Shchepkin’s Great-Granddaughter — an Actress and a Screenwriter of Early Russian Cinema

Abstract

This article aims to show that the actors and dancers of the imperial stage were at the origins of cinema in Russia and made a significant contribution to its development. For example, Aleksandr Shiriaev, a performer of character dances and a choreographer of the Mariinsky Theatre, is now recognized as one of the pioneers of hand-drawn and puppet animation, although his works were not known to the general public. Actor Vladimir Sashin, who joined Maly Theatre in 1904, was one of the first film enthusiasts in Russia, showing his films at the Korsh Theatre as early as 1896. Afterwards, while working at the Maly, he organized his own film company. By 1915, mentioning the “permanent” place of work of a particular performer in film release announcements had become one of the main advertising moves, and the participation of artists of the imperial stage became one of the main ways to attract viewers to cinemas. Bolshoi Theatre soloist Vera Karalli became one of the main “queens of the screen” of pre-revolutionary cinema, and among its “premiers” were Maly Theatre actors Vitol'd Polonskii and Vladimir Maksimov. More specifically and at length, using unpublished archival documents and specialized periodicals of pre-revolutionary years, the article examines the short film career of Mikhail Shchepkin’s great-granddaughter, Maly Theatre actress Aleksandra Shchepkina, who not only appeared on screen, but also worked behind the scenes, as a screenwriter.

Keywords

Aleksandra Shchepkina, theatre actors in cinema, early Russian cinema, Maly Theatre, imperial stage, screenwriting.

For citation

Ryabchikova N.S. Shchepkin’s Great-Granddaughter — an Actress and a Screenwriter of Early Russian Cinema. Theatre. Fine Arts. Cinema. Music. 2024, no. 4, рр. 80–103.

DOI: 10.35852/2588-0144-2024-4-80-103

EDN DKQDTB

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Received: 23.10.2024

Revised: 10.11.2024

Accepted: 13.11.2024