The Brothers Karamazov (1958)

Drama based on Russian writer Fyodor Dostoevsky's homonymous novel about the proud Karamazov family in 1870s Russia.

Director:

Richard Brooks

Writers:

Fyodor Dostoevsky (novel), Julius J. Epstein (adaptation)

Stars:

Yul Brynner, Maria Schell, Claire Bloom

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 2 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yul Brynner	...	Dmitri Karamazov
Maria Schell	...	Grushenka
Claire Bloom	...	Katya
Lee J. Cobb	...	Fyodor Karamazov
Albert Salmi	...	Smerdjakov
William Shatner	...	Alexi Karamazov
Richard Basehart	...	Ivan Karamazov
Judith Evelyn	...	Mme. Anna Hohlakov
Edgar Stehli	...	Grigory
Harry Townes	...	Ippoli Kirillov
Miko Oscard	...	Ilyusha Snegiryov
David Opatoshu	...	Capt. Snegiryov
Simon Oakland	...	Mavrayek
Frank DeKova	...	Capt. Vrublevski (as Frank de Kova)
Jay Adler	...	Pawnbroker

Storyline

Ryevsk, Russia, 1870. Tensions abound in the Karamazov family. Fyodor is a wealthy libertine who holds his purse strings tightly. His four grown sons include Dmitri, the eldest, an elegant officer, always broke and at odds with his father, betrothed to Katya, herself lovely and rich. The other brothers include a sterile aesthete, a factotum who is a bastard, and a monk. Family tensions erupt when Dmitri falls in love with one of his father's mistresses, the coquette Grushenka. Two brothers see Dmitri's jealousy of their father as an opportunity to inherit sooner. Acts of violence lead to the story's conclusion: trials of honor, conscience, forgiveness, and redemption.

---

Plot Keywords:

russia | death | gambling debt | envy | betrayal | 

---

Taglines:

The greatness and glory, the loves and sins of the famed novel.

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Polish Russian

Release Date:

26 February 1958 (Japan)

Also Known As:

The Murderer Dmitri Karamazov

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$2,727,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,390,000, 31 December 1958

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,440,000, 31 December 1958

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avon Productions (II)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System) Mono (Perspecta Sound)

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

William Shatner, Richard Basehart, and Albert Salmi all appeared in " The Andersonville Trial"

---

Goofs

Early in the movie there is a sign identifying the name of the town where the story takes place, written in Latin script, instead of Cyrillic.

---

Quotes

Smerdjakov: If you'll permit a comment, sir, you're not at all like your brother Dmitri.
Ivan Karamazov: Half-brother.
Smerdjakov: You're different from all of them. I could see that the first minute you arrived yesterday. Intelligence, audacity, cleverness...
Ivan Karamazov: You've just never met anyone who lives in Moscow.
Smerdjakov: No sir, it's those magazine articles you wrote, the ones about crime.
Ivan Karamazov: [pauses] You enjoyed them.
Smerdjakov: [takes out a magazine clipping, reads it] There is nothing in the world to make man love their neighbours. If there is no God, then ...

---

Connections

Version of Bratya Karamazovy (2009)

User Reviews

may be too much stuff to fit in

It's 1870 Ryevsk, Tsarist Russia. Fyodor Karamazov (Lee J. Cobb) is a wealthy tyrannical father to four grown sons and has the mistress Grushenka (Maria Schell). The oldest Dmitri (Yul Brynner) is an officer who always fights with his father over 25k rubles left by his mother and engaged to the rich Katya (Claire Bloom) who wants to repay Dmitri for bailing out her father. Ivan (Richard Basehart) is an atheist rationalist and cool towards his family. Katya and Ivan develop feelings for each other. Alexey (William Shatner) is the saintly novice monk. Pavel Smerdyakov (Albert Salmi) is rumored to be the illegitimate son who was brought up by servants and works for Fyodor. Fyodor with Grushenka's help aims to put Dmitri in debtor's prison. Dmitri had to write IOUs to his father which he sells to Grushenka at half price.

The acting style is big. Cobb does impressive drunk bombastic acting. Brynner needs a bit more emotions. He's too upright and always with that superior mannerism. The dialog is somewhat stiff. Marilyn as Grushenka would have been very interesting. Maria Schell is perfectly fine. The material feels rather like the highlights of a large Russian book. It's probably best to have read the book first. It's an impressive attempt.