The Karamazov Brothers (Karamazovi) 16 years old

Dostoevsky’s latter-day opus about the siblings and their father is among the masterpieces of world literature. It asks profound questions about ethics and religion. Is there a God? Does the devil exist? Is everything allowed because we live in a world without morality? And if so, does patricide even constitute a crime? One of the most interesting adaptations of the material is The Karamazovs by Czech director Petr Zelenka. We witness a group of thesps from Prague on a trip to Krakow in Poland to stage the novel as a play in a derelict steelworks as part of the Closer to Life Festival. The project, however, is born under the bad sign, apparently doomed from the start. When they arrive, the roof is about to cave in, so that the actors are told to wear safety helmets. Their sole consistent audience is a laborer (Andrzej Mastalerz) who rather follows each dress rehearsal than watching over his seven-year-old son who has suffered a tragic accident in the factory.

Credits

Roman Luknár as Director

Ivan Trojan as Stary Karamazov

Michaela Badinková as Katya

Igor Chmela as Ivan Karamazov

Radek Holub as Smerdyakov

David Novotný as Dmitriy Karamazov

The Karamazov Brothers Cast

Name	Character
Roman Luknár He was 42, now 59 years old	as Director
Ivan Trojan He was 43, now 60 years old	as Stary Karamazov
Michaela Badinková She was 29, now 45 years old	as Katya
Igor Chmela He was 37, now 53 years old	as Ivan Karamazov
Radek Holub He was 39, now 56 years old	as Smerdyakov
David Novotný He was 38, now 55 years old	as Dmitriy Karamazov
Jerzy Michal Bozyk	as Pianist

The Karamazov Brothers Crew

Name	Department
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek as Music. He was 54 (now 71) years old	Sound
Petr Zelenka as Director. He was 40 (now 57) years old	Directing
Petr Zelenka as Writer. He was 40 (now 57) years old	Writing
Fyodor Dostoyevsky as Novel. He was 186 (59) years old when He died	Writing
Evald Schorm as Adaptation. He was 76 (56) years old when He died	Writing

The Karamazov Brothers (16 years)

Release day: Thursday, April 24, 2008
Runtime: 110 minutes