Films & Events
The Karamazovs
The Karamazovs layers Dostoyevsky’s themes of morality, atheism, and their consequences through the interplay of novel, play, film, and real life. Based on the novel of similar name, the film shows a theater troupe from Prague in a production of “The Brothers Karamazov” at a Polish steel mill. The stage production brings the father, Fyodor Karamazov, back from the grave to confront his sons about his murder. The play slowly reveals each son’s role in his father’s death, while offstage the characters’ stories interlace and begin to reflect the themes portrayed on stage. Writer-director Petr Zelenka adds depth and accessibility to this complex weave by giving us a view that others in the film do not see. Issues of faith, immortality, and the redemption of man combine both on and off the stage and make us wonder, if there is no God, is everything permitted?
Cast & Crew
Director: Petr Zelenka
Producer: Cestmír Kopecký
Editor: Vladimír Barák
Screenwriter: Petr Zelenka
Cinematographer: Alexander Šurkala
Awards: Official Academy Award Submission (Foreign Film) Karlovy Vary IFF 2008 (FIPRESCI Prize)
Music: Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
Principal Cast: Ivan Trojan, Igor Chmela, Martin Myši?ka, David Novotný, Rodek Holub
Filmography: Wrong Side Up (2005); Year of the Devil (2002); Buttoners (1997)
World Sales: Prvni Verejnopravni
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(6 reviews)
user reviews
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Very meta, Jun 04, 2009
By Sara Barz
“"The Karamazovs" was a bit too meta for my tastes. Also the story line included a lot of details that weren't well-developed.
On the plus side the acting was great. And the scene with the Dostoevsky puppet -- that had the whole audience laughing.”
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Really Good, Jun 06, 2009
By Andrea Harrington
“Very interesting. The main Dostoyevsky storyline as told by the actors via the play was less poignant for me than the underlying thread woven outside of it. Because there was so much of that storyline present, parts of the film dragged a little for me and perhaps not as profound as intended. My”
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Only if you really really like Dostoevsky, Jun 07, 2009
By Vernon Van Steenkist
“Having liked all the Czech films I have seem before (I served the King of England, Czech Dreams, etc.), I went to this movie with high hopes. However, I was extremely disappointed.
Using an old, partially shut down steel mill in Poland as a back drop, I thought this movie would provide relevant”
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A miracle, Jun 08, 2009
By Jason Eckelman
“This is how timeless film-making is done. I don't feel like my vocabularly is sufficient to convey how totally devastating this film is, so, by analogy, I will say it left me feeling like the town of Sodom after the Lord rained fire and destruction down upon it. First off, I loved the adaptation”
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The Karamazovs, Jun 09, 2009
By Alex Williams
“This irritating movie relies on tired and idiotic crowd-pleasing antics (comical farting, straight men playfully engaged in anal-sex pantomime) to establish a light-hearted tone as a Czech theater troupe arrives at an old Polish steel mill for their staging of Dostoyevsky. Once the production gets”
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