The Gambler

The Gambler is a short novel by Fyodor Dostoyevsky about a young tutor in the employment of a formerly wealthy Russian general. The novella reflects Dostoyevsky's own addiction to roulette, which was in more ways than one the inspiration for the book: Dostoyevsky completed the novella under a strict deadline to pay off gambling debts. The novel was the basis of an opera by Sergei Prokofiev, also called The Gambler. Several films have been inspired by the book. The Great Sinner, a loose adaptation, starred Gregory Peck and Ava Gardner under the direction of Robert Siodmak in 1949. 1972 co-production of the USSR and Czechoslovakia by Lenfilm studio and Barrandov Studios, directed by Alexei Batalov which follows the book closely. Some see The Gambler (1974) written by James Toback, directed by Karel Reisz and starring James Caan, Paul Sorvino, and Lauren Hutton as a loose adaptation of the story in a twentieth-century American setting. The Gamblers, a German film released in 2007, was directed by Sebastian Bieniek. There are also two movies based on Dostoyevsky's life during the time when he was writing the novella. 1981 Soviet movie, Twenty Six Days from the Life of Dostoyevsky is the most notable one. Hungarian director Károly Makk's film The Gambler was released in 1997, and the romantic comedy Alex & Emma-freely adapted and with a modern setting-was released in 2003. An adaptation of the novella, The Gamblers, is among the early unpublished plays of Tom Stoppard. The Gambler (2014) is an American crime drama film directed by Rupert Wyatt from a screenplay by William Monahan, based on the original screenplay by James Toback. It is a remake of the 1974 film. A radio play version was aired by BBC Radio 4 in December 2010, written by Glyn Maxwell and directed by Guy Retallack.