Thank you for this overview, genplant. I am not nearly the silent film connoisseur that you are, though I do have a rudimentary knowledge of some of the directors of the time, but Evgeni Bauer? I had never heard of him until you made this post, which prompted me to do a little online research.

Turns out I needn't feel so out-of-the-loop about him; apparently his name and works fell into obscurity shortly after his death in 1917.

Which is another reason I am glad you posted about him-- prior to the Communists taking control, I had no idea Russia even HAD a film industry. Thanks to the research which your post prompted I have now learned that they indeed did.

Which would be another fascinating reason for me to check out the Evgeni Bauer films you mentioned-- as much for the fact they were made during Tsarist times (only about 25 years after the medium of moving film images even came into existence!) as for their technical merit.

You see, genplant, I love the study of history, and I often find myself watching older films not just for the films themselves but to see a reflection of the people of those times-- in the silent era, I point to Nosferatu in particular. There are scenes in that film where a cat plays with a ball of yarn, and where people play croquet. Of course, we see those things today, but it's fascinating seeing such activities portrayed on film almost 100 years ago, by people who lived in far different circumstances than we do now.

And to think, Bauer was making his films when hardly anyone in his part of the world saw an airplane (most World War I air combat was taking place in Western Europe, as Tsarist Russia had only a miniscule air force), almost everyone got around on foot or by horse (very few motor cars), no computers anywhere, hardly any radios, no televisions, only a few cinemas, not even many modern roads-- and yet here Bauer was, apparently making very transcendent films.

Thank you again, genplant29, for telling me about this man. I have added the Milestone DVD collection you mentioned to my Amazon wishlist.

Thank you very much, northcoast, for your wonderful post. I certainly appreciate it.

The Dying Swan is a film that very much "speaks" to me. I purchased the Bauer DVD late last year based on finding myself drawn to the cover art, then likewise very interested by the written text on the back of the DVD case and realizing the release sounds exactly like "my kind of thing" in every regard. It immediately greatly interested me, as well, that these are Eastern European produced Silent films - something that doesn't normally come immediately to mind when one thinks about Silent cinema.

Here's the link to a thread I've just now created about After Death (1915), which is one of the two other movies on the same Evgeni Bauer collection DVD:

https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/132397-posle-smerti/discuss/59019b97c3a36810e50091fd

Incidentally, though The Dying Swan has a 1917 official release date (month of January, I believe), it was produced in 1916, and the actual opening credits clearly indicate year 1916.

Hi, genplant, it's me again.

I have finally ordered and received the Milestone Collection of three of Evgeni Bauer's films. Hopefully in the near future, you and I (and others?) can begin discussing these silent films.

You have mentioned in the past here on TMDB that there are a famine of fans of silent/pre-Code films on this website with whom you can have discussions. As I've said before, I am not the cineaste of this era like you are, but I will attempt to provide you with at least a little sustenance in this area. Hopefully others will join in.

One of the reasons I waited so long after learning of the Bauer films-- from you, thanks again! --before actually purchasing them is that like you, I have certain "rules" when I approach film. For one thing, it has to be the right season for me to watch and enjoy certain films. For me, there are Summer and Winter films. Summer films I watch from April 1 through September 30. Winter films, from October 1 through March 31. "Nosferatu" (1922) would be a Winter film. "On the Beach" (1959) would be a Summer film. And then, there are films which are "year-rounders" for me. "Star Wars" and "Return of the Jedi" would fall into this category. "The Empire Strikes Back", for obvious reasons, would be a Winter film.

Anyway, the three Bauer films in the Milestone Collection looked to me to be Winter films-- hence my waiting to purchase them until now. I will be watching and commenting on them in the coming months (but not today, it's September 30 . . . still Summer in my book, the calender be damned!:))

I look forward to hearing your perspective on these films when I post, genplant--so watch your TMDB notifications

You have said that you were most interested in "After Death" and "The Dying Swan"; but to me, "Twilight of a Woman's Soul" looks just as intriguing.

History is my passion and my academic background, and I will be enjoying these films just as much for the fact that they offer a window into pre-Communist Russia (specifically, the final years of the Tsar, as these three films range in production from 1913 - 1916) as they do into the apparently groundbreaking film techniques Mr. Bauer was using at the time.

Hi, north! Wonderful to see you again!

Twilight of a Woman's Soul that's included in the Bauer collection is sufficiently good, but feels more "routine", for its era, and comes off as quite old-fashioned seeming, so is considerably less interesting than the two other featured movies. It's a movie that I watched once, liked it, but so far haven't felt compelled to get around to watching again. It feels and seems a lot like quite a few other "typical" mid-19teens Silent movies that I've seen, whereas The Dying Swan and After Death both have a strong uniqueness and real presence to them. Each is very good, though The Dying Swan somehow aligns all planets especially just right to render it the most rewarding and complete-seeming experience. (I've re-watched it a number of times, and enjoyed it every bit as much each time.)

I know what you mean about certain viewing seasons being right for certain movies. Regarding the ones in the Bauer collection, I actually think The Dying Swan is ideal for summertime (probably half or so of that movie is set outdoors, in beautiful sunny weather), whereas After Death definitely is much more, in every type way, a wintertime story (in fact it includes a pivotal snow scene). I first watched each movie early last December, and both wonderfully "hit the spot" then.