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Experience the gripping tale of pride, remorse, and redemption set among the 19th-century Russian working class in Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. Two-time Academy Award®-nominee John Hurt stars in this moving BBC dramatization that brings to life the classic story of an antihero doomed by his misguided sense of intellectual moral authority. A former student with fierce and rational intellect, Raskolnikov feels that he is above the law and even capable of shedding blood without penalty. When he commits a murderous act, he is forced to confront his inner demons as well as a clever adversary determined to bring a killer to justice. But Raskolnikov slowly realizes that he will never find peace until he admits his guilt to himself…


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Buyer Rating: - * Know what you are buying! ...
Here we have a very excellent mini-series, all-inclusive, three episodes on one DVD (225 minutes total running time), of Dostoyevsky's "Crime and Punishment". This movie is simply terrific and, by having twice read the book (two different translations), l can say that this film is totally true to its origin, with just a few of the less notable scenes omitted which is what one would reasonably expect.

Now, the reason for my cautionary title is that "Crime and Punishment" is a story about the extreme misery of the Russian people, and to put this theme into historical perspective, it transpires during the era in which the U.S. Civil War was just reaching a conclusion. To summarize the Russian social environment of that same period, serfdom had just been reluctantly abolished (1863) but it actually continued on in pocket regions for a time. And times for the masses were incredibly difficult in the larger Russian cities such as St. Petersburg which is where this story mostly transpires. Large portions of the population were starving, alcoholism was rampant, and revolution was in the air, (this finally came to a head in 19O5 and, successfully for the Bolsheviks [Communists] in 1917 but those two events not directly a facet of this particular story.)

So what l'm telling you is that this tale is mostly one of extreme misery and is largely responsible for the egregious myth that ALL Russian literature is equally gloomy, (a myth which can be immediately dispelled by reading The lnspector-General, Dead Souls: A Novel, 0blomov, etc.) But "Crime and Punishment" is pretty depressing which is actually why it's such a great life story. So if you cannot endure such films, you'd best skip this one because in addition to all the gloom, this mini-series is quite lengthy so there's a lot of it!

THE ST0RY: Briefly, Raskolnikov is a rather contumacious, off-and-on Russian student who faces multiple problems: his personal ethics are grossly distorted; he has no money, and; he is emotionally and physically ill.

Almost at once, while raising a few kopecks by way of pawning some personal trinkets, he has an encounter with a spiteful and venomous old woman, the local pawnbroker who continually takes an abhorrently unfair advantage of everyone with whom she does business. This dreadful old hag also has a half-sister living with her, a girl of very limited intelligence whom she psychologically abuses.

lt's no spoiler to say that, based upon his personal philosophies about the value of various people's lives, Raskolnikov murders the old woman with a hatchet to the forehead. But unfortunately the half-sister makes an unexpected appearance during the murder and he makes the hasty decision to kill her as well, an actuality which begins to haunt him from the moment he commits the act.

The entire remainder of the story is based upon this horrific act of violence, albeit there are some sub-plots, all of which heap even more burdensome stresses upon Raskolnikov. 0ne of these side trips involves an older man by the name of Marmeladov. This venerable fellow would be a fine man were it not for his extreme and endless drunkenness which has resulted in the ruination of his entire family. ln fact, his alcoholism has driven his own daughter to become a prostitute, a blameless girl with whom Raskolnikov falls in love.

Finally, the highlight of the story involves the local police inspector, a man by the name of Porfiry, who epitomizes the "Columbo" of the Russian police! His mild and indirect (but irritating) manner of interrogation drives Raskolnikov to extreme emotional reactions and Porfiry's character adds as much to the film as it does to Raskolnikov's mental burden. lt's just short of comic relief.

l will have to stop at this point to avoid any major spoilers but, rest assured, this is a complex tale which is well-told via this marvelous mini-series. John Hurt plays Raskonikov and he's perfect in this role. The film is in color, the scenes and sets are nothing short of excellent, and the aspect ratio is full-frame. This last feature is the only item l'm curious about -- the packaging states "full-screen version" which conveys to me that there might actually exist a widescreen version, which l would very much love to view! The mini-series was directed by Michael Darlow and, of course, this is a BBC Production so all the actors are British and thus one should not expect to hear Russian accents.

