Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks were the stars of the first magnitude not only in the U.S. but abroad, the Soviet Union was no exception. After their visit in 1926 in Moscow released film, based on newsreel. Silent Comedy with a star name in the title became a hit and was later included in the Golden Fund of Russian cinema.
She Mary Pickford learned of the existence of this picture only in old age — in the late 1970s she was given a copy of the film. Today, this gift is kept in the Library of Congress.
in 1927, the Soviet Union. The movie theatres are full: the whole country is watching “Kiss of Mary pikford”. The resonance is caused not only by everyone’s favourite — Hollywood-Actresses — in the title, but the fact that she appears in the frame. In 1920-e years the cinema was an important part of the leisure of the citizen of the new state. But the repertoire was either the old pre — revolutionary or foreign. Hollywood pictures was appreciated by the audience particularly, and movie theaters have tried to lure the impressions of bright posters with familiar faces and stranger names: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Mary Pickford.
a Year earlier, Director Sergei Komarov watched the visit of the couple of actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in the USSR. The love of the audience, dangerously bordering on fanaticism, had bewitched him: everywhere, wherever the actors, they were stormed by crowds of fans and journalists who had dreams just to be able to touch the clothing of the idols passing by. Pickford and Fairbanks could just stand in place and still bask in the adoration. “The psychosis of pictureshow” — severely stroke the Soviet press. In the arrival of the article in the magazine “Kino” is such reportage sketch:
At some point, looking at all of this Sergei Komarov dawned on me: Yes this is a ready plot for a satirical movie!
by looking at whole documentary film of the visit of the star couple, he found a truly stunning scene caught in camera lens: brilliant Pickford chastely kissing one fan on the cheek. There was a picture. The Director understood how and what it will build your movie.
the Plot is simple: a regular usher of the cinema Goga Palkin (starring Igor Ilyinsky — the future companion of Cucumbers from “Carnival night” Eldar Ryazanov) vainly seeking attention Studio album, that is an employee of the Studio, Dusi Galkina (anel of Sudakevich). Girl dreaming about an acting career and a boyfriend does not pay any attention. What if he becomes a star? Gogh accidentally comes to the Studio at the time of the visit of Mary Pickford. He makes her laugh, and the Hollywood diva gives him a kiss. Quickly learn about Gogh fans, Mary and I look at him with envy and admiration. And darling finally falls in love — after all, not a bad guy, just kissed him myself, you know!
Mosquitoes poshhad for trick. He rewired a real movie with a fan so that it seemed that the actress kissing Elias. In addition, the film hit other shots with a memorable arrival, and they are also mounted so that they perfectly fit into the story. The audience was delighted.
In 1927 the same year, incidentally, was another film, dictated by the arrival of Pickford and Fairbanks, this time animated. The cartoon Comedy “One of many” Nicholas Khodataev tells the story of a Soviet girl, impressed by the meeting with the idols. At night, she falls asleep, in the dream falls to the shooting and met with Charlie Chaplin, Harold Lloyd, Mary Pickford and the other actors. Fantasy heroine, drawn Khodataeva and Valentina and Zinaida of Bromberg, interspersed documentary photography of the arrival of Hollywood stars. The film was released in the same Studio as the “Kiss of Mary Pickford”, — “Mezhrabpom-Rus”.
Pickford and Fairbanks truly adored. Sales were even caramel candy “Douglas Fairbanks” with a picture of the actor on the wrappers. Every appearance of the artists on the screen for long periods of time relished in periodicals.
rumors about the arrival of Pickford and Fairbanks in the Soviet Union made a lot of noise before the arrival. Fans wrote in Newspapers: “is it True that they will visit our country?” “They are here on a short vacation or to live?”, “And will Mary and Douglas to star in a movie here?” Some especially naive asked the address of the spouses in Hollywood.
July 19, 1926, met them at Belorussky station as gods. Fans were so many that they all would not fit even on Tverskaya. Star struck by this reception wasn’t taken aback, smiled, posed for the camera. Later, they tell you that they were such happy cheerfulness of the Soviet people.
