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
- 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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