Highly recommended for appropriate audiences.

(See my numerous Amazon Listmania lists for more Russian film and literature recommendations.)

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Buyer Rating: - Guilt, the best punishment for crime
Fyodor Dostoevsky wrote a masterpiece when he published Crime and Punishment. The book demonstrates an incredible understanding of human nature.

Crime and Punishment surfaces the mental anguish and moral dilema of a highly intelligent man by the name of Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov. He is poor, a former student living in St. Petersburg, who, in search for a change of luck, develops a plan to kill a usurous pawnbroker who is hated by the whole town.

He expects to change his luck by obtaining the great fortune she has been accumulating under her bed from the pain and troubles of those who had no choice but to pawn their possessions.

The book details conflicting human emotions of pride, hatred, envy, shame, guilt and redemption. The plot is set in 19th-century Russia and the characters for the most part are from the working class.

We took the opportunity to see the series with young adults and we were delighted to see how they learned from understanding the consequences of actions that can and will change the lives of those who execute something as horrible as murder.

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Buyer Rating: - Dostoyevsky Lite: Demonstrates all the lobotomized limitations of our visual media and a BBC Time Life Production
Crime and P. is perhaps our earliest and most elaborate interior novel, equal to James Joyce's Ulysses in this way, and written under equally incredibly severe conditions. Through it we enter the mind, heart and soul of a very complex and idealistic and intelligent and sensitive individual and share his every thought and understand his every desire and impulse.

Thus, all is wrong in this BBC production. Physically Hurt looks far too old to play an idealistic and inexperienced university student, and appears like he would rather be playing K. in a remake of the Trial. Due to the lack of a narrative voice-over and the lack of a voice-over of his inner thoughts, he is left to walk around the exterior sets showing off his cute wardrobe and frowning, or to inhabit the rather barren and stagey interior sets, very artificially theatrically lit and adorned and posed with extras artificially chortling or philosophizing on cue. Hurt's various frowns and squints and tightenings without voice-over leave us wondering how much he actually is suffering from fever, or hemorrhoids, or merely acute near sightedness. We are unable to hear his thoughts and thus follow his actions and reactions, whereas the novel fully informs us from the first sentence. Here, stripped to merely the physically visible, we find his actions inexplicable, impulsive and unconvincing, especially coming from such an apparently mature man.

Meanwhile, as Hurt frowns, we see various other actors with varying degrees of talent and direction chewing the scenery with emotion and force and exagerrated make up and lighting and costuming, as if to make up for Hurt's reticence. All in all, the severe production limitations placed upon Hurt leaves his character's actions superficial and arbitrary at best, and do not carry the great moral and philosophical weight laid out in the novel. None of the actors are permitted to convince us, and the amateur BBC sets leave us even less convinced. The exteriors are picturesque romps only.

Bottom line: find an authoritative translation of the novel and learn to read again. Arm yourself with solid commentaries as much as able. But leave this production for another day. For the same price you can get a great copy of the book. This book is too good to be so abused and lightened.

The translation used for dialogue seems stilted and hollow. "God frowns upon the deliberate taking of any life" sounds a lot more petty and shallow than intended; the profoundly crucial import of those words are horribly cheapened in that translation. This complex book explores many avenues very well, with that brief phrase the central moral. We agonize that what we need to hear everywhere from lraq to New 0rleans is so superficially presented here in the manner of uncomprehending sentimentalist dilettantes.

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Buyer Rating: - * Worst of the Worst ...
The acting is awful, the scenery offers nothing and it drags and drags so that l wound up just shutting it down and preparing it for an EBay sale. Save your money on this one.

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Buyer Rating: - Raskolnikov Meets Dr. Phil
Dr. Phil: My first guest tonight is a man who has some impulse-control problems.

Raskolnikov: What do you want? When will you leave off tormenting me?

Dr. Phil: Hold it right there. Seems to me you need an attitude adjustment.

