100 years of Russian cinema

RUSSIAN Archive Cinema Season

With live music!

CURZON MAYFAIR

3, 10 and 24 February

Tickets: 0871 703 3989

www.curzoncinemas.com

To mark the centenary of Russian cinema, Academia Rossica presents a season of pre-Revolutionary and early Soviet cinema, covering the years from 1908 to 1925. It will be a rare opportunity to see some of the most celebrated creations of Imperial and early Soviet cinema.

Retrieved from the archives of Gosfilmofond, the state film archive in Russian, two films will be screened in the UK for the first time; Stenka Razin, the very first feature film produced in Russia in 1908, and The Young Lady and the Hooligan, written and directed by the great Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, who also plays the role of the Hooligan.

The programme will demonstrate the rich diversity of Russian early filmmaking. It includes films made by the leading directors of Imperial and Soviet cinema, such as After Death (1915) made by the master of melodrama, Evgeny Bauer, and the first feature film Strike (1924), by the great montage director, Sergei Eisenstein. The unique collection of films, carefully selected by the leading film historians, will show the fast and dramatic development of Russian cinema into one of the most influential in the world.

The programme is concluded by an iconic Russian avant-garde and art-deco film Aelita, Queen of Mars; the first Soviet Sci-Fi Futuristic film!

The programme will also feature a mesmerising animation film, The Cameraman Revenge, created by the pioneering animator Wladislaw Starewicz in 1912.

Special Live Music Screenings

All screenings will be accompanied by live music performances.

3^rd and 10^th of February – Vladimir Milller (piano) and Alexander Kolkowski (stroh violin, musical saw, gramophone and sound effects).

24^th of February – Aelita, Queen of Mars will be accompanied by a special score composed and performed by Sergei Letov (saxophones, bass clarinet and flute) and by Alexei Borisov (electronic music), members of Jazz Mafia, who also performed at the London Jazz Festival 2007.

They will be joined by Lydia Kavine playing Theremin-vox, a unique musical instrument invented by Leon Theremin in 1920 in Soviet Russia. Theremin-vox was the first ever electronic musical instrument;

it is played without being touched by the musician. Kavina is the most acclaimed performer on the Theremin-vox and great-niece to Leon Theremin.

continued ...

                                                           Organisers

 The Russian Archive Cinema season is organised by Academia Rossica and supported by the Yeltsin Foundation and Sovexportfilm.

Academia Rossica is a Russian Arts Foundation, created in 2000 to promote Anglo-Russian cultural links. Academia Rossica works in close collaboration with leading arts institutions, the Russian Ministry of Culture and the British Council. Among its main projects are the Russian Film Festival, the Rossica Translation Prize, Russian publishers’ stand at the London Book Fair, a programme of contemporary art exhibitions, and ROSSICA international review of Russian culture. Academia Rossica is a UK registered charity No. 1091022.

Films for this season are provided by Gosfilmofond (Moscow) and the BFI archive. Gosfilmofond, the Russian State film archive, has one of the world's richest collections of film. The collection keeps negatives and copies of Soviet films by Eisenstein, Vsevolod Pudovkin, Alexander Dovzhenko, Lev Kuleshov and many others.

The season is organised to support the Royal Academy of Arts’ exhibition From Russia: French and Russian Master Paintings 1870-1925 from Moscow and St Petersburg.

Contact

For further information and images please contact:

Alissa Timoshkina

020 7937 5001, 07917 285661

films@academia-rossica.org

Notes to Editors

Russian Archive Cinema 1908-1925

Imperial Russian Cinema (1896-1917)

The first films were shown in Russia in the spring of 1896, only a few months after the first screenings in Paris in December 1895. For the first decade films shown in Russia were entirely foreign, mainly of the attraction rather than narrative variety.

In autumn 1907, the French faced their first Russian competition. The title of the first Russian film usually goes to the Dranov studio’s costume picture STEN’KA RAZIN (1908), which depicts the colourful legend of the seventeenth-century Cossack rebel. Drankov commissioned I.M. Ippolitov-Ivanov to compose a special score for the movie that could be sung, played on the gramophone, piano or orchestra.

Native film production increased rapidly. It is important to keep in mind, however, that only 85 of the Russian films made from 1908-1912 were acted films, the rest were newsreels or otherwise based on factual material.

53% of the ‘art’ films were screen adaptations of belles-letres, plays and songs, undoubtedly promoted by the success of the French Films d’art series. Of the remaining acted films, 26% were historical dramas, 13%- contemporary melodramas, 8%- comedies.

Early Soviet  Cinema (1917-1925)

The years of 1917 and 1921 saw some of the most radical changes in the course of Russian history, which consequently had an affect on Russian cinema. Once the political turmoil was seemingly over, the new Soviet state began to dedicate more attention to the questions of art, and cinema in particular. "…Of all the arts, the most important for us is cinema…''   - wrote Lenin. In December 1922 Lenin founded Central Photo-Cinematographic Enterprise- (GosKino) which was to become the official state body to take up all film related issues for decades to come.

