The Brothers Karamazov (1958) : distribution, intrigue et streaming

Released in 1958, The Brothers Karamazov is a drame and romance film directed by Richard Brooks, running about 145 minutes. “The greatness and glory, the loves and sins of the famed novel.” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Ryevsk, Russia, 1870. Tensions abound in the Karamazov family. Fyodor is a wealthy libertine who holds his purse strings tightly. His four grown sons include Dmitri, the eldest, an elegant officer, always broke and at odds with his father, betrothed to Katya, herself lovely and rich. The other brothers include a sterile aesthete, a factotum who is a bastard, and a monk. Family tensions erupt when Dmitri falls in love with one of his father's mistresses, the coquette Grushenka. Two brothers see Dmitri's jealousy of their father as an opportunity to inherit sooner. Acts of violence lead to the story's conclusion: trials of honor, conscience, forgiveness, and redemption.

Who’s in it. The Brothers Karamazov stars Yul Brynner as Dmitri Karamazov, Maria Schell as Grushenka, Lee J. Cobb as Fyodor Karamazov and William Shatner as Alexi Karamazov, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.6/10, The Brothers Karamazov has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch The Brothers Karamazov page.

If you liked it. Fans of The Brothers Karamazov tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, Le Parrain, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.