Thursday, June 30, 2011

The Mermaid (1910 , Russia)



Русалка , or The Mermaid - Directed by Vasili Goncharov
Synopsis: A miller interupts his daughter's revelry, and a prince arrives on horseback to propose and make gifts to her of jewelry. The prince leaves and the miller discovers his daughter in jewels, which she tears off. At the wedding feast a woman appears from nowhere and casts a spell, then disappears. The bride is brought to the wedding chambers and the prince kisses her. The woman reappears to confound the prince. Eight years later, the prince is still distracted by the vision of the woman, to the dismay of his wife. The miller, now a mad hermit, confronts the prince at the mill. The princes is drawn by visions of water nymphs into the river. An aide and the princess tracks the prince to the river bed. Then is a shot of the prince caressed by the mermaid at the river bottom. He is surrounded by a tableau of young mermaids.
Cast: Vasili Stepanov, Aleksandra Goncharova, Andrei Gromov
Produced by Aleksandr Khanzhonkov.
Scenario by Vasili Goncharov.
Art direction by V. Fester.
Cinematography by Vladimir Siversen.

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