The World of Cinema

When Sigmund Freud finished reading "The Brothers Karamazov" he said: "Dostoevsky has written the most beautiful story that has appeared so far."

Nor were Zweig, Bennett, Proust, and other world novelists and critics any less admiring of the psychological writer's work, and the many writings in criticism and analysis of "The Brothers Karamazov" were on a worldwide scale.

One may well ask in astonishment: how did time pass over the seventh art without the men of the cinema — they who search and dig so earnestly for a strong story to guarantee the success of their productions — how did they not think of translating the Russian writer's pages into talking pictures?...

In fact, this great dream tempted more than one producer, writer, and director. But it would fade after the first study of the subject, for the backbone of the story of "The Brothers Karamazov" is the deep psychological analysis — in which it perhaps reached its very peak — which it is difficult for the picture to express with precision and fidelity. Hence arose the peril of venturing upon this enormous literary and artistic work, and the cinema men shrank from it.

It was the right of the writer and director Richard Brooks to have his share of the "great dream." After devoting himself to a thorough study of the story and acquainting himself with everything written about it, he made up his mind to carry it to the screen, defying the obstacles and the expressive means of the seventh art, and to condense the six hours of showing that the

Dmitri — Yul Brynner, whom we applauded in the films "The King and I" and "Anastasia"

story requires into two hours, without its losing its psychological meaning and its literary splendor.

He had to have acting elements genuine in their art, intelligent, full of delicate feeling, able to live "The Brothers Karamazov" truthfully; so his choice fell on world-famous actors, and he secured Yul Brynner for the role of Dmitri, Maria Schell for the role of