Polikushka (1922)

Directed by Alexander Sanin; script by Fyodor Otsep and Nikolai Efros; camera by Yury Zhelyabuzhsky; movie poster by N. N. Divov.

The films was shot by Alexander Sanin (1869–1959) in 1919 and released in 1922. Based on Leo Tolstoy’s short story Polikushka, it is similar to the primitive adaptations of the first years of the Russian film industry. The movie largely owed its success to the outstanding performance of Ivan Moskvin in the title role. Moskvin plays a crooked serf who prefers to die rather than be accused of stealing money.

The film brought Soviet cinema to international attention and made the top ten films of the year at an American film festival.