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[SOVIET MOVIE INDUSTRY UNDER TYRAN] Quinze ans de cinematographie Sovietique [i.e. Fifteen Years of the Soviet Cinematography]

Moscow: Direction générale de l’industrie cinématographique, 1935. Item #1424

86 pp.: ill. 21x15 cm. In original covers with logo and mounted piece of red film. Covers slightly soiled and rubbed, tears of spine, some foxing on pages, small crack of lower edge of film, otherwise very good and clean.

In French. Very rare. Collection of articles written by notable representatives of the early period in the formation of this industry and photo materials related. In May 1935, the 15th anniversary of Soviet cinematography was celebrated. It was recognized that the industry crisis had been completely overcome and that Soviet cinematography was on the rise. Many Soviet films have earned international recognition and commercial success.
The book opens with a portrait and text by Boris Shumiatskii who was a top executive producer for the Soviet film monopoly, Soyuzkino in 1930-1937. After he visited Hollywood, Shumiatskii was obsessed with an idea of creating a Soviet analog of Hollywood (Kinograd) near Odessa but was not able make it right. According to contemporaries, he systematically criticized Sergei Eisenstein in public, blocked his work and once he sent Stalin a note suggesting that Eisenstein should never be allowed to make another film. In 1938, Shumiatskii was fired, arrested and executed.
Among the authors are the director of the Association of Revolutionary Cinematography (ARK) and editor of the magazine ‘Kinofront’ Konstantin Iukov, as well as avant-garde directors Sergei Eisenstein and Vsevolod Pudovkin who both initiated the creation of this organization. Filmmakers Roman Katsman, Fridrikh Ermler, Leonid Trauberg, Sergei Yutkevich, Grigorii Kozintsev, Alexander Dovzhenko joined them as well.
The book briefly but impressively presented the most valuable moving pictures of the mentioned period through mezzo-tinto photographs of their creators and film shots.

Worldcat shows only two copies in Harvard University and MoMA.

Price: $950.00