Notes From Underground

True, this film follows the novelette faithfully. But the flaw of the novelette--the long speech to the prostitute that drags on too long--is matched by the film. But until then matters move swiftly and with profundity. I recommend this to fans of the Dostoyevsky work.

I found the American accents too intrusive in this recreation of Dostoevsky's profound novel. I wouldn't suggest that Russian accents are necessary, but it somehow exacerbated other problems.The setting too was not of Dostoevsky's time. Someone else might make this work, but the more modernistic setting didn't work for me.As well this film came across to me as more about an individuals problems rather than a social phenomenon.The acting especially by the lead actor seemed intense, but others appeared less engaged. The novel deals with detachment and alienation, but often I was struck in this film that it was just petty grasping, by a dejected loser. I didn't have that feeling reading the book.Overall I feel this film does not capture the angst of what it is to be alive and what it is that we need to make our lives a good life and the forces that subvert this.

This film version is an interesting update of the written story and would be good as a contrast/discussion point to Dostoyevsky's orginal written version. The narrator in the film lacks the urgent and powerful sense of alienation and angst that the literary narrator struggles with; however, the film narrator confronts his inner desperation in later scenes with other characters, although at some times he falls to just being an angry young man; in that sense, the film is uneven. However, it is interesting and somewhat logical for the director to choose to have him self-record and self-confess to the camera to reach a modern, visual audience.

As a student , I had a hard time reading the text. It's always good to have a visual. It's a "R" rating for those that are minors. Does not compare to the text, but helps to understand the characters along with reading the text.

This movie explores the psyche of the alienated individual, who cannot fit into society. An important topic for our times.

Mainly for men & I am a woman. Excellent acting.Opened an avenue for me to examine my past relationships with men--how I was used-- but did not answer WHY. Thought-provoking DVD.Gorky is relevant for today!

This is a real rarity--a cinematic adaptation of a literary work that is just as good as the original novella from which the film came. Filmmaker Gary Walkow (he co-wrote the screenplay, executive produced, and directed the film) has created a real gem in this brilliant translation of the best known short work by Dostoevsky into film.The casting is pitch perfect. Henry Czerny--perhaps best known for his portrayal of the weaselly Fed in the Harrison Ford blockbuster Clear and Present Danger--is the right choice to play the underground man, someone who despises himself so much that almost every interaction he has with another human being is full of rancor, bitterness, cynicism, and/or outright loathing. Sheryl Lee is the prostitute whom he "befriends" and ultimately and violently rejects from his life. Jon Favreau is the pompous rich guy who humiliates the underground man and merely laughs when the latter tries to humiliate him back.The alternation of present (shown, effectively, with a blue filter as the underground man video records himself) with the past (shown in full color--signifying time gone by including a fantasy of what could have been) is also extremely effective.The extras included on the disk are superior. There are not one but two commentaries--one by Walkow and Czerny, and the other by Professor Joseph Frank of Princeton University. Professor Frank also provides a commentary independent of the film itself which is accompanied by stills from the film; this is an abridged version of the full-length commentary. There is also a full-length essay by Professor Deborah Martin of Columbia University, analyzing the film sequence by sequence.This makes for a truly rewarding cinematic experience and one, I am sure, that is a good fit for university instruction in Dostoevsky. It's fitting, perhaps, that the last sequence of the film pulls back from the blue-lensed perspective of the underground man filming himself so that we see a group of students watching him on several monitors. This is a very clever cinematic trick by Walkow, but is not done just to be clever; it provides an insightful view of the theme of the work itself--egoism and how it traps us inside ourselves. By offering a view from outside, the filmmaker is indicating, perhaps, that we can view someone caught up in his own egoism and maybe learn from his experience.On the other hand, it could mean that since here we are, students--and by extension, viewers at home--watching the underground man rant about his own shortcomings--we're essentially caught in the same egoistic trap he's in. The difference is--he rants about it. We just sit and watch him.Highly recommended.

I was very disappointed by this film. As an avid Dostoyevsky admirer, I was hoping for a cerebral, much more thought provoking film. Instead, I was dealt with a film that felt liked dumbed down Dostoyevsky. The filmmakers should have known that a film like this would have had only a limited audience, and should have done a full blown Dostoyevsky adaptation, with all the despair and grief and joy that accompanies his novels and short stories. They played it way too safe. The ending of the film is rather pretentious as well. On the plus side, Henry Czerny is very good as the title character. He is an intense, brooding actor that fits in well with Dostoyevsky's machinations. Sheryl Lee is good as the prostitute who the underground man "saves", then abandons. The rest of the film has awkward fantasy sequences and bland performances. Read the novella instead.