The Presidential Library: New acquisitions

The Presidential Library collection has been enriched with black and white films from the collection of the Gosfilmofond of Russia of the Trade House of A. Khazhonkov, Pathe Brothers and the office “Globe”, as well as Soyuzdetfilm.

Russian businessman, organizer of the film industry, producer, director, screenwriter, one of the pioneers of Russian cinema Aleksandr A. Khanzhonkov was born in 1877 in the village of Upper Hanzhonovsky, the Russian Empire. In 1906 in Moscow A. A. Khanzhonkov opened the first Russian company for the sale and rental of foreign films - Trade house of A. Khanzhonkov. (1912 - JSC "A. Khanzhonkov and K"). Since 1907 Alexander Khanzhonkov was engaged in the production of game plays and chronicles. Khanzhonkov worked with representatives of early Russian cinema as Vasily Goncharov, Vladislav Starevich, Eugene Bauer, Peter Chardynin, Vera Holodnaya, Ivan Mozzhukhin, Vera Karalli, Witold Polonsky, Ivan Perestiani and others. Along with Khanzhonkov in Moscow was operating the office "Globe" by Abram B. Gehtman (later transformed into the "Partnership") and the Moscow branch of the company "Pathe Brothers" - Russian branch of the French company Pathe, which is engaged in the production and distribution of its own foreign films in Russia. In Soviet times, the new ideological conditions of filmmaking have received new impetus. It started making more movies, new themes, new heroes. Such an example is Soyuzdetfilm - Soviet film studio for children and youth films, organized in 1936 in Moscow at the studio "Mezhrabpomfilm" (in 1948 renamed the studio to M. Gorky). 

Presented films were included in the collection M. Y. Lermontov: to the 200^th birthday anniversary, the First World War (1914-1918), Memory of the Great Victory.

- "M. Y. Lermontov: to the 200^th birth anniversary"

Boyar Orsha (9 min 25 sec) – a dumb film, made by P. I. Chardynin based on the eponymous poem by Mikhail Lermontov in 1909. Starring A. Gromov, P. Chardynin, A. Goncharov. Production: Trading House by A. Khanzhonkov. The film premiered on 2 (15) January 1910. The film remained without captions. The film tells the story of a collision rebel of Arseny against the father of his sweetheart Boyar Orsha.

Bela (21 min 57 sec) – a dumb film, made by A. A. Gromov in 1913. The screen adaptation of the eponymous chapter of the first part of the novel by Mikhail Lermontov "Hero of our time". Cast: G. Bela, A. Shakhatuni, A. Gromov, A. Sorin. Production the Joint Stock Company "A. Khanzhonkov and K". Premiered 5 (18) November 1913 film without captions. The plot is the love story of the main characters in the movie: Circassian Princess Bela and Russian officer Pechorin.

Vadim (14 min 31 sec) – a dumb film, made by P. I. Chardynin by eponymous unfinished historical novel by Mikhail Y. Lermontov in 1910. Production: Trade House by A. Khanzhonkov. Cast: P. Chardynin, A. Gromov, A. Goncharov, Speransky, P. Biryukov. Premiered 2 (15) November 1910 film without captions. The action takes place during the Peasants' War of 1773-1775 near the village Tarkhany. The protagonist Vadim, a son of landed gentry, ravaged rich neighbors, adjacent to the rebels and avenges the honor of his family.

- The First World War

The German yoke (9 min 42 sec) – a dumb film, made in the style of the cartoon movie in 1914 Production: Br. Pathe and office "Globe". The film is a political satire on Wilhelm II – a German Emperor and King of Prussia.

Glory to us, death to enemies (20 min 56 sec) – a dumb film directed by Eugene Bauer. Production: Joint Stock Company "A. Khanzhonkov and K". Cast: I. Mozzhukhin, D. Chitorina. Drama of the First World War. In the center of the plot - the events in the life of a nurse and her fiancé officer called to the front. Movie with subtitles.

- The memory of the Great Victory

Military film collection. № 7 (70 min 02 sec) is one of 13 taken at the Moscow studio "Soyuzdetfilm" during the Great Patriotic War. The film collection was filmed during the onset of the German fascist troops to Moscow and was released in theaters on December 5, 1941. The story of this issue consists of six novellas united interlude involving the Good Soldier Schweik, caught in a Nazi concentration camp. Directed by Sergei Yutkevich sideshow operator: I. Martov authors: E. Pomeschikov, N. Rozhkov. The authors of novels: M. Volpin, M. Vitukhnovsky, D. Eremin, L. Nikulin, G. Manevitch, A. Sazonov, N. Erdman. Directors: L. A. Volpin, A. Gendelshtein, K. Mintz, R. Pearlstein, A. Rowe, S. Yutkevich.

The preparation of new materials for the collection continues.