Events

Peasant Women of Riazan [Baby Riazankie]

introduction by Professor Yuri Tsivian, with piano accompaniment by David Drazin

When:
Friday, May 19, 2006, 8:00pm - 8:00pm
Description:
Filmed in the Soviet Union, Peasant Women of Riazan (USSR, 1927) offers a fascinating look back at peasant culture and the emerging role of the new Soviet woman. Set against the backdrop of rural life in pre-revolutionary Russia, Anna and Wassilissa, young sisters-in-law, each marry the men they love (with or without their families approval) but their divergent futures are decided by the call of their husbands to war. As Wassilissa finds strength in her life directing a new orphanage, Anna must fend for herself when her lascivious father-in-law presses his advantage. A beautifully shot, narrative melodrama with engrossing scenes of rural life and customs. [dir. Olga Preobrazhenkaya, USSR, 1927, c. 80 min., b/w, silent, French intertitles with live English translation, 35mm, Film Studies Center Collection] The Film Studies Center 35mm print was preserved from a French print found in a private collection by David Shepard of Film Preservation Associates. It contains additional footage missing from other existing versions of this film.