L'Idiot

Rather than try to condense Dostoevsky's long ample novel into one film, the makers of this Soviet adaptation wisely decided to do it in multiple parts, allowing them to explore the material at less of a rushed pace. Only the first part ended up being made, but it is enough of a treasure in itself that we can be grateful, and comes to an end at a natural point.

"Intense" is probably the one best word to describe this adaptation; the performances are all tuned to an appropriate level of passionate unreason and tortured emotionality for Dostoevskian characters, and the direction supports this, with plenty of tense, lingering close-ups. The production looks rich and claustrophobic, with the lush but small rooms seeming to amplify the charged nature of the scenes. Even the make-up people seem to have assisted in creating the uniform artistic effect, as all the characters seem appear sunken-eyed and almost maddened.

Yuriy Yakovlev is appropriately innocent and ineffectual and Myshkin, which in this tense atmosphere means his character tends to fall into the background perhaps more than one might expect. The show is really stolen by Yuriy Yakovlev as Nastasya Filipovna. She's looks gorgeous and gives a fantastic performance -- constantly laughing and toying with others. She has as much screen magnetism as anyone I've ever seen, and I was surprised and disappointed to learn that she appeared in relatively few films being mainly a stage actress. With her interpretation is makes perfect sense why so many of the men fall head over heels for this "shamed" woman, and her mercurial, teasing, troublemaking character makes perfect sense.

This impressive dramatization and realisation of one of Dostoievsky's greatest novels only covers the first part of the book - evidently the sequel was never made. But just this highly dramatic introducing part of the novel is quite enough for a film, which director and screenwriter Ivan Pyrev probably realised and let it be at that. It is very theatrical, but the great dramatisation crowded with exaggerations, almost like in a silent film, only serve to enhance the humanity, the passions, the emotion and the extreme sensitivity of Dostoievsky's novel, which he himself regarded as his best favourite. The acting couldn't have been better, particularly the main characters Anastasia Filippovna, Rogozhin, Myshkin and Ganya are like pulled directly out of the novel, and Dostoievsky himself would no doubt have been pleased. Even the music, in its basic nervous strings like in a passionate string quartet, serve to make this film unforgettably authentic in its fidelity to Dostoievsky in his constantly high strung and psychologically sharp and poignant mood.

This is how Dostoevsky adaptations need to be, and hardly ever are. 1) Everyone needs to act like they're on crack all the time, 2) It needs to be either snowing or 100 degrees all the time, and 3) Everyone's eyes have to be crazy.

This film meets all those requirements, and it's the only one that does. Although the second part was never made, the first part is worth watching and re-watching. The crazy Soviet montages, the crazy eyes, the red velvet everywhere, the lighting from beneath that makes everyone look like they're in hell...it's brilliant.

The soundtrack is gorgeous. I wish I could find it on mp3. And when one character says to another: "What's wrong with your face?" the face in question is worth the entire film. And it's pure Dostoevsky. HUZZAH for this film.

I like Russian literature. This book is one of the best I've ever read. It's not a good idea to adapt this book into a movie. . .

When you can not write about a film more than it is a masterpiece. First, for admirable Nastasia Filipovna proposed by Iulia Borisova. Second, for realistic Rogozhin of. Leonid Parkhomenko. Not the last, off course, for the portrait of kniaz Myshkin, ofered by Iuri Iakovlev. Second, because few scenes are so intense than the film becomes an experience. It is a great adaptation , one of the most beautiful crafted from Fyodor Dostoyevsky work.

No doubts, temptation to compare this version with the miniseries made by Vladimir Bordko in 2003 works. But not in brilliant manner . First, for wise crafted version , who has the fair desire to propose only a part from novel.

Second, for atmosphere and great use of close up.

For rooms and for eyes and for the large slices of madness.

And for the honest way to offer, in noble manner, the spirit of Dostoievsky novel.

In short, just a masterpiece. In special sense.