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Crime and
Punishment
[Raskolnikow]
(1923)

Adapted from the Feodor Dostoevski novel, this drama directed by Robert Wiene, stars Gregori Chmara and Elisabeta Skulskaja, with Alla Tarasova, Andrei Zhilinsky and Mikhail Tarkhanov.

Alpha Video
2008 DVD edition

Crime and Punishment (1923), color-toned black & white, 87 minutes, not rated.

Alpha Home Entertainment, distributed by Oldies.com,
ALP 5691D, UPC 0-89218-56919-6.
One single-sided, single-layered, Region 0 NTSC DVD-R disc; 1.33:1 aspect ratio picture in full-frame 4:3 (720 x 480 pixels) interlaced scan image encoded in SDR MPEG-2 format at 3.6 Mbps average video bit rate (capable of progressive scan upscaling to 60 fps); Dolby Digital (AC3) 2.0 stereo sound encoded at 384 Kbps audio bit rate; English language intertitles, no subtitles; 6 chapter stops; standard DVD keepcase; $6.98 (raised to $8.98).
Release date: 28 October 2008.
Country of origin: USA

Ratings (1-10): video: 2 / audio: 4 / additional content: 1 / overall: 2.

This DVD-R edition has been mastered from a VHS videotape copy of an 8mm reduction print of the American release version. As would be expected, there are the smeary picture details and highlights blasted out to a featureless white. Dust, speckling, frame jitters and other flaws are part of the picture as well.

The film is accompanied by a soundtrack compiled from preexisting recordings.

Truly, a horrible viewing experience but this is the only known home video edition of the film.

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