MON, NOV 11
binny
On Dostoevsky's birthday, here's a loop mentioning some movies/shows that were either inspired from his works or felt like a Dostoevskian landscape to me.
edited
Taxi Driver by Martin Scorsese
Travis Bickle is Hollywood's own underground man in this masterpiece by Scorsese (and Schrader).
"Loneliness has followed me my whole life. Everywhere. In bars, in cars, sidewalks, stores, everywhere. There's no escape. I'm God's lonely man."
Love & Death by Woody Allen
You will find Dostoevsky lurking around in many of Allen's film, however Love and Death stands out since it is a direct satire on Russian literature. You will find Tolstoy & Dostoevsky mingled in this epic humorous ride.
When talking about Dostoevsky in films, it would be an absolute crime to not talk about Tarkovsky. In all his films, there's a Dostoevskian element that lingers on. He also wanted to make a TV adaptation of The Idiot & a film on his biography, however death sadly denied this.
"There's almost certainly no point in screening the novels. We must make a film about the man himself. About his personality, his God, his devil, his work."
Talking about the seven movies he did make; Stalker, Nostalgia and Solaris felt the most Dostoevskian to me.
Enemy by Denis Villeneuve
Though officially this movie is said to be based on José Saramago's novel, however when I watched it, it felt like a surreal transformation of Dostoevsky's Double into a cinematic form.
Pyaasa by Guru Dutt
The parallels drawn here with Crime and Punishment are absolutely brilliant. Though I am not sure whether Guru Dutt developed this movie based on any inspiration from the master, it still feels one of the closest movies that pass the shade of Dostoevsky.
The Godfather by Francis Ford Coppola
This masterpiece was based on Mario Puzo's novel which in turn was inspired by The Brothers Karamazov. Inspired is the right word here for both the families have their own demons to deal with in their own unique ways.
Succession (HBO) by Jesse Armstrong
The most fresh example of a cinematic masterpiece that feels close to Dostoevskian dynamics is this absolutely brilliant show that highlights various intricacies between father & sons (& daughter) along with the complicated sibling rivalries.
These are all I can think of at the current moment. There are many more such geniuses and I would try to add on as and when I come across any other such film (or the ones I might forgotten for the time being).
Hurrah for Dostoevsky!