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Crime and Punishment U.S.A.

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Wikipedia article




'Crime and Punishment U.S.A.' (1959) is an American feature film directed by Denis Sanders, written by Walter Newman and starring George Hamilton in his first screen role.C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders in 'New York Times', Dec. 15, 1987. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/88130/Crime-and-Punishment-USA/overview. The film was released on November 1, 1959.

'The New York Times' called the film "a beat generation version"C. Gerald Fraser, obituary of Denis Sanders, 'New York Times' (December 15, 1987) of the novel 'Crime and Punishment' by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. The film differs from the book in some of its plot elements and characterizations, and it takes place in contemporary Los Angeles rather than in 19th-century Russia.

Cast



*Mary Murphy as Sally

*Frank Silvera as Lieutenant Porter

*Marian Seldes as Debbie Cole

*John Harding as Fred Swanson

*Wayne Heffley as Rafe

*Eve McVeagh as Mrs. Griggs

*Tony Johnson as Mrs. Cole

*Lew Brown as Sergeant Neil Samuels

*George Hamilton as Robert

*Len Lesser as Desk Officer

Production



According to George Hamilton, director Denis Sanders "saw his project as a tragedy for the Beat Generation" and cast Hamilton because of his similarity to Tony Perkins.George Hamilton & William Stadiem, 'Don't Mind If I Do', Simon & Schuster 2008 p 122

The film was completed early in 1958 but was released more than one year later.

Reception



In a contemporary review for 'The New Republic', Stanley Kauffmann commented that "modern versions of classics are generally more clever than convincing because the very term 'classic' means a timeless work ... that need not be transplanted. ... [B]y reason of its attendant skills and an innocent, unpretentious earnestness of address, [the film] is a moderately interesting attempt to state the material of a vast symphony with a small jazz combination."'New Republic' 140:24 (June 15, 1969), pp. 2223.

Roger Corman later said that the film "lost me a lot of money."

See also



* List of American films of 1959

References




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