Polikushka

Polikushka (Russian: Поликушка) is a 1922 Soviet drama film directed by Alexander Sanin, based on Leo Tolstoy's 1863 story of the same title: Polikúshka: The Lot of a Wicked Court Servant.[1][2] It features the famous Moscow Art Theatre actor Ivan Moskvin in his first on-screen role.[3] The filming was completed in 1919 but the release was delayed till 1922 because of the Russian Civil War.

Polikushka
Film poster
Directed byAlexander Sanin
Written byFedor Ozep
Nikolai Efros
Leo Tolstoy (story)
StarringIvan Moskvin
Vera Pashennaya
CinematographyYuri Zhelyabuzhsky
Production
company
Release date
31 October 1922
Running time
50 minutes
CountrySoviet Union
LanguageSilent film

Plot

Peasant Polikushka is as Tolstoy described him, "an insignificant man and a little flyblown", he is good-natured but weak-willed. He spends most of his time in a tavern, but cannot find a meeting among minds even among the other regulars. He commits petty theft to buy vodka.

Once he is summoned to a manor house and is charged to go to the city to bring money. Polikushka receives an opportunity for the first time to "demonstrate himself" and intends to make the most out of this opportunity. He feels that this could be the beginning of a new life for him.

Arriving in the city Polikushka receives an envelope with the money which becomes a source of constant worry for him – he is terribly afraid that something happens to the envelope. In the end he hides it in his hat and goes back to the village. As he is lulled to sleep by the wagon's rocking the cap slides from his head with the envelope falling to the wayside. Polikushka dreams that he gloriously enters the mistress's house, gives over the envelope, receives thanks and the reward, and becomes elevated in his own eyes.

Waking up Polikushka detects the loss of the envelope and is gravely dejected. He ambles down the road in search of his loss but to no avail. Polikushka falls into deep despair. Returning home, he takes the rope from the child's cot and hiding from his wife goes up to the attic and hangs himself.

Cast
  • Ivan Moskvin - Polikushka
  • Vera Pashennaya - Akulina, Polikushka's wife
  • Yevgeniya Rayevskaya - The Lady
  • Varvara Bulgakova - The Lady's niece
  • Sergey Aydarov - Steward
  • Dmitry Gundurov - The gardener
  • Sergey Golovin - Dutlov
  • A. Istomin - Ilyukha
  • Nikolai Znamenskiy - Alyokha
  • Varvara Massalitinova - The joiner's wife
  • Nikolai Kostromskoy - Barman

Production

The film was Ivan Moskvin's film debut and he had to readjust his overly theatrical acting style to a more realistic and reserved manner.[4][5]

Filming was done in a difficult period when there was a severe shortage of film stock. Reshoots were done only in exceptional circumstances.[4][2]

Reception

Moskvin's naturalist acting was praised by many critics.[6][2]

References
  1. Peter Rollberg (2009). Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Cinema. US: Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 538–539. ISBN 978-0-8108-6072-8.
  2. Jacek Klinowski, Adam Garbicz (2012). Feature Cinema in the 20th Century: Volume One: 1913-1950: a Comprehensive Guide. Planet RGB Limited. ISBN 978-1-624-07564-3.
  3. Denise J. Youngblood (1993). Movies for the Masses: Popular Cinema and Soviet Society in the 1920s. Cambridge University Press. p. 164. ISBN 978-0-521-46632-5. Polikushka starring Ivan Moskvin.
  4. Jay Leyda (1960). Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film. George Allen & Unwin. pp. 146, 147.
  5. "Поликушка". VokrugTV.
  6. "Иван Москвин". Encyclopedia of Native Cinema. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 28 January 2017.


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