Raskolnikow (1923)

Watching Silent Films

"Crime and Punishment," the original story written in twelve monthly installments during 1866 by Dostoevsky, focuses on the mental anguish and moral dilemmas of Rodion Raskolnikov, an impoverished ex-student in Saint Petersburg who formulates a plan to kill an unscrupulous pawnbroker for her money. Before the killing, Raskolnikov believes that with the money he could liberate himself from poverty and go on to perform great deeds. However, he finds himself racked with confusion, paranoia, and disgust for what he has done. His justifications disintegrate completely as he struggles with guilt and horror and confronts the real-world consequences of his deed.

This version by Caligari filmmaker Robert Weine similarly follows along the same lines of the novel, Gregori Chmara starring as the disparaged Raskolnikov.

Although the 1923 version we observed for this podcast wasn't of the greatest quality, we recommend checking out many of the other remakes of Crime and Punishment -- there are at least 30 others!

Hosted by YiFeng, Bob, and Lily

Recorded on September 9, 2020