Ivan Mozzhukhin(1889-1939)
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Ivan Mozzhukhin was a legendary actor of Russian silent films, who
escaped execution by the Soviet Red Army and had a stellar career
in Europe.
He was born Ivan Ilyich Mozzhukhin on September 26, 1889, in the
village of Kondol, Saratov province, Russia (now Penza province,
Russia). His father was general manager of the large estate of Prince
Obolensky. Mozzhukhin attended all-boys Gymnasium in Penza, then
studied at the Law School of Moscow University for two years. There he
was active in amateur stage productions and joined a touring troupe,
then returned to Moscow and was a member of the Vvedensky Narodny Dom
Theatre. He made his film debut in 1908. From 1911-14 he worked in
the films of producer
Aleksandr Khanzhonkov. Mozzhukhin
shot to fame after his leading role as violinist Trukhachevsky in
Kreytserova sonata (1911) by
director Pyotr Chardynin, based on the
eponymous story by Lev Tolstoy. He starred
as Adm. Kornilov in
Defense of Sevastopol (1911)
and in about 30 more silent films made by Chardynin,
Yevgeny Bauer and Khanzhyonkov.
By the mid-'10s Mozzhukhin was the indisputable leading star of the
Russian cinema, having such film partners as 'Diaghilev''s ballerina
Vera Karalli, and his own wife Nathalie Lissenko.
His facial expressions were studied by many actors and directors as
exemplary acting masks. From 1915-19 he worked in about 40 films by
directors Yakov Protazanov and
Viktor Tourjansky under the legendary
Russian producer
Joseph N. Ermolieff. His best known
films of the Russian period were
Queen of Spades (1916) and
Otets Sergiy (1918), both by
Protazanov. Mozzhukhin's incredible popularity brought him significant
wealth, but that came with attendant pressure; he also became famous for
his numerous love affairs with his admirers.
In 1918 the Russian Communist revolution had already caused irreversible
destruction of cultural and economic life, and Mozzhukhin moved under
protection of the anti-Communist White Russian forces in Yalta, Crimea. There he worked for
Ermolieff during the Russian Civil War. Meanwhile, Soviet
government leader Vladimir Lenin ordered the seizure
and nationalization of all film studios and their films, properties and other
assets to use for making Soviet propaganda' most of Mozzhukhin's 70 films were arrested and / or censored.
Lev Kuleshov used fragments of Mozzhukhin's
films to demonstrate his editing ideas. Mozzhukhin's face was used in
Kuleshov's psychological montage to illustrate the principles of film
editing, known today as the Kuleshov Effect.
Mozzhukhin suffered terribly from the loss of his property after the
Communist revolution. However, he continued working in Yalta with
Ermolieff until the end of 1919. When the Red Army advanced into
Crimea and broke through to Yalta, however, he joined the White Russians and fled the now-communist Russia at the end of the Civil War. He managed to
save a few rolls of his silent films, which he took aboard the Greek
steamer Pantera\ in February of 1920. He left Russia together with his
film partners from the Ermolieff film company, his wife
Nathalie Lissenko, actors
Nicolas Koline and
Nicolas Rimsky, actress
Nathalie Kovanko, cinematographer
Nikolai Toporkoff, director
Viktor Tourjansky and producer
Joseph N. Ermolieff. They emigrated
together to Paris, France, and started a Russian-French film company.
In 1926 Mozzhukhin got a lucrative contract with Universal
Pictures in Hollywood, and was cast as the male lead in
Surrender (1927). However, his stint in
Hollywood was not a success, due to numerous pressures from the studio's producers
who insisted on his taking the stage name John Moskin. In addition, Mozzhukhin
and his female co-star Mary Philbin did not get along at all, and that was quite apparent from the footage that they had no chemistry whatever. Ats Hollywood at that time was just making the transition from silent films to talkies, Mozzuhkhin--who did not speak English--was not offered any further roles, and he returned to Europe. Soon
Aleksandr Vertinskiy began to comment that Mozzhukhin's troubles in Hollywood were the results of a conspiracy by the powers in Hollywood to
destroy a strong competitor.
By 1939 Mozzhukhin had made over 100 films in
Russia, France, Italy, the US, Germany and Austria. He
continued starring in the talkies of the 1930s, although not as successfully as he had during the silent era. He also wrote screenplays for several of his films, and
planned to direct a film in France, but the project was abandoned because he
contracted a severe form of tuberculosis and was hospitalized.
Mozzhukhin died of tuberculosis in a Paris clinic on January 17, 1939,
and was laid to rest in the Russian Cemetery at
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, in Paris, France.
Mozzhukhin's home in Kondol, Penza province, is now restored as the
public Memorial Museum of Ivan Mozzhukhin. There, since the 1990s, the
museum has annual showing of Mozzhukhin's films, also known as
Mozzhukhin's Festivities.
escaped execution by the Soviet Red Army and had a stellar career
in Europe.
