BRATYA KARAMAZOVY / THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV 12 EPISODES 2 DVD NTSC БРАТЬЯ

New as promised. Arrived faster than estimated. Satisfied buyer.

This is the closest adaptation to the book that exists. It's hard to think that anything could top it. I'm watching the series while I'm reading the book, and parts are almost word-for-word. A few important things had to be left out here and there because the book is so long. This isn't a problem, except that (as in most movies) you don't get to see the characters' internal thoughts and, because of the depth and complexity of the themes, that can make the plot a little fuzzy to people who haven't read the book. If you have read the book it's not a problem, and I still think the characters are portrayed vividly. The only place it can cause complications is with Alyosha, because he's a character who thinks so much more than he speaks. In this adaptation, he can come across as stony when he's actually a deeply passionate person, and his motives aren't always clear.The only real beef I have with this series, though, is the subtitles. I get the feeling that they were done by the only English speaker on the team, and nobody checked them afterwards. There's quite a bit of broken English, though not enough to be a problem most of the time, and I noticed some spelling errors as well. Another thing that was less of an issue for me is that the series has low resolution for 2008 (it's in fullscreen rather than widescreen). But that wasn't a problem at all, as I still watch older series on my widescreen TV like the Harriet Vane/Lord Peter Wimsey BBC trilogy and Cadfael. That's about the resolution these DVDs are going to have, if you're familiar with shows from the eighties and nineties.The soundtrack has some beautiful tracks, like Alyosha's theme, though there's a limited number of songs composed, and sometimes they re-use a theme when it doesn't quite seem appropriate. Usually it comes across as melodramatic, though, and this isn't a problem for me because--hey, let's face it--it's Dostoevsky.

This series covers a lot of the book as I recall. The actors are well-chosen and nail their roles well, which comes through even with some sub-par translations. The profligate father, the femme fatale Grushenka, the icy Ivan and pure Alyosha all shine through. But like I said above, the translation was rough at certain times, and this might be a sticking point if you're not familiar with characters and plot from reading it previous to watching.Also, most Hollywood adaptions of Russian work leaves out a lot of material, but this does certainly not, and I appreciated that. I've watched the whole series a few times.As for the actual physical product sent by seller, it appears new, standard DVD case with 2 discs. Came quickly. All writing on case is in Russian. No playback errors whatsoever. Spoken Russian, English subtitles.

This is my favorite novel, so of course I’m going to be extra picky about any screen version. This is the best of any. A good adaptation, good acting, great settings, and a good screenplay - if that can be judged from the English subtitles, which are not always even in quality (but better than many). Any mini series of such a monumental work has to make some cuts, and fortunately, this manages to make few of consequence.What does get cut is the source of my nitpicks, and in my mind they were integral parts of the novel, if not the overall story. First of all, there is a talk by Elder Zossima which presents the beautiful philosophy of love (adapted from the real Elder Ambrose of Optina, who met with Dostoyevsky, changing his life and providing the inspiration for the book. That was not included. A graver mistake is failing to include the dream/vision of Alyosha when he sees his elder in paradise, saying that he only gave an onion to a beggar. This scene ties up many loose ends in the novel and is the most serious omission. The narrative introduction in the book includes an introduction to eldership which grew out of the work of St. Paisius Velichkovsky. While it is less important to the story, I think that it provides essential context for it. We also miss the illustrating character of the hypocritical Fr. Ferapont.Despite these omissions, the series absolutely nails other etherial but important sections, such as the myth of the Grand Inquisitor, and the internal struggle of Ivan as he wrestles with his own statement: “If there is no God, then everything is permitted”.

This Russian television series ran for 12, 45min episodes in 2009. Russian with English subtitles.It is not suitable for children under 21 because it depicts the full spectrum of the human condition, the inspiring beauty of human kindness and divine wisdom, and the horror of human wickedness and the most base emotions and behavior. The scene with the Grand Inquisitor is amazing! This part is much longer in the book, another reason why you should read it This is a great introduction to the novel. The book has so much more to offer! Do not deprive yourselves of something wonderful and watch this, even better, read The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

The series looks like it was shot on 16mm film popular in television production up through the 1970s and 80s in the West. It can be grainy especially in low-light situations. Overall expect video quality comparable to British TV series from the 1980s, such as Granada's Sherlock Holmes series.

This is an excellent series despite the terrible subtitles. Faithful to the book but thankfully some of the longer passages in the book are edited. If one reads the book first one will understand what I mean.Dostoyevskiy's debates on religious beliefs seem to have no end.

DVDs are well produced and packaged. Very good clarity with clear Russian audio and English subtitles.