Early Russian Cinema
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Theatricality of staging
o “electric theater”
Distance shots (no close-ups) in imitation of theater
Little camera action because there was a concern it might disorient the audience
Stationary camera at first
Little editing at first
Acting indistinguishable from stage acting
Experimentation and innovation: animation (we’ll see later)
Subjects: documentaries, historical, adaptations,
Stenka Razin
Produced by Aleksandr Osipovich Drankov 1886-1949 Operator, Director, Script writer
He was first the official photographer of the Duma, the national assembly, and of the diplomatic
corps. His photographs were published in the Saint Petersburg magazine “Neva”, in the London
Times, and in the Parisian magazine Illustrations.
Drankov organized in Saint Petersburg the first Russian movie studio. He recorded unique shots
of Leo Tolstoy at the writer’s home of Yasnaia Poliana (on the occasion of Tolstoy’s 80th
birthday).
In 1907, he and his brother Lev, opened the first Russian manufacture of film (in St Petersburg).
But he is most famous as the creator of the first Russian feature film “Stenka Razin”.
From 1918 to 1920 he lived in Kiev, then in Constantinople, from where he moved to the US.
His attempt to establish himself in Hollywood was unsuccessful. He opened a café in Venice,
and after a while he moved to San Francisco where he founded and worked in his own photoprinting company. He is buried in San Francisco.
The film Stenka Razin is based on a famous song, itself based on a poem
Not a folk song, but so popular is became one
The song is itself is based on a legend about an actual historical figure, a river pirate on the
Volga in the Muscovite period (XV-XVI century)
There was a full symphonic score for this film composed by Mikhail Ippolitov Ivanov (as
opposed to an improvised piano accompaniment). I haven’t found a recording, but the score is
available here: http://imslp.org/wiki/On_the_Volga,_Op.50_(Ippolitov-Ivanov,_Mikhail)
The film used 150 extras
Reactions
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Confusing action: how would a modern filmmaker approach the subject
Would a modern filmmaker rely on the audience’s knowledge of the background so
much?
Characterization: song and film
Pirates stop for rest and entertainment; get bored
Lubok: a type of woodblock print illustrating famous legends, tales, or sayings
Religion of the princess isn’t of much importance, except to emphasize the reach of
Stenka Razin’s gang
Drinking
XVI Century Wedding
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Produced by Aleksandr Alekseievich Khanzhonkov 1877-1945
Producer, director, script writer, entrepreneur
A Cossack, active duty in his youth
At first shows foreign movies in Russia
Like Drankov, he does documentaries first
1909: XVI Century Wedding
1911: first long film in Russia, “The Defense of Sebastopol”
1917: like most filmmakers, Khanzhonkov moves to the Crimea, then to Constantinople,
Milan, and Vienna
1923 he returns to Russia
1929 he is implicated in a financial scandal
1934 he pleads his case and is rehabilitated
He spent his final years writing his memoirs
During the German occupation, he remained in Yalta, confined to a wheelchair.
He is buried in Yalta
Reaction
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Film based on historical descriptions
Costumes based on XIX century paintings and folk costumes
Arranged marriage was the norm
The extent of the “arranged” part varied.
The matchmakers allowed a face-save in case there was a rejection of the offer on one or
the other part
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There was a complex exchange of visits between families, with matchmakers, and
exchange of gifts, before the forma final agreement
Not as fancy or as complex, but much of the ritual survived among peasants up to
Revolution
Bowing, kissing, etc is traditional and ritual (for the time) and survived to some extent in
the villages
The unwillingness of the bride is to some extent ritual. Superstitions require her to be
reluctant to leave her home (and the home’s protective spirits). She is also abandoning
her free youth and entering adulthood.
The groom’s unwillingness is less ritual and more of an artistic choice.
Modern weddings are modern.
Church wedding is not filmed or addressed at all.
POV camera work (progress in technique)