Early Russian Cinema

Synopsis
An anthology in ten volumes of Russian filmmaking from the early years of the 20th century. The films were rediscoved at the Pordenone Silent Film Festival in 1989. This selection was made by Ian Christie for an exhibition ‘Twilight of the Tsars’ at London’s Hayward Gallery in 1991. The films were transferred at appropriate running speeds, with improvised music by Neil Brand, and English subtitles by Julian Graffy of the School of Slavonic and European Studies, University of London. The collection includes adaptations of classic authors and examples of popular genres.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Video; 10 videocassettes. VHS. b&w. 45, 55, 58, 55, 45, 94, 95, 104, 100, 72 min.
Year of production
1991
Availability
Sale; 1995 sale: £165.00 (+p&p) set
Documentation
Accompanying notes by Ian Christie.
Subjects
Media studies
Keywords
Chekhov, Anton (1960-1904); cinema - Russia; early cinema; Pushkin, Alexander S; silent films; social conditions; Tolstoy, Leo

Sections

Title
Beginnings
Synopsis
1: Actualities like A FISH FACTORY IN ASTRAKHAN (1908) preceded the first Russian dramatic production STENKA RAZIN (Romashkov, 1908). Meanwhile the Moscow branch of Pathé produced its own verion of the 'film d'art' PRINCESS TARAKANOVA (Hansen/MaÓtre, 1910

Title
Folklore and legend
Synopsis
2: DRAMA IN A GYPSY CAMP (Siverson, 1908) and the unreleased BRIGAND BROTHERS (Goncharov, 1912) are typical folklore subjects, while A 16TH CENTURY RUSSIAN WEDDING (1909) and RUSALKA (1910), both directed by the pioneer enthusiast Vasilii Goncharov, show

Title
Wladislaw Starewicz
Synopsis
3: Starecewicz's later puppet animation is now better known than his varied beginnings at the Khanzhonkov Studio. He pioneered insect-puppets in THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER (1911), before turning to live-action fantasy in a version of Gogol's CHRISTMAS EV

Title
Provincial variations
Synopsis
4: Jewish life was one of the exotic subjects covered in provincial films like the Latvian WEDDING DAY (Slavinskii, 1912). The remarkably bleak melodrama MERCHANT BASHKIROV'S DAUGHTER (Larin, 1913), set on the Volga, was based on a real murder scandal.

Title
Chardynin’s Pushkin
Synopsis
5: The former touring actor-manager Petr Chardynin made an early name for himself with Pushkin adaptations like THE QUEEN OF SPADES (1910) and THE HOUSE IN KOLOMNA (1913), in which Ivan Mozzhukhin played both a dashing officer and a farcical cook in drag.

Title
Class distinctions
Synopsis
6: Despite strict censorship intended to prevent inflammatory material, Goncharov portrayed the hardship of rural life in THE PEASANTS' LOT (1912), and an early film by Bauer, SILENT WITNESSES (1914), dealt frankly with servants' views of their masters.

Title
Evgenii Bauer
Synopsis
7: Bauer is certainly the major discovery of the early Russian cinema. In merely five years he achieved mastery in several genres, including the social melodrama of A CHILD OF THE BIG CITY (1913), erotic comedy like THE 1002nd RUSE (1915) and the psycholo

Title
Iakov Protazanov
Synopsis
8: Protazanov did not shirk controversy or challenge in either his highly successful pre- or post-1917 careers. THE DEPARTURE OF A GREAT OLD MAN (1912) provoked legal action by the Tolstoy family for its scandalous portrayal of the writer's last days. Pro

Title
High society
Synopsis
9: A panorama of Russian cinema's social impact: ANTOSHKA RUINED BY A CORSET (Puchalskii, 1916) is a racy, knowing urban comedy; A LIFE FOR A LIFE (1916) marked the pinnacle of Bauer's ambition to equal lavish foreign production standards; and THE FUNERAL

Title
End of an era, The
Synopsis
10: Between 1917's two revolutions, cinema reflected new themes, as in Bauer's THE REVOLUTIONARY (1917), but also pursued the traditional subject of thwarted love in what would be his last film, FOR LUCK (1917). A fragment BEHIND THE SCREEN (1917) shows t

Production Company

Name

British Film Institute

Web
http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7255 1444
Fax
020 7436 7950
Address
21 Stephen Street
London
London
W1T 1LN
Name

Gosfilmofond

Distributor

Name

BFI Video

Email
video.films@bfi.org.uk
Web
http://www.bfi.org.uk External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7957 8957
Fax
020 7957 8968
Address
21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

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