Discuss The Dying Swan
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Obsessed with Death
posted by northcoastSTAFFMOD on January 28, 2018 at 5:46 AM
With "The Dying Swan", we have a Russian silent film produced in the final years of the Tsar (1916) and released in 1917. In it, we have the beautiful real-life dancer Vera Karalli, who plays a mute, Gizella, in love with the dashing Viktor, played by Vitol'd Polonskii (who can also be seen in Evgeni Bauer's "After Death" [1915]).
Most of this film was shot on a Russian estate, the architecture of the mansion in the style of the European 18th century Renaissance, which was common among the Russian pre-Communist aristocracy.
Most of the filming was outdoors, in sunny summertime gardens and country trails.
After Gizella discovers Viktor cheating on her with another woman, a young artist, Glinskiy, played by Andrej Gromov, offers to paint her after watching her in a stage performance of "The Dying Swan". He is obsessed with capturing death on canvas, and he sees in her performance the perfect emotional sadness he has been searching for.
Gizella takes him up on his offer and Glinskiy paints her, but the portrait is a disappointment to him since she appears too happy-- you see, her former lover Viktor has come back to her, and she is now filled with joy at her impending marriage!
Glinskiy invites Gizella back for one final portrait; he then strangles poor Gizella during the session, and, having at last found the perfect portait of death he has been looking for, Glinskiy paints a portaint of the deceased Gizella, and the film ends.
"The Dying Swan" completes the three Evgeni Bauer films in the Milestone DVD collection, and its subject matter is no less groundbreaking for early film as the other two films in the collection ("Twilight of a Woman's Soul" and the previously-mentioned "After Death").
All three films are also a fascinating window into the life and times of pre-Communust Russia, and history buffs may wish to view these films for that reason alone, although the stories Bauer tells in his films are every bit as "edgy" as themes explored in more modern film, and are fascinating in their own right.
Reply by genplant29
on January 31, 2018 at 4:19 AM
Hello in 2018, north!
Excellent review you've presented above. (FYI: You accidentally typed "January, 2017", though meant 1917.) This definitely is the Bauer movie that "speaks" to me the most. Between Vera Karalli's lovely perfectly suited performance (and what a gorgeous ballet solo), the appealing authenticity of the exterior locations, and the melancholy of most of the story, everything beautifully works together.
This movie's historical place in time is interesting in that during the month before its release Miss Karalli is believed to have been an involved party in the plot to murder Rasputin; supposedly she was present at the murder location, the Yussupov palace, on the night the killing went down. It's fascinating to realize that: that Miss Karalli was in that high up of circles, with royals and others in positions of power or influence.
Reply by northcoast
on January 31, 2018 at 5:13 AM
Thank you, genplant.
I have corrected the date error as well as another typo.
Thank you, again, for introducing me to these Evgeni Bauer films; I had no idea Silent films could convey such genuine drama (prior to these I was only familiar with Nosferatu-- when it came to non-comedic Silents --and I think that film by Murnau is phenomenal).
As noted above, with the Nosferatu exception, my only experience with Silent film prior to these were slapstick comedies, which I really don't care for.
(But I know from reading other posts of yours that you like them-- particularly Buster Keaton --and that is okay:))
Thank you again, genplant, and have a wonderful 2018!