Crime and Punishment U.S.A.

Crime and Punishment U.S.A.
Crime and Punishment U.S.A.
Directed by	Denis Sanders
Screenplay by	Walter Newman
Based on	Crime and Punishment; 1866 novel; by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Produced by	Terry Sanders
Starring	Mary Murphy; Frank Silvera; Marian Seldes; John Harding; George Hamilton
Cinematography	Floyd Crosby
Edited by	Merrill G. White
Music by	Herschel Burke Gilbert
Distributed by	Allied Artists
Release date	November 1, 1959;
Running time	96 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Crime and Punishment U.S.A. is a 1959 American crime drama film directed by Denis Sanders, written by Walter Newman and starring George Hamilton in his first screen role.^[1] The film was released on November 1, 1959.

The New York Times called the film "a beat generation version"^[2]^[3] of the novel Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The film differs from the book in some of its plot elements and characterizations, and it takes place in contemporary Santa Monica rather than in 19th-century Russia.

Plot summary

A California law student murders a pawnbroker, then matches wits with the detective on the case. However, his conscience finally catches up with him, and he confesses to the murder.

Cast

Mary Murphy as Sally Marmon
Frank Silvera as Lt. Porter
Marian Seldes as Debbie Cole
John Harding as Fred Swanson
Wayne Heffley as Rafe
Toni Merrill as Mrs. Cole
Lew Brown as Sgt. Samuels
Barry Atwater
Sid Clute as Doctor
Ken Drake as Hendricks
Magda Harout
Jim Hyland as Man in Coffee Shop
Len Lesser as Desk Officer
George Saris
George Hamilton as Robert Cole

Production

According to George Hamilton, director Denis Sanders "saw his project as a tragedy for the Beat Generation" and cast Hamilton because of his similarity to Tony Perkins.^[4]

The film was completed early in 1958 but was released more than one year later.^[4]

Reception

In a contemporary review for The New Republic, Stanley Kauffmann commented that "modern versions of classics are generally more clever than convincing because the very term 'classic' means a timeless work ... that need not be transplanted. ... [B]y reason of its attendant skills and an innocent, unpretentious earnestness of address, [the film] is a moderately interesting attempt to state the material of a vast symphony with a small jazz combination."^[5]

Roger Corman later said that the film "lost me a lot of money."^[6]

References

^ C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders in New York Times, Dec. 15, 1987. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/88130/Crime-and-Punishment-USA/overview Archived 2012-07-09 at the Wayback Machine.
^ C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders, New York Times (December 15, 1987)
^ Eleanor Mannikka (2012). "New York Times movie database". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09.
^ ^a ^b George Hamilton & William Stadiem, Don't Mind If I Do, Simon & Schuster 2008 p 122
^ New Republic 140:24 (June 15, 1969), pp. 22–23.
^ Nasr, Constantine (2011). Roger Corman: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series). University Press of Mississippi. p. 7.

External links

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[1] C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders in New York Times, Dec. 15, 1987. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/88130/Crime-and-Punishment-USA/overview Archived 2012-07-09 at the Wayback Machine.

[2] C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders, New York Times (December 15, 1987)

[3] Eleanor Mannikka (2012). "New York Times movie database". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2012-07-09.

[george-4] George Hamilton & William Stadiem, Don't Mind If I Do, Simon & Schuster 2008 p 122

[5] New Republic 140:24 (June 15, 1969), pp. 22–23.

[6] Nasr, Constantine (2011). Roger Corman: Interviews (Conversations with Filmmakers Series). University Press of Mississippi. p. 7.

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