Moon Rose (M.R.)’s Reviews > The Fyodor Dostoevsky BBC Radio Drama Collection > Status Update

Stripped Dostoevsky's novels of its philosophical elements and what remain is a soapy melodrama devoid of any depth and character. The Brothers Karamazov for one would certainly lose its essence if rendered partially or without it even if the adaptation remains faithful to the story. It's because Philosophy is what animates Dostoevsky's novels disregard it and it becomes as lifeless as a catatonic.

I truly pity those who would discover Dostoevsky thru this medium. They will only get lost in this truncated version filled with, not with awe, but with confabulations. The only redeeming factor for me is Paul Rhys. His voice as Prince Myshkin is a perfect fit. It inspired me to watch the equally truncated Akira Kurosawa's The Idiot, which I've been meaning to watch for quite a long time now.

BBC totally butchered Crime and Punishment. I almost didn't recognize the novel from merely listening to it. Though the voice actors are commendable. The material they're working on lost the spirit of the original novel. I guess it only goes to show how untranslatable Dostoevsky is in another medium. How can one really visualize a steam of consciousness?