Deprived of Dietrich, von Sternberg has no problem, and gets the best out of Edward Arnold and Marian Marsh (and everyone else) as well as Lorre. No weak spots, all class. It's also the perfect demonstration of how to find an excellent film in a great novel: by not trying to include everything, but going to the heart of the matter.