Crime and Punishment (1935 American film)

Crime and Punishment is a 1935 American drama film directed by Josef von Sternberg for Columbia Pictures.^[1] The screenplay was adapted by Joseph Anthony and S.K. Lauren from Fyodor Dostoevsky's 1866 novel of the same title. The film stars Peter Lorre in the lead role of Raskolnikov (here named Roderick instead of Rodion).

Crime and Punishment

Josef von Sternberg

Crime and Punishment
by Fyodor Dostoevsky

B.P. Schulberg

Lucien Ballard

Richard Cahoon

B.P. Schullberg Productions

Columbia Pictures

November 21, 1935 (1935-11-21)

88 minutes

United States

English

Von Sternberg, who was contractually obliged to make the film, disliked it, later writing that it was "no more related to the true text of the novel than the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower is related to the Russian environment."^[2]

The Library of Congress holds a print.^[3]

as Roderick Raskolnikov

Peter Lorre

as Inspector Porfiry

Edward Arnold

as Sonya

Marian Marsh

as Antonya Raskolnikov

Tala Birell

as Mrs. Raskolnikov

Elizabeth Risdon

as Dmitri

Robert Allen

as Grilov

Douglas Dumbrille

as Lushin

Gene Lockhart

as University President

Charles Waldron

as Editor

Thurston Hall

as Clerk

Johnny Arthur

as Pawnbroker

Mrs. Patrick Campbell

Critical reception[edit]

Writing for The Spectator in 1936, Graham Greene gave the film a poor review, noting that despite the fine acting of Peter Lorre, this version of Crime and Punishment was entirely too vulgar. Greene commented that the original Russian story of "religious and unhappy mind" had been altered in this picture into a "lunch-bar-chromium version" with idealism, ethics, and optimism "of a salesman who has never failed to sell his canned beans". He recommended Crime et Châtiment as a much better version of the story.^[20]

American Film Institute. 2017. Crime and Punishment (1935). Movie details, History section. Retrieved 2 July 2018.

https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/4127

Beltzer, Thomas. 2004. Crime and Punishment: A Neglected Classic. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 2 July 2018.

http://sensesofcinema.com/2004/cteq/crime_and_punishment/

. 1971. The Cinema of Josef von Sternberg. The International Film Guide Series. A.S Barners & Company, New York.

Baxter, John

Beltzer, Thomas. 2004. Crime and Punishment: A Neglected Classic. Senses of Cinema. Retrieved 2 July 2018.

http://sensesofcinema.com/2004/cteq/crime_and_punishment/

Sarris, Andrew. 1966. The Films of Josef von Sternberg. Museum of Modern Art/Doubleday. New York, New York.

Supten, Tom. 2006. Auteur in Distress: On Wallace Beery, von Sternberg, and Sergeant Madden. Bright Lights Film Journal. Retrieved 12 July 2018.

http://brightlightsfilm.com/auteur-distress-wallace-beery-von-sternberg-sergeant-madden/#.W0ea_ZCWyUk

Swanbeck, Laura. 2013. The Crank: 'Crime and Punishment' Program Notes. UCLA Film and Television Archive. Retrieved 2 July 2018. Archived 2018-08-28 at the Wayback Machine

http://www.tft.ucla.edu/mediascape/blog/the-crank-crime-and-punishment-program-notes-41113-screening/

at IMDb

Crime and Punishment

at AllMovie

synopsis

at the TCM Movie Database

Crime and Punishment

at the AFI Catalog of Feature Films

Crime and Punishment (1935 American film)