He was born Ivan Ilyich Mozzhukhin on September 26, 1889, in the
village of Kondol, Saratov province, Russia (now Penza province,
Russia). His father was general manager of the large estate of Prince
Obolensky. Mozzhukhin attended all-boys Gymnasium in Penza, then
studied at the Law School of Moscow University for two years. There he
was active in amateur stage productions and joined a touring troupe,
then returned to Moscow and was a member of the Vvedensky Narodny Dom
Theatre. He made his film debut in 1908. From 1911-14 he worked in
the films of producer
Aleksandr Khanzhonkov. Mozzhukhin
shot to fame after his leading role as violinist Trukhachevsky in
Kreytserova sonata (1911) by
director Pyotr Chardynin, based on the
eponymous story by Lev Tolstoy. He starred
as Adm. Kornilov in
Defense of Sevastopol (1911)
and in about 30 more silent films made by Chardynin,
Yevgeny Bauer and Khanzhyonkov.
By the mid-'10s Mozzhukhin was the indisputable leading star of the
Russian cinema, having such film partners as 'Diaghilev''s ballerina
Vera Karalli, and his own wife Nathalie Lissenko.
His facial expressions were studied by many actors and directors as
exemplary acting masks. From 1915-19 he worked in about 40 films by
directors Yakov Protazanov and
Viktor Tourjansky under the legendary
Russian producer
Joseph N. Ermolieff. His best known
films of the Russian period were
Queen of Spades (1916) and
Otets Sergiy (1918), both by
Protazanov. Mozzhukhin's incredible popularity brought him significant
wealth, but that came with attendant pressure; he also became famous for
his numerous love affairs with his admirers.
In 1918 the Russian Communist revolution had already caused irreversible
destruction of cultural and economic life, and Mozzhukhin moved under
protection of the anti-Communist White Russian forces in Yalta, Crimea. There he worked for
Ermolieff during the Russian Civil War. Meanwhile, Soviet
government leader Vladimir Lenin ordered the seizure
and nationalization of all film studios and their films, properties and other
assets to use for making Soviet propaganda' most of Mozzhukhin's 70 films were arrested and / or censored.
Lev Kuleshov used fragments of Mozzhukhin's
films to demonstrate his editing ideas. Mozzhukhin's face was used in
Kuleshov's psychological montage to illustrate the principles of film
editing, known today as the Kuleshov Effect.
Mozzhukhin suffered terribly from the loss of his property after the
Communist revolution. However, he continued working in Yalta with
Ermolieff until the end of 1919. When the Red Army advanced into
Crimea and broke through to Yalta, however, he joined the White Russians and fled the now-communist Russia at the end of the Civil War. He managed to
save a few rolls of his silent films, which he took aboard the Greek
steamer Pantera\ in February of 1920. He left Russia together with his
film partners from the Ermolieff film company, his wife
Nathalie Lissenko, actors
Nicolas Koline and
Nicolas Rimsky, actress
Nathalie Kovanko, cinematographer
Nikolai Toporkoff, director
Viktor Tourjansky and producer
Joseph N. Ermolieff. They emigrated
together to Paris, France, and started a Russian-French film company.
In 1926 Mozzhukhin got a lucrative contract with Universal
Pictures in Hollywood, and was cast as the male lead in
Surrender (1927). However, his stint in
Hollywood was not a success, due to numerous pressures from the studio's producers
who insisted on his taking the stage name John Moskin. In addition, Mozzhukhin
and his female co-star Mary Philbin did not get along at all, and that was quite apparent from the footage that they had no chemistry whatever. Ats Hollywood at that time was just making the transition from silent films to talkies, Mozzuhkhin--who did not speak English--was not offered any further roles, and he returned to Europe. Soon
Aleksandr Vertinskiy began to comment that Mozzhukhin's troubles in Hollywood were the results of a conspiracy by the powers in Hollywood to
destroy a strong competitor.
By 1939 Mozzhukhin had made over 100 films in
Russia, France, Italy, the US, Germany and Austria. He
continued starring in the talkies of the 1930s, although not as successfully as he had during the silent era. He also wrote screenplays for several of his films, and
planned to direct a film in France, but the project was abandoned because he
contracted a severe form of tuberculosis and was hospitalized.
Mozzhukhin died of tuberculosis in a Paris clinic on January 17, 1939,
and was laid to rest in the Russian Cemetery at
Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois, in Paris, France.
Mozzhukhin's home in Kondol, Penza province, is now restored as the
public Memorial Museum of Ivan Mozzhukhin. There, since the 1990s, the
museum has annual showing of Mozzhukhin's films, also known as
Mozzhukhin's Festivities.