The Keys to Happiness

The Keys to Happiness 1913

1

Directed by Vladimir Gardin and Yakov Protazanov, this two-part epic was the most expensive Russian film at the time and smashed box office records. It is now considered lost, with only a 4 minute clip surviving.

1913

The Departure of a Great Old Man

The Departure of a Great Old Man 1912

4.70

A group of peasants comes to see Leo Tolstoy and his wife, the Countess, to request some land. Tolstoy must explain to them that it is his wife who has authority over their land-holdings, and she will not help them. Stung by their negative reaction to him, Tolstoy becomes increasingly preoccupied with the problems of the poor. This leads to a number of conflicts with his wife, and then to a deep despondency, as the noted writer continues vainly to search for answers to the sufferings he sees around him.

1912

The Picture of Dorian Grey

The Picture of Dorian Grey 1915

6.20

A corrupt young man somehow keeps his youthful beauty, but a special painting gradually reveals his inner ugliness to all.

1915

Plebeian

Plebeian 1915

1

Based on the play Miss Julie by August Strindberg.

1915

Married by Satan

Married by Satan 1917

6.00

A fortune teller helps a woman gain the affections her beloved, with deathly consequences.

1917

The Kreutzer Sonata

The Kreutzer Sonata 1914

5.00

The Kreutzer Sonata is based on a novella by Leo Tolstoy, named after Beethoven's Kreutzer Sonata. The work is an argument for the ideal of sexual abstinence and an in-depth first-person description of jealous rage. The main character, Pozdnyshev, relates the events leading up to his killing his wife.

1914

Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina 1914

1

An adaptation of the novel by Leo Tolstoy. Anna Karenina is having an extramarital affair that causes her grave consequences.

1914

Ghosts

Ghosts 1915

1

An adaptation of Henrik Ibsen's Ghosts.

1915