Gradually the prominence of Revolutionary events began to fade, and the stability of the NEP posed a threat of introducing a class of new bourgeoisie. Therefore the government and the filmmakers began to explore and exploit the ideological and propagandists powers of the moving image, in order to create a new myth of the glorious revolution and to satirise the supporters of the New Economic Policy.

Such innovative use of the medium was seen as extremely fruitful and liberating for the new young directors like Eisenstein and Pudovkin. Eisenstein’s fist feature film STACHKA (Strike, 1925), was conceived as a part of the cycle of films under an umbrella title ‘Towards Dictatorship’, which were meant to depict various means of revolutionary struggle.

By the end of 1920’s state’s tendency to unite the masses against the internal class enemy had a strong affect on the form and content of soviet films. Gradually, cinema became a state instrument of ideological propaganda.

Live Music with all films

Performers

Aleksander Kolkowski - stroh violin, musical saw, gramophone and sound effects

Aleksander Kolkowski is a true innovator and a daring experimentalist. His latest work combines instruments and machines from the pioneering era of sound recording and reproduction
(horned violins, wind-up gramophones and wax-cylinder phonographs) to make live mechanical-acoustic music. In 2002 he founded Recording Angels, a project that examines our relationship to recorded sound in performances, workshops and installations. Aleksander studied Music at London University and the Royal Academy of Music. Since 1983 he has worked internationally as an
improvising violinist, interpreter, solo performer and composer for dance, theatre and film. One of his recent projects includes a special live music screening of The Saragossa Manuscript at the
BFI South Bank, which once again demonstrated the rich talent of this unordinary musician.

Vladimir Miller (piano)

Vladimir Miller is an internationally renowned performer. His passion for jazz led him to create a ‘Vlad Miller Jazz Quartet’ and the ‘London Bridge Ensemble’, both performing regularly in London. He has also toured with another of his original creations - the ‘Vladimir Trio’ in Japan, and performed as a solo artist in England, Germany and Russia.

In 1992 Vladimir travelled to Eastern Europe to explore new musical possibilities. His vibrant talent helped him form new musical associations. His frequent visits to Moscow and consequent close interaction with music producer Nikolai Dmitriev helped cement the forming of the Moscow Composers Orchestra (MCO). Since the debut CD 'Kings and Cabbages' released by Leo Records in March 1993 MCO has toured in Germany, Italy, Switzerland and as part of 'Unsung Music' at London's South Bank. This last concert was broadcast on BBC Radio 3's 'Impressions' program.

Sergei Letov (saxophones, bass clarinet and flutes player, composer)

A legendary figure of the Moscow bohemian and underground world, Sergei’s appearance and personality is as vibrant as his music. He entered the Moscow art scene in 1982 as a soloist with Percussion Ensemble of Mark Pekarsky in The Central House of Artist.

Rapidly gaining acknowledgment and respect, Sergei Letov has founded winds ensemble TRI-O in 1985. The trio continues to amaze the audiences at almost all Russian jazz festivals since 1988.TRI-O played in various countries around the world, including Poland, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, USA.

Letov expanded his talent to the rest of artistic fields in Russia. He married his unique and original music with literature, poerty , theatre and film. He performed with the famous modern Russian poets and writers, such as  Nina Iskrenko, Dmitry Alexandrovich Prigov (1940—2007), Lev Rubinstein, Gennady Katsov, Nina Sadur, Andrei Bitov and many others.

His theatrical performances are innumerable and equally memorable and striking. Sergei continues to collaborate with Yuri Lubimov and the legendary Taganka theatre, which has been an emblem of true creative freedom since the 60’s.

Another form of Sergey Letov' activities is composing and playing music for cinema, video, radio and TV. He has composed and performed the original score for more than 10 feature films. His most outstanding creation is the accompaniment to Protazanov’s Sci-Fi classic Aelita, Queen of Mars, which is performed in a trio with Alexei Borisov and a third, usually experimental, alternating performer.

Since 2002 Sergey Letov is a member of the legendary Saxophone Quartet ‘Russian Sax Mafia’, which has toured around Europe, and performed at the London Jazz Festival in 2007.

Alexei Borisov (electronic music)

Making music on the fringe since the underground movement ignited in Russia in the beginning 80s, Alexei Borisov has developed an impressively diverse body of work as a member of NIGHT PROSPEKT, F.R.U.I.T.S. and VOLGA, among many other projects.

