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| 1812 гoд / L'Année 1812 / 1812 (US: The Retreat from Moscow). RU/FR 1912. Foto di: Valerio Greco. Teatro Verdi, 10 Oct 2019. Source: Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2019 / Flickr. |
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| 1812 гoд / L'Année 1812 / 1812 (US: The Retreat from Moscow). RU/FR 1912. Napoleon observes the burning Moscow from the balcony of the Kremlin. Foto di: Valerio Greco. Teatro Verdi, 10 Oct 2019. Source: Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2019 / Flickr. |
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| Haghefilm Selznick Fellowship: Leenali Khairnar hosted by Paolo Cherchi Usai. Foto di: Valerio Greco. Teatro Verdi, 10 Oct 2019. Source: Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2019 / Flickr. |
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| 1812 гoд / L'Année 1812 / 1812 / The Retreat from Moscow (RU 1912, D: Vasili Goncharov, Kai Hansen, Aleksandr Uralski). The incendiaries are shot by the French. Screenshot from YouTube. |
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| 1812 гoд / L'Année 1812 / 1812 (US: The Retreat from Moscow). RU/FR 1912. Wolves devour the remains of la Grande Armée. Foto di: Valerio Greco. Teatro Verdi, 10 Oct 2019. Source: Le Giornate del Cinema Muto 2019 / Flickr. |
Le Giornate del Cinema Muto (GCM), Pordenone.
Rediscoveries / Haghefilm Selznick Fellowship
Introduce Leenali Khairnar, hosted by Paolo Cherchi Usai.
Grand piano: John Sweeney.
Teatro Verdi, e-subtitles in Italian by Underlight, 10 Oct 2019.
1812 гoд / L'Année 1812 / 1812 (US: The Retreat from Moscow).
RU/FR 1912.
Regia/dir: Vasilii Goncharov, Kai Hansen, Aleksandr Uralskii. scen. supv: Vladimir Afanasiev. photog: Georges Meyer [Joseph-Louis Mundwiller], Aleksandr Levitskii, Louis Forrestier, Aleksandr Ryllo, Fiodor Bremer. scg/des: Cheslav Sabinskii, Viacheslav Fester. cast: Vasilii Seriozhnikov, Pavel Knorr (Napoleon), Baburina (donna nella carrozza di Napoleone/woman in Napoleon’s carts).
prod: A. Khanzhonkov / Pathé Frères.
uscita/rel: 7.9.1912; orig. l: 1300 m. copia/copy: 35 mm, 336 m, 18′ (16 fps), imbibito/tinted; did./titles: ENG. fonte/source: George Eastman Museum, Rochester, NY.
Peter Bagrov (GCM): "1812 was one of the most ambitious projects of pre-revolutionary Russian cinema. This feature-length film (which in itself was a rarity in Russia in 1912) was supposed to commemorate the centenary of the French invasion of Russia, otherwise known as the Patriotic War of 1812. Two film companies, the Russian branch of Pathé Frères and Aleksandr Khanzhonkov’s firm launched their reconstructions of the famous historical event simultaneously, and each shot about half of what was intended to be filmed. But, instead of racing to be the first ones on screen, thus destroying the competitor’s commercial success – which was very typical of Russian producers at the time – they decided to join forces. Ethics and generosity had little to do with it. One reason was economics: each of the companies would never have been able to cope with such a massive production on its own. The other reason was politics: the subject had to be treated patriotically but delicately, because the Russian government didn’t want to upset relations with France – so a co-production between a Russian and a French company was an elegant solution. Government support (and the czar’s personal blessing) was crucial to this project: several infantry and Cossack companies were provided for the much-praised crowd scenes. The only bizarre side-effect of this merging is that Napoleon is played by two actors – one from each of the two crews."
"1812 is preserved at Gosfilmofond of Russia with a high degree of completeness (ca. 900 metres out of 1300), but in black & white. One reel of the U.S. release version at the George Eastman Museum is the only nitrate print of the film known to exist. It is extensively tinted, which is particularly important in the impressive scenes of the burning of Moscow. The nitrate also contains shots that are missing from the Russian print – including the one that was highly publicized and was considered controversial at the time: wolves tearing to pieces the bodies of the French." Peter Bagrov (GCM)
The Haghefilm Digitaal ‒ Selznick School Fellowship 2019
"The Haghefilm Fellowship was established in 1997 to provide additional professional training to outstanding graduates of The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York. The Fellowship recipient is invited to Amsterdam for one month to work alongside Haghefilm Digitaal lab professionals to preserve short films from the George Eastman Museum collection, completing each stage of the preservation project."
"The recipient of the 2019 Haghefilm/Selznick School Fellowship is Leenali Khairnar from Mumbai, India, who recently completed her Certificate Program of The L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation at the George Eastman Museum. After studies in physics, she earned a post-graduate diploma in journalism at the University of Pune. Leenali worked in Bollywood, independent cinema, and commercials in various capacities, including assistant director and post-production supervisor. She also attended in 2017 the film preservation workshop organized by FIAF in collaboration with the Film Heritage Foundation in India."
AA: The fragment represents the end of the movie "1812 god / L'Année 1812" and starts with the burning of Moscow.
A sombre Napoleon observes the fire via his handheld telescope from a balcony of the Kremlin. Moscovites in the attic are terrified to see their city burn. The incendiaries are shot by the French. Fearing Russian winter Napoleon orders retreat. The Grand Army withdraws from Moscow. The withdrawal is caught in epic views. Cossacks harass the retreating army. Frozen soldiers seek refuge in winter huts, and peasants in hatred of the invaders attack the stragglers. Dressed in magnificent winter furs, Napoleon has the eagle banners burned. Wolves attack the corpses of the frozen soldiers.
The impressive original tints ‒ in turquoise, red and orange ‒ are preserved in good taste. There are also black and white passages. A well made analogue photochemical preservation using Desmet tinting process.
It is interesting to compare this with film adaptations of War and Peace.
...
AA Facebook capsule:
Restored: a rare colour print of an early Russian epic covering key episodes of Napoleon's conquest of Moscow and the retreat of La Grande Armée. Amazingly, this was a Russian-French coproduction of the Khanzonkov and Pathé companies. Haghefilm Selznick preservation by Leenali Khairnar.
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