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Yakov Alexandrovich Protazanov (; 4 February ( O.S. 23 January ) 1881 – 8 August 1945) was a Russian and
Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
film director and
screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...
, and one of the founding fathers of
cinema of Russia The cinema of Russia, popularly known as Mollywood, refers to the film industry in Russia, engaged in production of motion pictures in Russian language. The popular term Mollywood is a portmanteau of "Moscow" and "Cinema of the United States, Ho ...
. He was an Honored Artist of the
Russian SFSR The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...
(1935) and
Uzbek SSR The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist P ...
(1944).


Biography

Born in the Vinokurov family estate to educated Russian parents, both of whom belonged to the merchantry social class. Mikhail Arlazorov. ''Protazanov''. Moscow: Iskusstvo, 1973, pp. 7—9 His father Alexander Savvich Protazanov came from a long generation of merchants and was a hereditary distinguished citizen of
Kiev Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
(an inherited privilege first granted to Yakov's great-grandfather, a merchant also named Yakov Protazanov who moved with his family to Kiev from Bronnitsy). Alexander worked with the Shibaev brothers of the family of
Old Believers Old Believers or Old Ritualists ( Russian: староверы, ''starovery'' or старообрядцы, ''staroobryadtsy'') is the common term for several religious groups, which maintain the old liturgical and ritual practices of the Russian ...
whose father Sidor Shibaev was among the pioneers of the oil industry. Yakov's mother Elizaveta Mikhailovna Protazanova (''nee'' Vinokurova) was a native
Muscovite Muscovite (also known as common mica, isinglass, or potash mica) is a hydrated phyllosilicate mineral of aluminium and potassium with formula KAl2(Al Si3 O10)( F,O H)2, or ( KF)2( Al2O3)3( SiO2)6( H2O). It has a highly perfect basal cleavage y ...
. She finished the Elizabeth Institute for Noble Maidens. Her brother Mikhail Vinokurov was close friends with the Sadovsky theatrical family and made a great impact on young Protazanov. In 1900 Yakov graduated from the Moscow Commercial College and started working as a merchant, although he wasn't happy about his choice of profession. In 1904 he left Russia and spent several years in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, self-educating. After his return in 1906 Protazanov joined the Gloria film company in Moscow as a screenwriter and director's assistant. He also met his future wife there — Frida Vasilievna Kennike, who happened to be a sister of one of the Gloria's co-founders. In 1910 Gloria became part of the cinema factory headed by Paul Thiemann and Friedrich Reinhardt. Protazanov was finally given a director's chair, although, according to his memories, he took part in basically every filming process, including cinematography, stage property and bookkeeping. His most notable works of that period are ''The Song of the Prophet Oleg'' based on
Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin () was a Russian poet, playwright, and novelist of the Romantic era.Basker, Michael. Pushkin and Romanticism. In Ferber, Michael, ed., ''A Companion to European Romanticism''. Oxford: Blackwell, 2005. He is consid ...
's poem and '' Departure of a Grand Old Man'' about the last days of
Leo Tolstoy Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy Tolstoy pronounced his first name as , which corresponds to the romanization ''Lyov''. () (; ,Throughout Tolstoy's whole life, his name was written as using Reforms of Russian orthography#The post-revolution re ...
. In 1914 he joined Joseph N. Ermolieff's film studio where he worked up till his emigration in 1920. In the period between 1911 and 1920 Protazanov wrote and directed some 80 features, including '' The Queen of Spades'' (1916) and ''
Father Sergius "Father Sergius" () is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.Julian Connolly in Charles A. Moser (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Russian Literature'' (Cambridge University Press, 19 ...
'' (1918), which have been acclaimed as his masterpieces.
Ivan Mozhukhin Ivan Ilyich Mozzhukhin ( rus, Иван Ильич Мозжухин, p=ɪˈvan ɨˈlʲjitɕ mɐˈʑːʉxʲɪn; – 18 January 1939), usually billed using the French transliteration Ivan Mosjoukine, was a Russians, Russian silent film actor. Care ...
starred in many of his early films. He emigrated to Europe in 1920 following the
Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...
along with Ermolieff's group where he worked at various French- and German-based film studios. He returned to Russia in 1923. The following year he produced his most well-known film '' Aelita'', based on Alexei Tolstoy's
novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...