Born in Moscow on December 7, 1960, Alexei Borisov graduated the Moscow State University where he had studied History and Arts. His controversial performing career, initially as a guitarist, began in the CENTER new-wave group, in 1980. Next year, he formed the PROSPEKT mod-band. And re-loaded it in 1985 as the shifting NIGHT PROSPEKT with then-partner Ivan Sokolovsky. After the actual dissolution of the band in the beginning 90s, he surfaced then in the noise reconstruction and techno acoustics duo F.R.U.I.T.S. with Pavel Zhagun (a.k.a. PIEZO) and in various short-lived, yet noteworthy art/noise/industrial acts like JOINT COMMITTEE, ATOMIC BISQUIT ORCHESTRA and SEVER.

Being left with little possibility of finding a label to fund and promote his most radical projects, Alexei Borisov with his old-associate, an experimental Finnish sound-sculptor Anton Nikkila established in 2000 their own N&B Research Digest label. Borisov also works as a DJ in clubs and on radio and contributes as a journalist to some non-maintstream music and culture magazines: "B'Mag", "Bulldozer", "Downtown", "Fuzz", and "Technikart".

Lydia Kavina (theremin-vox)

The grand-niece of the ingenious inventor, Léon Theremin, Lydia Kavina was born in Moscow and began studying the theremin under the direction of Theremin himself when she was nine years old. Theremin, or theremin-vox, is a unique creation of Leon Theremin, the first fully electronic musical instrument, invented in 1920.

Lydia Kavina is considered to be the greatest Russian theremin performer and composer. Her solo performances at such prestigious venues as the Grand Hall of the Moscow Conservatory, Moscow International Performing Arts Centre (with the National Philharmonic of Russia under Vladimir Spivakov) and the Palace Bellevue in Berlin (the residency of the German President) have left a strong mark in the music history of the 20^th century.

Kavina’s contribution to film art is equally impressive. Together with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, she played theremin for Howard Shore's soundtrack of the Oscar-winning film ''Ed Wood'', as well as for ''eXistenZ'', also composed by Shore, and ''The Machinist''.

The most notable project of her recent career is the theremin solo in ''The Little Mermaid'', a ballet by Lera Auerbach, choreographed by John Neumeier, in Copenhagen’s New Opera House and in the Hamburger Staatsoper (2007).

The Russian Archive Cinema programme

3 February 2008, 12pm

Sten’ka Razin

(PG) dir. Viktor Romashkov. Russia 1908. 10 mins

The very first Russian film “Stenka Razin” is based on a folk song about love of a 17-century legendary rebel and people’s hero to Persian princess. The film was photographed by it’s producer, Alexander Drankov – a controversial social and cultural figure, who at one point worked as a reporter for London Times.

Young Lady and the Hooligan

(PG) dir. Evgeny Slavinsky and Vladimir Mayakovsky. Russia 1918. 35 mins

Written and directed by Vladimir Mayakovsky, the great Revolutionary poet and playwright, who stars as the enamoured hooligan.

After Death

(PG) Dir.  Evgenii Bauer. Russia 1915. 46 mins

Andrei is a young photographer, whose solitary life is haunted by the memory of his dead mother. One day he meets a beautiful actress. He scorns her romantic feelings towards him, thus driving her to suicide. An adaptation of Turgenev’s novel, the film reflects upon the central themes of Bauer’s work: love and death.

10 February 2008, 12pm

Chess Fever

(PG) Dir. Vsevolod Pudovkin Soviet Union 1925/ 20 mins

A young woman is neglected by her fiancé, who becomes obsessed with the international chess tournament. The chess fever that overwhelms the city, is about to destroy the woman’s life, until she meets the world champion, Capablanca himself.

Pudovkin’s short film is full of light-hearted humour, and is atypically devoid of political agenda.

Strike

(PG) Dir. Sergei Eisenstein Soviet Union 1924, 73 mins

A first feature film of the great Eisenstein, Strike epitomises the essence of 1917 Revolution. It graphically depicts a failed uprising at a factory and various conflicts between the workers and the Tsarist authorities  preceding  the incident. This avant-garde film, along with the entire body of Eisenstein’s work, is perceived as a touchstone of cinematic history and academic film theory.

24 February 2008, 12pm

The Cameraman’s Revenge

(PG) dir. Wladyslaw Starewicz. Russia 1912. 12 mins Animation

The earliest animated film, this work is one of the first to deliberate over the role of cinema. The story is transferred into the kingdom of insects, revealing how a jealous husband films his adulterous wife and her lover, with the intention to screen his creation at a cinema.

Aelita

(PG) Dir.  Yakov Protazanov Soviet Union 1924, 77 mins

The first Soviet Sci-fi film tells a story of an engineer, Los, who after picking up an encoded  message from space on a radio, decides to build a spaceship and travels to Mars. There he leads an uprising against the dictator King, aided by Aelita, the disempowered romantic Queen.

With set design and costumes by Aleksandra Ekster, one of the key artists of the Soviet avant-garde, ‘Aelita’ is an example of how cinema was perceived as the 7^th Soviet art.