Richard Brooks
could be an exacerbating individual; relentlessly unsympathetic to his actors
and crew. But no one can deny he was one hell of a great director, and he
proves it again with The Brothers
Karamazov (1958); an exuberant adaptation of Fyodor Dolstoyevsky's epic
novel of familial greed. Brooks penchant for telling stories with a strong
social commentary excels at extolling the flawed - and occasionally ruptured -
relationships between four male heirs to a family fortune. It took the author
two years to compose the novel, a passionate philosophical debate about God,
man's perceptions of his own free will and the godless way he conducts himself
to suit his own (im)morality. Dolstoyevsky always intended the book to be part
of a masterwork entitled The Life of a
Great Sinner. But he died a scant four months after his book was published.
For the film,
director Brooks assumes a daunting task: to translate philosophy into a
tangible visual medium. Overall, he succeeds, possibly because Brooks could see
much of his own inner demons being exorcised in the novel. Brooks, who also
wrote the screenplay, has achieved a minor coup. He has made Dolstoyevsky's
prose concretely visual without boring us with the platitudes and epiphanies. The
film begins in earnest with monk Alexi Karamazov (William Shatner) in search of
his lecherous father Fyodor Pavlovich (Lee J. Cobb) to reclaim a payment owed
his eldest brother, Lieutenant Dmitri Karamazov (Yul Brynner). Alexi finds
Fyodor at home, indulging in a violent orgy with tavern owner, Agrafena
Alexandrovna Svetlova Grushenka (Maria Schell). Although the Karamazov's
patriarch is entertaining thoughts of marriage, the fiery Grushenka does not
share in them.
Dmitri has
offered to pay a debt to save the reputation of a prominent local family in
Ryevsk for the elegant Katya (Claire Bloom) with the promise that she will
become his mistress as remuneration. Very reluctantly, and bitterly, Katya
agrees to these terms. But Dmitri has had a change of heart. Katya is an honorable
woman. Instead of seduction, Dmitri offers her the money as a gift she
gratefully accepts. Moments later Dmitri is arrested by the army police for a
brawl he had earlier in the evening. A few months later Katya visits Dmitri in
prison with overwhelming news. Her grandmother has died and left the entirety
of her estate to Katya, primarily because she never learned of the disgraceful
debt the family owed. In the interim Katya has fallen hopelessly in love with
Dmitri and, upon learning his fate, has come to pledge herself wholeheartedly
in marriage to him. However, Dmitri has recognized a fundamental flaw in his
own character. He is his father's son - prone to wanton revelry and
devil-may-care debaucheries that would make Katya a most unhappy wife.
Nevertheless,
Katya pursues Dmitri upon his release from prison. The Karamazov's middle son,
philosopher Ivan (Richard Basehart) is instantly smitten with her. But his
influence at home is most strongly felt by their father's bastard son, Pavel
Smerdjakov (Albert Salmi) who has taken Ivan's published works to heart. Ivan
does not believe in God or the law. They do not exist. Lawlessness is a myth
perpetrated by the state to control its populace. Presiding over this motley
brood is house servant Grigori (Edgar Stehli) who has been like a second father
to the boys. He has watched powerless as their father's lifestyle has infected
the entire family's welfare; financial, moral and spiritual.
Dmitri returns
home to demand that his father pay out the rest of their mother's inheritance
owed to him. He is refused and later rebuked when Fyodor enters into an unholy
alliance with Grushenka to buy up Dmitri's debts, then have him arrested for
not being able to repay them. Grushenka sends Captain Snegiryov (David
Opatoshu) to arrest Dmitri. Instead, Dmitri confronts the aged officer with a
challenge. Snegiryov begs for his life in front of his young son, Ilyusha (Miko
Oscard) who bitterly declares that he will never forgive Dmitri for his
father's humiliation. Dmitri learns of the plot against him from Snegiryov and
confronts Grushenka at a skating party. His initial plan is to use money given
to him by Katya to pay off his debts. Instead, Dmitri falls under Grushenka's
spell and throws a wild party in her honour at the tavern. Grushenka falls in
love with Dmitri and this hardens Katya's heart.