. It was one of the first science fiction movies to depict a space flight and an alien society. His next film '' The Tailor from Torzhok'' was released to a great success and established him as one of the leading comedy directors. He discovered many talents, such as
Igor Ilyinsky Igor Vladimirovich Ilyinsky (13 January 1987) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, director and comedian. Hero of Socialist Labour (1974) and People's Artist of the USSR (1949). Early years Igor Ilyinsky was born on 24 July 1901 in Mo ...
,
Mikhail Zharov Mikhail Ivanovich Zharov (; 27 October 1899 – 15 December 1981) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor and director. People's Artist of the USSR (1949) and Hero of Socialist Labour (1974). He studied under the prominent director Theodo ...
, Anatoli Ktorov, Vera Maretskaya, Yuliya Solntseva, Georgy Millyar, Serafima Birman,
Nikolai Batalov Nikolai Petrovich Batalov (; 6 December 1899 in Moscow – 10 November 1937 in Moscow) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. He performed in a number of notable films between 1924 and 1931. He was awarded the title Merited Artist of the ...
and Mikhail Klimov. One of the most popular Russian
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
directors
Alexander Rou Alexander Arturovich Rou (; – 28 December 1973) was a Soviet film director. He directed a number of children's fantasy films, based mostly on Russian folklore that were highly popular and often imitated in the Soviet Union. Rou received t ...
also started as Protazanov's assistant. In 1928 he directed ''
The White Eagle ''The White Eagle'' () is a 1928 Soviet silent film, silent historical drama film directed by Yakov Protazanov and starring Vasili Kachalov, Anna Sten and Vsevolod Meyerhold.Christie & Taylor p.434 Set in Tsarist times, it is based on the short ...
'' that featured
Vsevolod Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilyevich Meyerhold (; born ; 2 February 1940) was a Russian and Soviet theatre director, actor and theatrical producer. His provocative experiments dealing with physical being and symbolism in an unconventional theatre setting m ...
and Vasili Kachalov in the leading roles — one of their rare appearances on the big screen. His last acclaimed feature was a screen version of
Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original plays, Ostrovsky "almost single-handedly created a Russian national repe ...
's play '' Without Dowry'' in 1937. The cast featured many celebrated actors from the Maly Theatre. During the
Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front, also known as the Great Patriotic War (term), Great Patriotic War in the Soviet Union and its successor states, and the German–Soviet War in modern Germany and Ukraine, was a Theater (warfare), theatre of World War II ...
he was evacuated to
Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...
along with some other members of
Mosfilm Mosfilm (, ''Mosfil’m'' , initialism and portmanteau of Moscow Films) is a film studio in Moscow which is among the largest and oldest in the Russian Federation and in Europe. Founded in 1924 in the USSR as a production unit of that nation's fi ...
and
Lenfilm Lenfilm (, acronym of Leningrad Films) is a Russian production and distribution company with its own film studio located in Saint Petersburg (the city was called Leningrad from 1924 to 1991, thus the name). It is a corporation with its stakes s ...
. Around the same time his health started declining; on his way to Tashkent he suffered a heart-attack. He managed to produce only one more movie — '' Nasreddin in Bukhara'' (1943) - itself set in Uzbekistan. His only son Georgy was killed in one of the final battles, which also affected Protazanov. He spent his last days working on the adaptation of
Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original plays, Ostrovsky "almost single-handedly created a Russian national repe ...
's comedy play '' Wolves and Sheep''. Among his other plans were film adaptations of ''
War and Peace ''War and Peace'' (; pre-reform Russian: ; ) is a literary work by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, the work comprises both a fictional narrative and chapters in which Tolstoy discusses history and philosophy. An ...
'' and ''
Oliver Twist ''Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress'', is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was originally published as a serial from 1837 to 1839 and as a three-volume book in 1838. The story follows the titular orphan, who, ...
''. Protazanov died on 8 August 1945 and was buried at the
Novodevichy Cemetery Novodevichy Cemetery () is a cemetery in Moscow. It lies next to the southern wall of the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. History The cemetery was designed by Ivan Mashkov and inaugurated ...
.Celebrity Tombs
/ref> He was survived by his wife Frida and his elder sisters - Lidia Aristova, Valentina Protazanova and Nina Anjaparidze.


