Leon Drey

RU 1915. D: Evgueni Bauer. Based on the novel by Semion Iouchkevitch; DP: Konstantin Bauer; DP: Evgueni Bauer; CAST: Nikolaï Radine (Leon Drey), Boris Borissov (il padre), Maria Khalatova (la madre), Tatiana Bakh (Liza, la sorella), Vera Gordina (Lioubotchka, la seconda sorella di Leon), Nadejda Nelskaïa (Bertotchka, la fidanzata di Leon), Arseni Bibikov (il padre di Bertotchka), V. Porten (Saül, il commesso), P. Lopoukhine (l’avvocato Melnikov), Raïssa reizen (sua moglie), Natalia Lissenko (Anna Rozen), Emma Bauer (Nina Serebrianaïa), Maria Koulikova, Alexandre Kherouvimov, Vladimir Strijevski- Radtchenko; PC: Khanjonkov. 35mm. 1220 m. 60’ a 18 fps. B&w. From: Gosfilmofond. - Grand piano: Marco Dalpane, earphone translation in Italian and English, viewed at Cinema Lumière 1, Bologna, 30 June 2009. - Intertitles missing. Summarizing titles added. - A beautiful visual quality in this print. - It was possible to appreciate Bauer's great deep focus compositions in this screening. - From the catalogue: An adaptation of a novel by a popular Jewish author from Odessa, Semyon Yushkevich. A social climber from a humble background, Leon Drey charms his way up the social ladder by seducing all the city's rich women. Pleasure-seeking and fearless, he massacres the hearts of these ladies, whether they are honest or not. Odessa's Jewish upper middle class that Leon breaks his way into contrasts with the description of the lower classes, to which Leon's parents belong, or professionals like the aspiring poet Saul. Nikolai Radine, a Russian, stars as Leon, and not Mousjoukine (for which he left that studio), and is surrounded by Jewish actors from the Korch Theater and Emma Bauer (the director's Jewish wife). - A sober tragedy of the heartless ladies' man. When his loving wife learns of his affairs with other women she jumps from the window. A new wedding is promptly being celebrated. - Emma Bauer plays one of the other women, whom Leon Drey meets in the box in the theatre (at 40 min). - 62 min

Gore Sarry

Горе Сарры / Gorié Sarry / La disgrazia di Sarah; RU 1915. D: Alexandre Arkatov. SC: V. Toldi; DP: Boris Mikhine; Op.: Ladislas Starewitch, Alexandre Ryllo, Fedor Bremer; CAST: Tatiana Chornikova (Sarah), Alexandre Khérouvimov (il padre), Praskovia Maximova (la madre), Ivan Mosjoukine (Isaac), Pavel Knorr (il padre di Isaac), Antonina PojarskaÏa (la madre di Isaac), Viatcheslav Tourjanski (Boruh); PC: Khanjonkov (Mosca). 35mm. Orig: 800 m. 445 m. 22’ a 18 fps. B&w. From: Gosfilmofond. - Presenta Christophe Gautier, grand piano: Donald Sosin, earphone translation in Italian and English, viewed at Cinema Lumière 1, Bologna, 27 June 2009. - A print of a restored version supervised in 1992 by Yuri Tsivian. - A good quality of the image in the print. - From the catalogue text: Under pressure from the Elders and the Law, a childless couple must separate after 10 years of living together. Isaac, the husband (Ivan Mosjoukine), ends up dying, whereas Sarah realizes - too late - that she is pregnant... The director is clearly sympathetic with Isaac's brother, Baruch, a young student who represents the values of the young, liberated Jewish intellectuals at the beginning of the century. The director, Arkatov, debuted in 1910 with a screenplay for the first Jewish film shot by the Russian subsidiary of Pathé, L'khaim, the success of which sealed the genre's fate. He then began directing in 1912, first at Pathé, where he chose stories that criticized the traditional way of living. In February 1917, he began making films attacking the conditions imposed on Jews by the empire for the Zionist oriented Odessa company Mizrah, which produced The Life of the Jews in Palestine (1913). - The tragedy of childlessness - a reason for divorce - Isaac hangs himself - but Sarah then finds that she is expecting his baby - we see a Jewish cemetery. 19 min