Crime and Punishment (2002 TV series) (original) (raw)

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2002 British TV series or program

Crime and Punishment
Genre Crime drama
Created by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Written by Tony Marchant
Directed by Julian Jarrold
Starring John SimmIan McDiarmidShaun DingwallGeraldine JamesKate AshfieldLara BelmontMark BentonKatrin Cartlidge
Composer Adrian Johnston
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original language English
No. of series 1
No. of episodes 2 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers Kate HarwoodJane Tranter
Producer David Snodin
Cinematography Eigil Bryld
Editor Chris Gill
Running time 90 minutes
Production company BBC Worldwide
Original release
Network BBC Two
Release 12 February (2002-02-12) –13 February 2002 (2002-02-13)

Crime and Punishment is a two-part British television crime drama series based upon the 1866 novel of the same name by Fyodor Dostoevsky, which first broadcast on BBC2 on 12 February 2002.[1] The novel was adapted for television by playwright Tony Marchant, and was directed by Julian Jarrold.[2]

John Simm stars as Rodya Raskolnikov, a former student who plans the murder of a pawnbroker to alleviate his financial problems, but also as an existential exercise, feeling himself able to commit such acts without guilt, remorse or justification.[3] The series was broadcast over two consecutive nights, airing in the 9:00-10:30pm slot. The series was released on DVD on 25 August 2008, via 2|Entertain.[4]

The series was filmed in St. Petersburg. Simm said of his role as Raskolnikov; "The hard job for me is to make the viewer understand why Raskolnikov kills. But that is helped by seeing the place that he has to live in, it was absolutely disgusting. He is a very intelligent guy, who is slowly driven to madness by the things he sees around him."[5]

The series gathered mixed reviews in the press, with The Guardian claiming that "As Raskolnikov, the murderer, John Simm is the spindle the whole thing whirls around. He gives a vivid performance and looks like a vicious angel. In the current Augean state of the stables, I am not able to find fault with this well-bred winner"; while The Telegraph were more scathing, writing "It's as if scriptwriter Tony Marchant and director Julian Jarrold had decided to take the setting and crime-drama structure of Crime and Punishment and ditch the philosophical core, the engine that gives everything meaning."[6]

  1. ^ "Crime and Punishment (TV Miniseries) (2002)".
  2. ^ "Crime and Punishment [Part One] | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 27 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Crime and Punishment". 12 February 2002 – via www.imdb.com.
  4. ^ "Crime and Punishment". 25 August 2008 – via Amazon.
  5. ^ "BBC - Drama - Crime and Punishment". www.bbc.co.uk.
  6. ^ Deans, Jason (13 February 2002). "Crime and Punishment". the Guardian.
  7. ^ "Crime and Punishment - BBC Two England - 12 February 2002 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 12 February 2002.
  8. ^ "Weekly top 30 programmes - BARB". www.barb.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Crime and Punishment - BBC Two England - 13 February 2002 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk. 13 February 2002.