The Brothers Karamazov

Released Feb 20, 1958

2 hr. 26 min.

Drama

List

25%

12 Reviews

Tomatometer

57%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel, Fyodor Karamazov (Lee J. Cobb) is a wealthy and controlling father who must choose an heir among his four sons. Dmitri (Yul Brynner), the oldest son, is engaged to Katya (Claire Bloom) but starts seeing his father's mistress, Grushenka (Maria Schell). The other brothers, Ivan (Richard Basehart), Alexey (William Shatner) and half-brother Smerdyakov (Albert Salmi), all have designs on the inheritance, ultimately leading to betrayal and murder.

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Louis J

While this film adaption is a bastardization of Dostoevsky's philosophy, reeks of Hollywood McCarthyism, and the setting is too modern, it is nevertheless a treat to see these characters come to life; as distant from their literary contemporaries as they may be.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of my favorite movies of all time. It sent me to the novel with faces, voices and emotions to help me understand the characters. The addition of the chapter "The Grand Inquisitor" did not seem inconsistent with the conflicts in a story, which centered on the passions of the headstrong eldest brother (Yul Brynner) to defy his amoral father (Lee J. Cobb) and win the love of Grushenka (Maria Schell), the free spirit representing the life that Dimitri desires once he has freed himself from his oppressive father. It's true the other characters' roles are diminished by the film's attention to Brynner and Schell, whose performances are strong enough to carry the story without extra attention to the Karamazov brothers played by Richard Basehart and William Shattner. But the film captures the two stars at the height of their screen magnetism, conveying the inner life of Brynner's headstrong Dimitri and Schell's ravishing Grushenka with unforgettable power, enabling this viewer to read the 900-page novel in a mere several sittings. From this film I went on to read Kierkegaard's most challenging works on the meaning of faith while carrying a lifelong secret love of Maria Schell (if she did not age well, it's because no human could embody the beauty of the film's Grushenka for more than the briefest time--all the more reason to be grateful for director Brooks' preserving this record of her undeniable allure).

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/23/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An overlong, plodding film that has some good performances. First, the acting in this film is pretty good overall, especially Lee J. Cobb's performance. However, Maria Schell's performance was quite underwhelming as she was grinning in almost every scene and failed to take full advantage of the more dramatic parts of the film. The film goes a bit off the rails when Dmitri Karamazov goes mad looking for Grushenka and stubbles into a bar and beats everyone up and then is supposedly redeemed by agreeing with each witness's account of his other crimes. The most over the top scenes were the scenes with the poor father and his sick son. The film really tries squeeze every bit of weariness out of these characters but it just comes across as ridiculous. For example, the father refusing to accept any money because his sick son tells him not to until Dmitri wants to challenge the father to a duel. Just ridiculous. Lee J. Cobb's performance was definitely the highlight of the film and made the film more engaging with each scene he was in. His nomination for Best Supporting Actor was fully deserved and I thought he was definitely better than Gig Young in Teacher's Pet; the only other nominee I have seen. This is Richard Brook's worst film I have seen so far; The Happy Ending is just a tad better and Sweet Bird of Youth is significantly better directed and written. Overall, a boring film that loses its intrigue halfway through due to a tiring love triangle and over-the-top sorrow subplot. However, Brenner and Cobb do their best salvage the film with superb acting.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

steve d

Yul Brynner makes it worth your time.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Lucky Bird

Amazing dancers and wonderful choreography

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/10/19

Full Review

Marina G

Amazing choreography! Super skilled ballet dancers!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/10/19

Full Review

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Richard Brooks

Director

Yul Brynner

Dmitri Karamazov

Maria Schell

Grushenka

Lee J. Cobb

Father Karamazov

Claire Bloom

Katya

Richard Basehart

Ivan Karamazov

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Variety Staff

Variety

Bold handling of crude unbridled passion, of violently conflicting ideas, and of earthy humor makes up The Brothers Karamazov.

Apr 8, 2008

Full Review

Tom Milne

Time Out

Very uncertain in period and atmosphere, and saddled with some terrible performances.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Bosley Crowther

New York Times

Conspicuous assets are the striking color photography and the musical score, both of which help a great deal in enhancing the drama's savage and soulful moods.

Rated: 4/5

Mar 25, 2006

Full Review

Arlene Croce

Film Culture

The performances, either through uncertain casting or the inequalities of the script, achieve no unity or style or attack.

Mar 28, 2022

Full Review

Stanley Kauffmann

The Reporter

In spite of all the virtues cited above, one leaves the film with a sense of disappointment. Part of this is due to the shortcomings of the script.

Dec 16, 2021

Full Review

Clyde Gilmour

Maclean's Magazine

Writer-director Richard Brooks has done a solid job of filming Dostoevski's formidable novel...

Nov 7, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

Based on Fyodor Dostoevsky's novel, Fyodor Karamazov (Lee J. Cobb) is a wealthy and controlling father who must choose an heir among his four sons. Dmitri (Yul Brynner), the oldest son, is engaged to Katya (Claire Bloom) but starts seeing his father's mistress, Grushenka (Maria Schell). The other brothers, Ivan (Richard Basehart), Alexey (William Shatner) and half-brother Smerdyakov (Albert Salmi), all have designs on the inheritance, ultimately leading to betrayal and murder.

Director: Richard Brooks
Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Production Co: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 20, 1958, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 27, 2016

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