''Crime and Punishment U.S.A.'' (1959) is an American feature film directed by
Denis Sanders, written by
Walter Newman and starring
George Hamilton in his first screen role. The film was released on November 1, 1959.
''The New York Times'' called the film "a
beat generation
The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...
version" of the novel ''
Crime and Punishment'' by
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (, ; rus, Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский, Fyódor Mikháylovich Dostoyévskiy, p=ˈfʲɵdər mʲɪˈxajləvʲɪdʑ dəstɐˈjefskʲɪj, a=ru-Dostoevsky.ogg, links=yes; 11 November 18219 ...
. The film differs from the book in some of its plot elements and characterizations, and it takes place in contemporary
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
rather than in 19th-century
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
Cast
*
Mary Murphy as Sally
*
Frank Silvera
Frank Alvin Silvera (July 24, 1914 – June 11, 1970) was a Jamaican-born American character actor and theatrical director.
Born in Kingston, Jamaica and raised in Boston, Silvera dropped out of law school in 1934 after winning his first stage ...
as Lieutenant Porter
*
Marian Seldes
Marian Hall Seldes (August 23, 1928 – October 6, 2014) was an American actress. A five-time Tony Award nominee, she won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play for '' A Delicate Balance'' in 1967, and received subsequent nominations ...
as Debbie Cole
*John Harding as Fred Swanson
*
Wayne Heffley
Wayne Heffley (July 15, 1927 – November 19, 2008) was an American television and film actor, known for the role of Vern Scofield on ''Days of Our Lives'', as well as over 100 other roles. He died of kidney failure in 2008.
He was guitarist ...
as Rafe
*
Eve McVeagh as Mrs. Griggs
*Tony Johnson as Mrs. Cole
*Lew Brown as Sergeant Neil Samuels
*
George Hamilton as Robert
*
Len Lesser as Desk Officer
Production
According to George Hamilton, director Denis Sanders "saw his project as a tragedy for the
Beat Generation
The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...
" and cast Hamilton because of his similarity to
Tony Perkins.
[George Hamilton & William Stadiem, ''Don't Mind If I Do'', Simon & Schuster 2008 p 122]
The film was completed early in 1958 but was released more than one year later.
Reception
In a contemporary review for ''
The New Republic
''The New Republic'' is an American magazine of commentary on politics, contemporary culture, and the arts. Founded in 1914 by several leaders of the progressive movement, it attempted to find a balance between "a liberalism centered in hum ...
'',
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. ...
reason of its attendant skills and an innocent, unpretentious earnestness of address,
he filmis a moderately interesting attempt to state the material of a vast symphony with a small jazz combination."
Roger Corman later said that the film "lost me a lot of money."
See also
*
List of American films of 1959
References
External links
''Crime and Punishment U.S.A.'' at IMDB
1959 films
1959 crime drama films
Allied Artists films
American black-and-white films
American crime drama films
Films based on Crime and Punishment
Films directed by Denis Sanders
Films scored by Herschel Burke Gilbert
Films set in Los Angeles
Films with screenplays by Walter Newman (screenwriter)
1950s English-language films
1950s American films
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