The New Babylon (in Russian : Новый Вавилон , Novy Vavilon ) is a Soviet silent film of Grigori Kozintsev and Leonid Trauberg dating from 1929 , whose soundtrack was composed by Dmitry Shostakovich .
This film deals with the Paris Commune as seen by the employees of a department store.
Synopsis
At the beginning of the industrial revolution , in 1871, when the Paris Commune was violently repressed by the army, a love story was woven between John, a soldier, and Louise, a young communanne saleswoman of the New Babylon’s big-store. . The adventure will end in blood and tears, in the rain washing away all memories of the past.
Technical sheet
- Movie title: The New Babylon
- Original Russian title: Новый Вавилон, Novy Vavilon
- Alternative title: Storming the sky
- Director and screenplay: Grigori Kozintsev , Leonid Trauberg
- Photo: Andrei Moskvine , Evgeni Mikhailov – black and white
- Sound: Silent Film
- Music: Dimitri Shostakovich
- Sets: Evgeni Eneï
- Production: Sovkino , Leningrad
- Duration:
- 120 minutes (in length: 2,200 meters) in the initial version
- 93 minutes in the restored version in 2004
- Release date :
Distribution
- David Gutman : owner of the La Nouvelle Babylone department store
- Elena Kouzmina : Louise Poirier, the store’s caregiver
- Andreï Kostrichkin : the main assistant of the store
- Sofia Magarill : Actress Tamara Makarova
- A. Arnold : member of the central committee of the Commune
- Sergey Guerassimov : Lutro, the journalist
- Ievgueni Chervyakov : Officer of the National Guard
- Piotr Sobolevski : John, the soldier
- Yanina Jeïmo : Thérèse
- Oleg Zhakov : soldier of the National Guard
- Vsevolod Pudovkin : Police Intendant
- Lioudmila Semenova : can-can dancer
- Tamara Makarova : can-can dancer
- A. Glushkova
Around the film
Future director Sergei Guerassimov is featured in the film along with the 22-year-old actress Tamara Makarova . She will become his wife and she will play in a dozen films made by her husband.