Vitold Polonsky
1879 - 1919Умирающий лебедь
Evgeny Bauer
Vera Karalli, Aleksandr Kheruvimov
When Viktor meets Gizella one day beside the lake, he takes an interest in her and begins to call on her regularly. The one passion in the life of Gizella, who is unable to speak, is dancing. When Viktor deceives her and she finds him with another woman, she moves away and begins a career as a ballerina. Later, as she is on tour performing “The Dying Swan”, the artist Glinskiy attends her performance. Glinskiy, whose own obsession is to depict death in his art, becomes fascinated by Gizella, and he is determined to use her as a model for a special project.
The Dying Swan
После смерти
Evgeny Bauer
Vitold Polonsky, Olga Rakhmanova
Young scholar Andrei, fascinated by haunting actress Zoia Kadmina, is surprised when she sends him a note. The two have a brief scheduled meeting, then three months later Andrei is shocked to learn she has died. He becomes obsessed with her memory and decides he must find out all that he can about her.
After Death
Молчи, грусть... молчи
Cheslav Sabinsky, Pyotr Chardynin
Vera Kholodnaya, Pyotr Chardynin
Paula is a circus performer married to the alcoholic clown-acrobat Lorio. Lorio's heavy drinking leads to him being severely injured during a performance. This forces Paula and the now-crippled Lorio to become street musicians. This film formerly ran to 81 minutes – regrettably, the second half is considered lost.
Be Silent, Sorrow, Be Silent
Женщина завтрашнего дня
Pyotr Chardynin
Vera Yureneva, Ivan Mosjoukine
A female doctor is so busy with her work that she has too little time for her fiancé. He falls in love with a waitress and the two have a child. Though considered by some to be a proto-feminist yarn, the film dwells on the consequences that equal rights for women may generate rather than openly champion suffrage. Similar in to Ibsen's The Doll House in many ways, the film provides mannered, solemn melodrama, ably acted by Mosjoukine and Yureneva.
Woman of Tomorrow
Миражи
Pyotr Chardynin
Vera Kholodnaya, Arseniy Bibikov
Marianna (Vera Kholodnaia) is a poor but decent girl who is working for the millionaire Dymov. Dymov has a son, a dilettante youngster who with the help of his wealth will seduce Marianna who, besides being poor, decent and talented, has also a fiancée. Marianna doesn't hesitate to leave her family and fiancée in order to obtain the splendid life offered by Dymov Jr. Alas; their romance is short lived.
Mirages