The Brothers Karamazov is for me one of the masterpieces of foreign literature, and has very quickly become an all-time favourite, because of how compelling the story is, how interesting and thought-provoking the themes are and the brilliance of the multi-dimensional characterisation. Because of the huge length, the somewhat sprawling structure, the religious and philosophical elements and the amount of depth there is to the characters it is also an incredibly difficult book to adapt.
Of the two adaptations seen of The Brothers Karamazov, this and the 1958 film, this is the superior version of the two. Both this said are more than watchable on their own merits and adapt the book bravely. This 2009 Russian TV series version has shortcomings. The music score is a little uneven, sometimes it's fitting, elegantly simple and hauntingly beautiful but in other places it can feel too lush and sentimentalised where a grittier, suspenseful approach would have been more appropriate. Sergey Gorobchenko does well as Dmitri, especially in the more vulnerable parts, but doesn't quite bring the same amount of intensity that Yul Brynner did so splendidly in the earlier version, and while it was good to have the Grand Inquisitor scene included this time it felt rushed through, also feeling heavy-handed and with nowhere near the tension and impact it ought to have. There were times where the subtitles were rather suspect and out of sync, but the translation made sense mostly and wasn't too hard to follow.
However, Bratya Karamazovy looks great, with a great sense of the 19th-century Russia period with its grittiness and opulence, beautifully done exteriors, evocative costuming and props and very handsome photography that didn't feel too staid or too flashy. The script writing is very clever and thoughtful, as well as making a real effort and succeeding in keeping the essence and tone of Dostoevsky's writing without being too rambling or wordy. With the story, it is here where it scores better than the film version. The longer length meant that we were treated to more of the story and that the major scenes were utilised to their full potential, and while the pacing is measured it never felt dull because there was a lot happening, with more of the substance and impact than in the film and with more time to let it all sink in and reflect on it all. The telling of the story is quite faithful on the whole, with the big deviations being the beginning and the end, and, apart from the disappointing treatment of the Grand Inquisitor scene it's told with the right amount of tension, suspenseful mystery and emotion.
Characterisation is also superior here, while understandably not as complex as in the book the characters are better developed here, with the writing for Alexei/Alyosha being significantly improved and far more interesting and a better balance between characters, Dmitri's story is pivotal here but the rest of the characters thankfully are not treated any less importantly. It's well directed and the performances are solid, with Sergey Koltakov's intimidating Fyodor (a very juicy patriarchal character that could have easily been overplayed or too much of a hammy caricature), Masha Shalaeva's playful but touchingly conflicted Liza and Anatoliy Belyy's very nuanced Ivan being the standouts. Aleksandr Golubev charms and moves as Alexei, Elena Lyadova allures while also bringing an appropriate amount of earthiness and without being too genteel, Viktoriya Isakova is spot on as Katerina and Pavel Derevyanko's Smerdyakov is suitably insidious.
All in all, a very well done version of a very hard-to-adapt masterpiece, and superior to the 1958 film version. 8/10 Bethany Cox
