To adapt a monumental literary masterpiece for the big screen without compromising part of its substance and/or spirit is a challenging goal. This shows yet again in the 1969 adaptation of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s timeless classic The Brothers Karamazov.
Directed by Kirill Lavrov, Ivan Pyrev, and Mikhail Ulyanov, this adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov runs nearly four hours with two of the directors also playing two of the Karamazov brothers – Kirill Lavrov playing Ivan and Mikhail Ulyanov playing Dmitri. The plot covers most of the major events from the original novel. What is left out, however, changes the movie’s feel as compared with Dostoevsky’s original work and can thus be assessed fairly from a certain angle only.
The movie follows the novel’s main plot of the eldest Karamazov brother Dmitri’s pursuit of his obsessive love for Grushenka (Lionella Pyryeva) which pits him against his father, Fyodor Karamazov (Mark Prudkin), and the conflict takes its toll on the family. The three brothers Dmitri, Ivan, and Alyosha (Andrey Myagkov) deal with the situation according to their respective philosophies of life. Dmitri personifies worldliness, Ivan embodies intellectual indifference, and Alyosha is the biblical example of faith and humility – a pure heart you only find in legends.
True to Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov by Lavrov, Pyrev, and Ulyanov presents the passions and vulnerabilities of the characters in a melodramatic style, very well-suited for a stage performance. The sets are designed accordingly and those who love the novel will be able to feel the spirit of the dramatic art throbbing in the lines and actions on the screen. The mystery of who murdered Fyodor Karamazov adds to the dramatic tension in favor of Dmitri’s character that dominates the plot.
Yet the novel fans who are in awe of the philosophical depth of Dostoevsky’s book may feel somewhat cheated in that The Brothers Karamazov in question chose not to bring that part out in full force or even leaving out some really important segments. The most notable of the latter, one which is so widely credited for making Dostoevsky’s novel a philosophical gem, is the novel chapter “The Grand Inquisitor” wherein Ivan discusses the nature of human freedom with Alyosha. This adaptation excludes that chapter, leaving a void that would hurt the novel lovers. Same goes for the chapter “Rebellion” of the book. Both missing pieces take a heavy toll on Ivan’s character. The movie also underrepresents Alyosha’s character.
It is understandable to compromise on some aspects of a voluminous novel like The Brothers Karamazov (the book running around a thousand pages) when making a movie out of it. The Brothers Karamazov by Lavrov, Pyrev, and Ulyanov does a good job in presenting the dramatic part of Dostoevsky’s novel while sacrificing the philosophical side, which would have been difficult to enact within the timeframe of the movie. Accordingly, this adaptation is judged satisfactory from the dramatic angle. For a more philosophically inclusive presentation, one needs to look for longer adaptations, most likely a TV series.