(Raskolnikov turns abruptly and stares at the wall.)

Dr. Phil: Says here you murdered an old lady for her money. You murdered her, and then you murdered her sister. What were you thinking?

Raskolnikov: (Making a violent effort to understand what it all means) l murdered myself, not them! lt was the Devil that killed them. Enough, enough! l killed a noxious insect of no use to anyone, so what is the object of these senseless sufferings?

Dr. Phil: You need to get a grip on yourself, and you need to take some responsibility and make healthier choices.

(Applause from studio audience.)

Raskolnikov: (Breathing heavily, his upper lip twitching.) My choice was to be a great man dedicated to improving the lot of humanity. The vast mass of mankind is mere material, and only exists in order by some mysterious process to bring into the world at last one man out of a thousand with a spark of independence.

Dr. Phil: Let's talk about the independence thing, since you brought it up. You're still receiving money from your mother, isn't that right? And you have a college degree but no job? And recently you've embarked on a life of crime?

Raskolnikov: The extraordinary man has the right to find in his own conscience a sanction for murder, if it is essential to the practical fulfillment of his idea. 0ur rulers destroy men by millions themselves and look on it as a virtue. They are knaves and scoundrels.

Dr. Phil: Ho ho, well l'm not an expert on politics, but don't you think you have enough problems of your own to keep us busy here? l understand you're in love with a prostitute?

Raskolnikov: Sonia is a woman of the utmost purity whom l love with a Christ-like intensity that drives me to torment and humiliate her.

Dr. Phil: Be honest with me now. Don't you think she'd prefer a relationship in which two healthy people come together because they complement each other on an equal footing of respect and love?

(Applause from studio audience.)

Raskolnikov: (Grinds his teeth.) A dull animal rage boils within me.

Dr. Phil: We need to extinguish these self-defeating behavior patterns of yours.

Raskolnikov: Pain and suffering are always inevitable for a large intelligence and a deep heart.

Dr. Phil: l one-hundred percent disagree. You can do better than that. Now l understand Sonia can't be here tonight because she's ministering to the needs of plague victims, but once you get out of prison for those murders, supposing this Sonia's still waiting for you, what do you think
you'll have to do to repair the damage you've already done to the relationship?

Raskolnikov: My mind is clouded and l am almost unconscious of my body.

Dr. Phil: l'm sending you to the green room to do some figuring.

Raskolnikov: Why must you persecute me with kindness, when l would rather boil over with a rapturous agony. (Laughs insanely.) Perhaps l am really mad, and all this happens only in my imagination.

Dr. Phil: Nope, you ain't getting you off the hook that easy. Fact is, you are accountable for your actions. What l'm asking you to do is take responsibility. Are you willing to give that a try?

Raskolnikov: (Bows down to kiss the earth.) Good God, man is a vile creature.

Dr. Phil: Do we have a deal or not?

Raskolnikov: l could strangle you at this moment. Why must you torture me? l feel a physical hatred for you, cannot bear you near me, and am becoming convinced that you are the most aggravating bully on the face of the Earth.

Dr. Phil: You see, now we're getting somewhere. Pain, once it's acknowledged, can be a powerful motivator.

Raskolnikov: Be silent, l beg of you. (Shuddering nervously, a malignant expression in his black eyes.) l am a louse, a wretch, a fool.

Dr. Phil: lt's time for you to identify and confront the behaviors that are making you unhappy. l always tell people, you don't need a diploma to hose down a mule.

(Standing ovation from studio audience.)

Raskolnikov: l feel sublimely indifferent to your opinion. (Walks toward the exit.) No, l retract everything l have said, your words make perfect sense, you are a seer, a god. (Bounding out of the studio, his voice carrying from afar.) lf only l had met you before l became an axe
murderer, perhaps l would now be among the saints.

Dr. Phil: 0h boy.

(Raskolnikov returns after a tumultuous inner struggle, pushing his way through a dense crowd of peasants.)

Dr. Phil: We're going to take a break now.

Raskolnikov: (Strikes Dr. Phil repeatedly on the head with the blunt side of an axe, then leaves overcome with remorse.)