“The Gambler” loosely adapted by James Toback for the Dostoevsky story. Dir. by Karel Reisz.
“Four Nights Of A Dreamer”.
“Tricheurs”
“The Son”
“The Crossing Guard”
“I also have to check out Godard’s “La Chinoise”, which is supposedly a loose adaptation of “Demons”.”
This is true, but it’s more of a Godard film than Dostoevsky adaptation — still, you don’t get more blatant than naming one of the lead characters “Kirilov.”
One must mention Kurosawa. Other than making an outright adaptation almost all of his films deal with similar themes. (Kurosawa did say Dostoevsky was his favourite writer).
Au Hasard Balthazar isn’t a loose adaptation of The Idiot, but the elements are very similar.
What an interesting topic. Looking forward to the development of this thread…
MAtch Point by Woody Allen
I would say that both Robert Bresson and Akira Kurosawa have come closest to the thematic and psychological preocuppations of Dostoyevsky, so apart from wether being a direct adaptation or not would say that Pickpocket, Au hasard Balthazar, Four Nights of a Dreamer and Une femme douce by Bresson, and The Idiot, High and Low and Red Beard by Kurosawa come closest. Andrei Tarkovsky always wanted to make an adaptation of one of Dostoyevsky´s novels, and his last films Nostalgia and The Sacrifice may be influenced by his novels as well as by Tolstoij. Another director whose bleakness and density remind me of Dostoyevsky´s descriptions in Crime and Punishment is Michael Haneke, and especially his film Benny´s Video which also centers around a cold-blooded murder.
Definitely The Machinist, though I hesitate to say why without giving the plot away.
Anyone else agree? Seem obvious.
We can post a spoiler warning and then discuss.
Critic David Thomson points out that Kirk Douglas (or should I say Kirk Demsky) is a very Dostoevskian actor (may as well be a Karamazov), and I could not agree more.
Marco Bellochio’s “Fists in the Pocket” is about a misanthropic young epileptic and his family – I thought it reeked of Dusty and I loved that about it. Obviously Kurosawa loved him, and I think he and Kurosawa may as well have been kin, given the way each man approaches a conflict and spells out with minute detail of the A—>B process.
“Fists In The Pocket”, good call, Miasma.
Visconti’s Le notti bianche
Kurosawa’s Hakuchi
Bresson’s Un femme douce
Wadja’s Les possédés
Brilliant topic, Rodya. The first film that came to mind was Petr Weigl’s adaptation of “Lady Macbeth of Mtensk”. As well as the strikingly similar themes and portrayals of human suffering, there is the scene at the end of the endless line of prisoners crossing a bridge – a very Dostoevskian image indeed.
I believe “The Gentle Maiden” inspired Bresson’s “Un femme douce”; there is also Petr Zelenka’s “The Karamazovs” released in 2008 from the novel (and theatrical adaptation) of the same name.
So how is Kurosawa’s THE IDIOT???
I want to see some of these. THANKS! =)
Great topic.
I do adore those old Russians. Just saying.
I wish Tarkovsky could have realized his vision of one day adapting Dostoevsky.
So much of Andrei Rubilev invoked Alyosha from Brothers K. This seemingly naive young man, wandering through a world that antagonizes his ideals. I’ve always considered these to be closely related texts.
Oh yeah, Two Lovers, loosely inspired by White Nights
http://blog.spout.com/2009/02/13/two-lovers-james-gray-interview/
See link for James Gray’s assertion that Scorsese and Schrader did Notes from the Underground perfectly in ’76
Polanski seems to be one of the few directors to my mind that does Dostoyevsky justice.
Incidentally, what does La Chinoise have to do with Demons? I love both but they seem to have nothing to do with each other.
The plot is a very loose swipe, with the characters in “La Chinoise” roughly corresponding to equivalent roles in “The Devils” — transposed onto Marxist-Leninist French university students, mind. They form a Marxist cell that, through their philosophizing, becomes a terrorist cell, and ultimately a failed terrorist cell at that. (As stated above, the most blatant clue to this is the suicidal, insane Dostoevsky character and the suicidal, insane Godard character both being named “Kirilov.” Guillame in “La Chinoise” corresponds to Verkhovensky, etc.)
But like I said, it’s much more of a Godard film than a Dostoevsky adaptation — it’s Godard Does Dostoevsky in the same way that “Breathless” corresponds to Godard Does Hollywood Gangster Film, you know? “La Chinoise” is a black comedy and a document of then-current affairs as much as it is a retelling of “The Devils.”
Four Nights Of A Dreamer is possibly my favourite Bresson
and at the same time im a big fan of Viscontis version of white nights too
I think short stories make better film adaptions usually (opposed to novels that is)
Has anyone mentioned Bresson’s Une femme douce? I did not feel the elegance and poignancy of this story until I watched this adaptation.
I love Dostoevsky, but I can’t of many films that I called “Dostoevskian” (none that come to mind).
Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemenors and Match-Point touch on a similar theme, but with opposite conclusions from D.
I agree with Josh Ryan about The Machinist, although the book its related to is way better than the film.
I know that propaganda is the reason he is made so noble, but Ballad of a Soldier’s Alyosha reminds me a lot of Alyosha Karamazov. maybe its just the name
Hahaha @ Kirk Douglas being a Karamazov. Could very well be true
but what about the demonisation of Christ like traits like in the Idiot? I’m sure there has to be a film with that sort of theme
for some reason I’ve always thought of Knut Hamsun as Dostoevskian, so you may wanna take a look at HUNGER. I haven’t seen it but the novel certainly comes close. Wiki lists two films, 1966 and 2001.
The 1966 version of Hamsun´s novel is brilliant, and the protagonist does indeed remind of Rodion Raskolnikoff.
Pickpocket = crime and P
Believe it or not, Ballad of a Soldier has many themes taken from Dostoevsky (who is also one of my favorite authors). Character names from the Idiot and Bros K are used throughout the film as well as introspective character scenes.
perhaps someone has already mentioned tarkovsky’s the mirror, which explicitly likens “the mother” to maria lebyatkin, and the son in which is named ignat
perhaps someone has already mentioned tarkovsky’s the mirror, which explicitly likens “the mother” to maria lebyatkin, and the son in which is named ignat
Rodya
So I’m a big admirer of Dostoevsky, and I’m looking for recommendations of films that could be called “Dostoevskian”. I don’t mean adaptations (those are easy enough to find), but films with thematic similarities to Dostoevsky’s novels. So far I’ve seen “Pickpocket”, “The Decalogue”, “Solaris” (1972), “Rope”, and “Crimes and Misdemeanors”, all of which I’d consider Dostoevskian. I’ve read that some of Bresson’s films are Dostoevsky inspired. (From what I understand, “Au Hasard Balthazar” is loosely based, or inspired by some aspect of, “The Idiot”.) I also have to check out Godard’s “La Chinoise”, which is supposedly a loose adaptation of “Demons”.