Crime et châtiment (1956)

Crime et châtiment is a French crime film first released in 1956, directed by Georges Lampin.  The film is based on a novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and stars Jean Gabin, Marina Vlady, Ulla Jacobsson, Bernard Blier and Robert Hossein.  It has also been released under the title: Crime and Punishment.  Our overall rating for this film is: good.


Proud of his position in society and of his intelligence, René Brunel believes that bourgeois notions of morality do no apply to him.  To prove his point he murders an old woman in cold blood.  Pursued by Commissaire Gallet, taunted by a prostitute whom he befriends, René soon realises he was wrong.  His conscience will not allow him to forget the crime that he has committed…

This respectable adaptation of Dostoyevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” takes the imaginative step of setting the story in present day France, making it relevant to a contemporary audience.  Strong performances are given by its stars, Robert Hossein (who plays the Raskolnikov character) and Jean Gabin.  Although not a bad effort, the film lacks the impact of Pierre Chenal’s 1935 adaptation of the same title.

© James Travers 2004

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