Hence, when
Dmitri is accused of murdering his own father, Katya seizes on the moment to
cast her word against him by exposing the debt of money owed to her. Prompted
by Alexi, Ivan confronts Smerdjakov who gleefully confessing to murdering the
elder Karamazov by striking him with a poker from the fireplace. Smerdjakov
declares that it was Ivan's writing and opinions that gave him the impetus to
plot his crime. Assuming responsibility for the crime, Ivan and his half-brother
struggle. But Ivan cannot bring himself to kill his father's killer. Instead he
declares that Smerdjakov will confess his crime, not only because it is a
crime, but to save Dmitri from spending the rest of his life in prison.
Smerdjakov's
faith in the faithless Ivan is shattered. Ivan returns several hours later with
Grushenka and policemen to arrest Smerdjakov, only to find that he has hanged
himself rather than face prosecution. The next day Ivan attempts to testify in
court as to what Smerdjakov told him. But the judges are unconvinced and
unsympathetic. They find Dmitri guilty of murder. Yet, as the prisoners are led
in chains onto a train bound for the work camp, Ivan observes that Dmitri is
not among them. Katya demands to know what has happened to him, but Ivan is
silent, joining Alexi, Dmitri and Grushenka in a carriage bound for the border.
At the last possible moment, Dmitri demands that they stop at Capt. Snegiryov's
home where Ilyusha lies very ill. Dmitri begs Snegiryov to pardon his
challenge, thereby restoring Ilyusha's faith in, and love for, his father -
emotions Dmitri always lacked towards his own. The carriage pulls into the
night, presumably with Dmitri and Grushenka bound for a better life together
abroad.
The Brothers Karamazov is a superior movie adaptation of an extremely complex literary masterpiece. Clearly,
Richard Brooks has done his homework. The script is literate without being a
literal translation of the novel. Necessary excisions to accommodate time
constraints have been made. But these never blunt the impact of the novel's
philosophical debates. Brooks’ screenplay captures the essence of the novel
without being essentially bound by its weighty narrative. And then there is the
cast to consider; a magnificent roster with not a false performance among them.
Yul Brynner is a powerful and commanding presence, as is Lee J. Cobb. Richard
Basehart - an actor sadly underrated in his own, as well as our, time - is
exceptional as the godless cynic who is converted by the final reel. Albert
Salmi, an actor that I must confess I had never heard of before, is absolutely
chilling as the prodigal with secretive bloodthirsty desires to cleanse himself
of his illegitimate past. Even William Shatner's pious monk is delivered with
reverence. Both Maria Schell and Claire Bloom give noteworthy performances as
opposing depictions of womanhood inexplicably drawn to the same flawed men.
The Brothers Karamazov also benefits
from the many gifted craftsmen working behind the camera. Bronislau Kaper's
score is expert and manages to capture the raw tension, fiery obsession and
carnal aliveness of the piece. John Alton's impressionist cinematography is a
perfect complement creating a sort of color coded claustrophobia that draws the
viewer into the darkening malaise that has enveloped this family. Walter
Plunkett's costume design is understated. The clothes don't speak for the
characters, but add their own social commentary about the Imperial caste
system. In the last analysis, The
Brothers Karamazov is an exceptional cinematic achievement. It excels at
sustaining Dolstoyevsky's high ideals while creating its own equally immersive
high drama.
Frankly, it is
beyond me how Warner Home Video could have allowed this memorable classic to go
the way of its Archive MOD DVD program. The
Brothers Karamazov is most definitely deserving of a fully restored Blu-ray
release. Having said that, the MOD DVD is not all that bad. Color fidelity is a
little weaker than expected. The film was photographed on single strip Eastman
stock and has begun to show subtle signs of vinegar syndrome. Flesh tones are
pasty. Reds are more orangey. Contrast levels are very good. The image is
occasionally 'thick' with a loss of fine detail. There are no digital anomalies
to speak of, and age related artifacts are kept to a bare minimum. On the whole
these shortcomings will not detract from the story. The audio is mono and
adequately presented. The only extra is a theatrical trailer. Highly
recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
5
VIDEO/AUDIO
3.5
EXTRAS
0
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