Ledya, Chapters I-IV

Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film
By: Jay Ledya
Chapters I-IV


The Illusions 1896-1907: The first chapter (which has fallen out of my book) followed the Russian film production through it's "pompous parade" period, which was mostly dominated by foreign companies. It follows the careers of the major entrepreneurs of the period: Drankov, Khanzhonkov, Pathe, and Gaumont. 


The Costume Business 1908-1911: Films of this period were similar to hollywood of today--they made money, but sent their spectators away warm but empty. After 1906, Russia was a more attractive place to invest. Pathe decided to produce Russian films in Russia itself, hiring MM. Maurice Maitre and Kai Hansen as directors. Gaumont turned its Russian films into the world market--one every two weeks (efficient haste). Censors played a role in this period. The main topics of films were historical episodes, poems, and novels. 


Enter--Author and Stockholder 1912-1913: In this period, Russian lit, film, and music exchanged the exotic for the erotic. A new relationship with the literary community was born, because the literary giants no longer saw the film community as a threat. Investment became less risky, and film discourse began with the incorporation of several magazines devoted to film. The film audience began to become more steady, and starting making choices on which film to watch based on directors, actors, and producer. 


A Crumbling Empire 1914-1917: The profits of this bustling period never made there way into Russian pockets. Every voice opposing the war was silenced. Closed frontiers meant closed foreign competition, opening up the opportunity for the Russian film industry to finally gain independence from Western European investors. This lead to more intense production and greater efficiency. The Tsar made the sacrifice of his liquor monopoly by raising the price of vodka also lead to an increase in ticket sales; if you couldn't get drunk you could "while away an inexpensive evening at the cinema" (75).