The Brothers Karamazov (1958) on Netflix
Approved19582h 25mDramaRomance
In Ryevsk, Russia, in 1870, Dmitri Karamazov, an army officer deep in debt, wants the inheritance his father Fyodor keeps from him. Fyodor and Dmitri both want Grushenka, the tavern owner.
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- Netflix2.3/5
- IMDb6.7/103,361 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes25%
Trailer
Plot summary
Fyodor Karamazov is a wealthy and unscrupulous businessman in Ryevsk, Russia, in 1870, and he keeps a tight hold on his money while manipulating his grown sons. Dmitri, an army officer, drinks and spends whatever he can pry out of the inheritance his mother left him, and his father makes him sign a promissory note before handing over anything. Ivan is a writer, Alexey a monk, and Pavel Smerdyakov, a bastard son, lives as a servant in the house. Dmitri is betrothed to Katya, a rich young woman whose offer to settle his debts he refuses, while Fyodor pursues Grushenka, the shrewd owner of a tavern. When Dmitri falls for Grushenka as well, father and son become rivals over both money and the woman.
Cast
- Miko Oscardas Ilyusha Snegiryov
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Brothers Karamazov (1958)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Marilyn Monroe was rumored to be in talks to play Grushenka in The Brothers Karamazov. An MGM executive said she had turned it down partly because she was expecting a baby, but Monroe's agent denied the studio ever made an offer; Richard Brooks attributed the collapse to her contractual demands and personal troubles.
- Carroll Baker was the next choice to play Grushenka, but Warner Bros. put her on suspension and would not loan her out after she refused to play Diana Barrymore in Too Much, Too Soon. Maria Schell took the part instead, making her American film debut.
- Director Richard Brooks wanted to shoot on location in Russia, but Cold War politics led MGM to insist on recreating Russian locales at its Culver City studios instead.
- The 1958 Dostoevsky adaptation The Brothers Karamazov was also the film debut for William Shatner, Albert Salmi and Simon Oakland, alongside Maria Schell's American screen debut.
- Richard Brooks shifted the film's focus from the novel's principal character, Alyosha, to Dmitri, saying he felt Dmitri was a more action-oriented character and thus a more appropriate protagonist for a film.
