Stenka Razin (1908) Movie
Stenka Razin (1908) - has the distinction of being the first Russian dramatic silent film production — a tribute to the determination of its producer, Aleksandr Drankov. When his first seventeen actualities failed to win serious attention in early 1908, he answered the widespread call for Russian-made films with Stenka Razin. This account of the popular brigand leader who dallied with a captured Persian princess was adapted from a traditional ballad "From the Island to the Deep Stream" and Drankov commissioned original music to accompany his film from no less than Ippolitov-lvanov, then head of the Moscow Conservatoire. Energetic promotion ensured the film's commercial success and launched Drankov's career as a producer.
Stenka Razin is the leader of a group of outlaws who live a life of revelry and carousing along the Volga River and in the nearby forests. When Razin becomes distracted by a captured foreign princess and starts to dote on her, his men are displeased, feeling that he is neglecting them and their usual activities. Soon they come up with a plot, in the hopes of turning Razin against the princess.
Director - Vladimir Romashkov
Writer - Vasiliy Goncharov
Cinematography - Aleksandr Drankov, Nikolai Kozlovskiy
Cast - Yevgeny Petrov-Kraevskiy
Producer - Aleksandr Drankov
Production Co - A. Drankov Studio