Tribute to Yakov Protazanov

In 2014, The Silent Film Festival in Pordenone, Italy - "RUSSIAN LAUGHS", the silent comedies of Yakov Protazanov, the exhibition curated by Peter Bagrov and Natalia Noussinova, the translation of the Italian-language film has been entrusted by Vladislav Shabali


Selected filmography

* '' Departure of a Grand Old Man'' (1912) * '' The Queen of Spades'' (1916) * '' Satan Triumphant'' (1917) * ''
Father Sergius "Father Sergius" () is a short story written by Leo Tolstoy between 1890 and 1898 and first published (posthumously) in 1911.Julian Connolly in Charles A. Moser (ed.), ''The Cambridge History of Russian Literature'' (Cambridge University Press, 19 ...
'' (1918) * ''
The Pilgrimage of Love ''The Pilgrimage of Love'' (German: ''Der Liebe Pilgerfahrt'') is a 1923 German silent drama film directed by Yakov Protazanov and starring Gustav von Wangenheim, Charlotte Ander and Wilhelm Diegelmann.Grange p.138 It was shot at the Tempelhof S ...
'' (1923) * '' Aelita'' (1924) * '' The Tailor from Torzhok'' (1925) * '' His Call'' (1925) * '' The Case of the Three Million'' (1926) * ''
Man from the Restaurant ''Man from the Restaurant'' () is a 1927 Soviet drama film directed by Yakov Protazanov based on the story by Ivan Shmelyov. The main role was written for Ivan Moskvin, but he was changed for Chekhov because of illness. Plot After the death ...
'' (1927) * '' The Forty-first'' (1927) * '' Don Diego and Pelagia'' (1928) * ''
The White Eagle ''The White Eagle'' () is a 1928 Soviet silent film, silent historical drama film directed by Yakov Protazanov and starring Vasili Kachalov, Anna Sten and Vsevolod Meyerhold.Christie & Taylor p.434 Set in Tsarist times, it is based on the short ...
'' (1928) * '' Ranks and People'' (1929); co-directed with Mikhail Doller * '' St. Jorgen's Day'' (1930) * ''
Tommy Tommy may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tommy (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army * Tommy Giacomelli (born 1974), Brazilian fo ...
'' (1931) * ''
Marionettes A marionette ( ; ) is a puppet controlled from above using wires or strings depending on regional variations. A marionette's puppeteer is called a marionettist. Marionettes are operated with the puppeteer hidden or revealed to an audience by ...
'' (1934) * ''
About Oddities of Love About may refer to: * About (surname) * About.com, an online source for original information and advice * about.me, a personal web hosting service * About URI scheme, an internal URI scheme * About box, a dialog box that displays information rela ...
'' (1936) * '' Without Dowry'' (1937) * '' Salavat Yulayev'' (1941) * '' Nasreddin in Bukhara'' (1943)


References


External links

* *
English biography - Ian Christie in KinoKultura
interview in the Union of Cinematographers Newspaper, 2011 (in Russian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Protazanov, Yakov 1881 births 1945 deaths Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery Russian male screenwriters Film directors from the Russian Empire Russian science fiction film directors Silent film directors Soviet film directors Soviet screenwriters Soviet male screenwriters White Russian emigrants to France White Russian emigrants to Germany Russian screenwriters Writers from the Russian Empire