Crime and Punishment U.S.A.
Crime and Punishment U.S.A. (1959) is an American feature film, directed by Denis Sanders, and is – as the New York Times put it – “a beat generation version”[1][2] of the novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
| Crime and Punishment U.S.A. | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Denis Sanders |
| Produced by | Terry Sanders |
| Screenplay by | Walter Newman |
| Based on | Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky |
| Starring | George Hamilton Mary Murphy Frank Silvera Marian Seldes |
| Music by | Herschel Burke Gilbert |
| Cinematography | Floyd Crosby |
| Edited by | Merrill G. White |
| Distributed by | Allied Artists |
Release date | November 1, 1959 |
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The film was released on November 1, 1959, is 96 minutes in length, and shot in black-and-white. In addition to making some changes in the plot and characterizations, it sets the tale, not in 19th-century Russia, but in mid-20th-century Los Angeles. The script was written by Walter Newman, and stars George Hamilton, in his first screen role,[3] as “Robert Cole,” the character based on Raskolnikov, the protagonist of the Russian novel.
Cast
- Mary Murphy as Sally
- Frank Silvera as Lieutenant Porter
- Marian Seldes as Debbie Cole
- John Harding as Fred Swanson
- Wayne Heffley as Rafe
- Eve McVeagh as Mrs. Griggs
- Tony Johnson as Mrs. Cole
- Lew Brown as Sergeant Neil Samuels
- George Hamilton as Robert
- Len Lesser as Desk Officer
Production
According to Hamilton, director Denis Sanders "saw his project as a tragedy for the Beat Generation" and cast Hamilton because of his similarity to Tony Perkins.[4]
The film was completed early in 1958 but took over a year to be released.[4]
Reception
In his review in The New Republic, Stanley Kauffmann commented that “modern versions of classics are generally more clever than convincing because the very term ‘classic’ means a timeless work . . . that need not be transplanted.”[5] Nonetheless, he continued, “by reason of its attendant skills and an innocent, unpretentious earnestness of address," Crime and Punishment U.S.A. "is a moderately interesting attempt to state the material of a vast symphony with a small jazz combination.”
Roger Corman later said the film "lost me a lot of money."[6]
See also
References
- C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders, New York Times (December 15, 1987)
- "New York Times movie database".
- C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders in New York Times, Dec. 15, 1987. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/88130/Crime-and-Punishment-USA/overview.
- George Hamilton & William Stadiem, Don't Mind If I Do, Simon & Schuster 2008 p 122
- New Republic 140:24 (June 15, 1969), pp. 22–23.
- Nasr, Constantine (2011). Roger Corman: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series). University Press of Mississippi. p. 7.