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The Brothers Karamazov (1958 film)

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The Brothers Karamazov
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRichard Brooks
Screenplay byJulius J. Epstein
Philip G. Epstein
Richard Brooks
Based onThe Brothers Karamazov
by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Produced byPandro S. Berman
StarringYul Brynner
Maria Schell
Claire Bloom
Lee J. Cobb
Albert Salmi
Richard Basehart
William Shatner
CinematographyJohn Alton
Edited byJohn D. Dunning
Music byBronislau Kaper
Distributed byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date
  • February 20, 1958 (1958-02-20)
Running time145 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2,727,000
Box office$5,440,000

The Brothers Karamazov is a 1958 film made by MGM, based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1880 novel The Brothers Karamazov. It was directed by Richard Brooks and produced by Pandro S. Berman. The screenplay was by Julius J. Epstein, Philip G. Epstein and Richard Brooks. It was entered into the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. The brothers are played by Yul Brynner, Richard Basehart and William Shatner in his film debut.

Plot

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The story follows Fyodor, the patriarch of the Karamazov family, and his sons. When he tries to decide on an heir, the tensions between the brothers run high, leading to infighting and murder.

Cast

Production

Marilyn Monroe was rumored to be in negotiations to play the role of Grushenka, but several conflicting accounts arose around the time the film entered production. An MGM executive said she'd turned down the role in part because she was expecting a baby, but Monroe's agent denied this and claimed that the studio had never even made her an offer. Richard Brooks said that Monroe would have made a "fine" Grushenka, but claimed that negotiations fell through "because of her contractual demands and personal troubles." Carroll Baker was the next choice for the role, but Warner Bros. put her on suspension and would not loan her out after she refused to play Diana Barrymore in Too Much, Too Soon. Maria Schell stepped in instead, making her American film debut.

The film was shot from June to August 1957 on location in London and Paris.

Reception

Contemporary reviews were mixed to positive. Bosley Crowther of The New York Times wrote, "Except for a halfway happy ending that blunts the drama's irony, has done a good job of compressing the substance of the book ... But most of all, Mr. Brooks and Mr. Berman have put upon the screen a large splash of vigorous drama and passion involving interesting, robust characters." Variety declared, "Sumptuous and sensitive MGM production by Pandro S. Berman doesn't sacrifice art to entertainment nor lose entertainment in a false conception of what constitutes art. 'The Brothers Karamazov' should be one of the year's commercial successes." Harrison's Reports wrote: ""Excellent is the word for this absorbing and vigorous screen version of Fyodor Dostoyevsky's epic novel ... The acting is superb, with brilliant performances turned in by Lee J. Cobb, as the lecherous and crafty father, and by Yul Brynner, as his fiery, quick-tempered eldest son." In a generally positive review for the Los Angeles Times, Philip K. Scheuer called Brynner's performance "impressive" and wrote that Lee J. Cobb as Fyodor "succeeds in striking a recognizable and responsive chord with an audience," but found that Maria Schell's Grushenka was played "with a persisting Mona Lisa smile that I felt was not only foreign to the role of the materialistic, venal harlot but was also incomprehensibly at variance with her changing moods." John McCarten of The New Yorker declared that the film "goes on for about two and a half hours, most of which you'd be better off spending at some more rewarding pursuit ... I think that Mr. Brooks, in addition to being saddled with actors who just can't stand up to the obligations they've assumed, never quite grapples with the ideas that Dostoevski was trying to propound." The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "There is none of Dostoievsky's profundity or exciting exploration of motive. All the brothers emerge as quite inexplicable people. It is hard to be sympathetic to Dmitri, and not to be embarrassed by Alyosha or scornful of Ivan. The performances throughout suggest that the cast never really knew what it was all about."

According to MGM records, the film made $2,390,000 in the US and Canada and $3,050,000 elsewhere, resulting in a profit of $441,000.

Awards and nominations

See also

References

  1. ^ "The Brothers Karamazov - Details". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  2. ^ The Eddie Mannix Ledger, Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
  3. "Festival de Cannes: The Brothers Karamazov". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved February 9, 2009.
  4. "Marilyn and Studio Differ on Role Offer". Los Angeles Times: 2. May 7, 1957.
  5. Scheuer, Philip K. (June 16, 1957). "'The Brothers Karamazov' Rolling — Without Marilyn". Los Angeles Times: Part V, p. 2.
  6. Pryor, Thomas M. (May 3, 1957). "Warners to Hold Actress to Pact". The New York Times: 20.
  7. ^ "The Brothers Karamazov - History". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  8. Crowther, Bosley (February 21, 1958). "Screen: 'The Brothers Karamazov'". The New York Times: 18.
  9. "The Brothers Karamazov". Variety: 6. February 19, 1958.
  10. "The Brothers Karamazov". Harrison's Reports: 32. February 22, 1958.
  11. Scheuer, Philip K. (February 16, 1958). "'Karamazov' People Full of Complexities". Los Angeles Times: Part V, p. 1–2.
  12. McCarten, John (March 1, 1958). "The Current Cinema". The New Yorker: 104, 106.
  13. "The Brothers Karamazov". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 25 (295): 98–99. August 1958.

External links

Films directed by Richard Brooks
Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov (1880)
Characters
Films
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