The Brothers Karamazov (1958)

Directed by Richard Brooks. Starring Yul Brynner, Maria Schell, William Shatner, Richard Basehart, Lee J. Cobb, Claire Bloom, Albert Salmi, Edgar Stehli, Judith Evelyn, Harry Townes, David Opatoshu.

Inactive, confused adaptation of the celebrated Dostoevsky novel ditches much of the philosophy to get to the dense dysfunctional family drama of Fyodor Karamazov and his four sons of varying birth mothers and legitimacy. Brynner brings much enthusiasm to his role as oldest brother, Dmitri, but director Brooks doesn’t harness that liveliness for a purpose; no one seems to have a firm grasp on what the man is all about, and the other brothers and Greshenka (Schell)—a rival love interest for two of them—follow suit with isolated generosity and/or stoic focus, but what’s the attitude, the moral, the meaning? The filmmakers also botch the ending, which is “happier” than the novel’s resolution. John Alton’s vibrant color photography and Cobb’s robust portrayal of the proud and overbearing Karamazov papa are among the few elements worth taking note of in this murky misfire. As a moralistic Karamazov brother, Shatner is more restrained than you’d expect in his first film role.

45/100