In Moscow, they stayed until July 23. The first thing they met with the living legend Sergei Eisenstein, who became famous in 1925 with the film “Battleship “Potemkin””, conquered including international audiences. Pickford and Fairbanks contributed to the release of the film in the US and being in the USSR, did not miss the chance to meet the artist. The Director made Douglas and Mary a tour of Moscow, told the story of the city. To do this, he did not even need a translator, Sergey is fluent in four languages, including English. By the way, soon, in 1930, Eisenstein himself would go to Hollywood at the invitation of one of the studios. In the midst of a film about the uprising in Mexico, the telegram will call back in the USSR Stalin.
In the 1920s the Americans who sympathized with Communist ideas began real pilgrimages to the Soviet Union and in Moscow in particular. Some of them came to get acquainted with the country, as, for example, writers Theodore Dreiser, Upton Sinclair, John DOS passos, journality Jesse O’connor and John reed, and some remained as long as the dancer Isadora Duncan, which even opened in Moscow school.
“I — red”. The life of Isadora Duncan in Moscow in photographs and memories
Mary Pickford was and professional interest during this visit. Tired of Studio pressure, she, Fairbanks, Chaplin and other actors founded the film company United Artists. She wanted to learn how to make movies in the Soviet Union. The actress believed that the Soviet cinema has a great future. For example, the Studio “Mezhrabpom-Rus” (now the Gorky film Studio), which then removed the “Kiss of Mary Pickford”, in just three years of its existence has created 20 films: “Aelita”, “Morozko”, “Bear’s wedding” and others.
But the favorites of the public in the Soviet Union was not only a Hollywood star. Domestic celebrities could be foreign colleagues strong competition.
for Example, Faith Cold. Her career lasted only four years (she died in 1919 when she was 25 years old), but this time she managed to become a legend. It was called “the Queen screen”, her name in the credits gave a guarantee of the success of the film. She first appeared in cinema with a light hand of Director Nicholas Bauer. Barely seeing her, he fell in love with her dramatic appearance. And then offered her a lead role in the new film “the Song of triumphant love”.
Many contemporaries wondered: Cold is not the most brilliant actress, and beautiful women, did not inferior to her, on the screen a lot. But the fact remains a fact — the Directors lined up. The film company he had kept hidden from each other information about their plans — were afraid that the idea will be stolen. But in the case of Cold not afraid and announced future pictures with the actress: the audience attracted to it, not the plot. Fans imitated her: was copying her dress, hairstyle, demeanor.
anel of Sudakevich, who starred in “the Kiss of Mary Pickford” rebellious studica, was one of the main faces of the Soviet cinema of the 1920s. Her unusual beauty had struck the women, savelyava the Studio “Mezhrabpom-Rus”, where she was working, enthusiastic letters, and men. One of the fans of the actress was Vladimir Mayakovsky. Once the poet bought in the kiosk all the existing cards with Sudakevich and gave them to passers-by.
the Ideal of the 1930s was the Lyubov Orlova is a Soviet version of Marlene Dietrich. Loved her in the film “Circus”, “Jolly fellows”, “Volga-Volga” and others. Fans lost from her head. Wags coined the diagnosis “syndrome of Orlova”. “Sick” copied her style, dyed hair in bright colors, seemed to its name. Orlov feared even to take a taxi: if you learned it on the street, suddenly a crowd was gathering, which was able to disassemble the machine parts, to greet the��have.
the History of silent film begins in Russia in 1896 when Camille CERF, the operator of the lumière company, showed some movies in Saint-Petersburg and in Moscow, in the theater the summer garden “Hermitage”. He also asked permission to remove the coronation of Nicholas II. Thus appeared the first Russian reportage film.
later, actor and photographer Vladimir Sashin also became interested in filming and engaged in creating short films that the audience was in the theatre after the performances. Basically it was a newsreel.
the First fiction film appeared only in 1908. Director and entrepreneur Alexander Drankov shot the black-and-white silent picture “Ponizova freemen,” and she was enthusiastic. Then there was Vladimir Gardin with the “Noble nest”, with Yakov Protazanov Queen of spades, Eugene Bauer from “Twilight of a woman’s soul” and others.
