Page 127 - Inside the Film Factory New Approaches to Russian and Soviet Cinema

108 INSIDE THE FILM FACTORY

Figure 11 Satan Triumphant [1917] gave Protazanov’s regular stars Mosjoukine and
Lisenko a rare opportunity for Expressionist acting in this account of Satan causing havoc
in a devout Scandinavian community.

monk, was one of the most important movies to appear immediately after the
October Revolution. 23
In the winter of 1918—19, Yermoliev became alarmed at the direction the
Revolution was taking and concerned for the health and safety of his company in
cold and hungry Moscow. He persuaded the entire group, including Protazanov, to
move with him to Yalta and set up shop there. The Yermoliev studio’s sojourn in
Yalta was a short one, and at the beginning of February 1920 the troupe was again
24
on the move, this time ending up in Paris. That 1920 was a bad year for
Protazanov is best demonstrated by noting that it was the first since 1909 that he did
not add a single production to his filmography, though he had been working under
less than ideal conditions for some years.
Professionally speaking, Protazanov effortlessly adjusted to émigré life. A
Francophile since childhood, he spoke French fluently and, as previously
mentioned, had lived in France as a young man. From 1921 to 1923 he made six
movies, five in France and one in Germany. By the time Aleinikov contacted him in