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

Korol Parizha

The King of Paris. RU 1917. PC: Hanzhonkov. D: Jevgeni Bauer, Olga Rahmanova. Based on the novel by Georges Ohnet (1898). Art director: Lev Kuleshov. A dvd screening at Cinema Lumière 1, Bologna, 30 June 2008. The Hyperkino project presented by Nikolai Izvolov. I followed the presentation and the beginning of the dvd screening only. The English intertitles have been prepared for the film in 2008 by Nikolai Izvolov, the current generations having seen the film previously without intertitles only.

Revoljutsioner

/ / RU / 1917 / Bauer, Jevgeni / / drama

Revoljutsioner / (((((((((((( / The Revolutionary. PC: A. Hanzhonkov & Co. D: Jevgeni Bauer. SC: Ivan Perestiani. DP: Boris Zavelev. CAST: Ivan Perestiani (Grandfather - the Revolutionary), Vladimir Strizhevski (Son), Zoja Barantsevitsh (Daughter). Silent b&w, premiered 3 April 1917. Gosfilmofond 1989 restoration from an incomplete, defective original, with the first reel of four missing /18 fps/ 35’. Finnish translation spoken by Riitta Tyventö. Viewed at SEA, Helsinki, Cinema Orion, Tuesday 16 December 1997. ** A drama turned quickly after the March 1917 overthrow of the Romanov dynasty. Several of these liberal revolutionary films were shown in Finland, but this one was now seen for the first time in Helsinki, although similar Hanzhonkov and Drankov films were released at the time. It is a series of liberal-patriotic vignettes, transfigured by the masterful photography of Boris Zavelev (well-known from After Death, Zvenigora, etc.). There are traces of nitrate decomposition from the original. It is odd to face the slogan ”The proletariat has no fatherland” in a film like this. It is the son who utters this shameful sentence, only to reconcile with his father in the final scene, where they join the army train to the front.