Page 247 - Inside the Film Factory New Approaches to Russian and Soviet Cinema

228 INSIDE THE FILM FACTORY
September 1924); in Ye. Khokhlova (ed.), Lev Kuleshov: Fifty Years in Films
(Moscow: 1987), pp. 60—1. For other dismissive mentions, see also: V. Blyum,
‘Against the “Theatre of Fools”–For Cinema’, FF, p. 117; A. Goldobin, ‘Our Cinema
and its Audience’, FF, p. 125.
5 The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr West in the Land of the Bolsheviks
[Neobychainye priklyucheniya Mistera Vesta v strane bol’shevikov, 1924] consists of
a series of tricks played by conmen on the innocent Mr West, ending with a tour of
the ‘real Moscow’ after his rescue. The Great Consoler [Velikii uteshitel’, 1933] sets a
fantastic tale of the Wild West within a framing story of the author O. Henry’s
imprisonment.
6 The New Economic Policy came into force during 1921, as it became clear to Lenin
that full-scale nationalisation and centralisation of the Soviet economy were not
working. In a series of measures, private trading was re-legalised, co-operatives were
encouraged, the state monopoly on trade was abolished and the right to organise
small business enterprises was granted. Heavy industry, banking and foreign trade
remained state monopolies. The entrepreneurs of the NEP were known as
‘Nepmen’, who soon became popular targets of rumour and satire. For many
Bolsheviks, NEP represented a retreat, though Lenin defended it as a return to the
policies of 1918, before these had been distorted by the exigencies of ‘War
Communism’. However, his failing health from 1922 limited his contribution to the
debate over NEP, which reached its peak in 1923—4. The policy theoretically
continued until the start of the first Five Year Plan in 1929. See A.Nove, An
Economic History of the USSR (Harmondsworth: 1969), chs 4 and 5. See also pp.
67—79 this volume.
7 Nikolai Tsereteli (Los/Spiridonov) and Konstantin Eggert were leading actors at the
Moscow Kamerny [Chamber] Theatre; Igor Ilyinsky (Kravtsev) belonged to
Meyerhold’s company from 1920; Yuliya Solntseva (Aelita) had no previous stage or
screen experience. All were making their film début–and Eggert was so impressed
that he left the theatre permanently for cinema, according to M. Arlazorov,
Protazanov (Moscow: 1973), pp. 120—1. Other actors were drawn from cinema and
theatre, making the production famous for its diversity of acting talent. (I am grateful
to Richard Taylor for this and other translations from Arlazorov.)
8 For contemporaneous accounts, see: H.Carter, The New Theatre and Cinema of
Soviet Russia (London: 1924); O. Sayler, Inside the Moscow Art Theatre (New
York: 1925); R.Fülöp-Miller and J.Gregor, The Russian Theatre (trans. P. England)
(London: 1930). The Kamerny Theatre toured Western Europe in 1923.
9 See Sayler, pp. 96 ff. for a description of Rabinovich’s set, consisting of grouped
classical columns connected by curving pediments, for Lysistrata; also an interview
with this prolific designer, who also worked for the Kamerny and Habima theatres.
10 Arlazorov, p. 122.
11 Pravda, 1 October 1924 (thanks are due to Jeffrey Brooks for this reference); Kino-
gazeta, no. 48 (23 September 1924), quoted in Arlazorov, p. 123, which is also the
source for other information about the film’s première.
12 A copy of this is preserved in the Central Film Museum at the Moscow Film Centre
and was kindly made available by Rashit Yangirov.
13 No actual figures are available, but these should emerge from the empirical work on
Soviet popular cinema currently being done by Maya Turovskaya and Yekaterina