The Volga Boatman | |
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Directed by | Cecil B. DeMille |
Written by | Lenore J. Coffee |
Based on | The Volga Boatman by Konrad Bercovici |
Produced by | Cecil B. DeMille |
Starring | William Boyd |
Cinematography | J. Peverell Marley Arthur C. Miller Fred Westerberg |
Edited by | Anne Bauchens |
Music by | Hugo Riesenfeld |
Distributed by | Producers Distributing Corporation |
Release date |
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Running time | 120 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | Silent (English intertitles) |
Budget | $479,000 |
The Volga Boatman is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, [1] who reportedly said the film was, "his greatest achievement in picture making".[ citation needed ] The film's budget was $479,000 and it grossed $1.27 million.[ citation needed ] The film was highly successful, turning William Boyd into matinee idol overnight. The filming location was Wood Island, near Rio Vista, California, in 1925.
As described in a film magazine review, [2] Vera, a princess engaged to a Russian nobleman, falls in love with Feodor, a young boatman. A revolution breaks out and the threatened princess is saved by the boatman, and brought to an inn as his wife. Here they are both captured by the royal army, where the woman’s former sweetheart makes her dance for the drunken soldiers. The boatman shoots one of them, and he and the princess are ordered to be shot. They are saved in time by the revolutionists, who force the noblemen to assume their places as boatmen. Realizing they are in love with each other, the boatman and the princess go their way.
On June 27, 2000, the film was released on VHS by Kino Video. In July 2014, The Video Cellar released a lightly tinted DVD version of the film, and is currently the most widely available version. However, this version does not contain a musical score.
The Thief of Bagdad is a 1924 American silent swashbuckler film directed by Raoul Walsh and starring Douglas Fairbanks, and written by Achmed Abdullah and Lotta Woods. Freely adapted from One Thousand and One Nights, it tells the story of a thief who falls in love with the daughter of the Caliph of Baghdad. In 1996, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
William Lawrence Boyd was an American film actor who is known for portraying the cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy.
Victor Varconi was a Hungarian actor who initially found success in his native country, as well as in Germany and Austria, in silent films, before relocating to the United States, where he continued to appear in films throughout the sound era. He also appeared in British and Italian films.
Julia Faye Maloney, known professionally as Julia Faye, was an American actress of silent and sound films. She was known for her appearances in more than 30 Cecil B. DeMille productions. Her various roles ranged from maids and ingénues to vamps and queens.
Elinor Virginia Martin, known professionally as Elinor Fair, was an American motion picture actress.
Gino Corrado was an Italian-born film actor. He appeared in more than 400 films between 1916 and 1954, almost always in small roles as a character actor. From 1916–1923, he was known as Eugene Corey, which was an Anglicized version of his name.
The Little American is a 1917 American silent romantic war drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Mary Pickford as an American woman who is in love with both a German soldier and a French soldier during World War I. A print of the film is housed at the UCLA Film and Television Archive and has been released on DVD.
The Woman God Forgot is a 1917 American silent romance film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. A copy of the film is in the George Eastman House Motion Picture Collection.
Fool's Paradise is a 1921 American silent romance film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film stars Dorothy Dalton and Conrad Nagel and was based on the short story "Laurels and the Lady" by Leonard Merrick. Prints of Fool's Paradise are preserved at the George Eastman House, the Library of Congress, and the UCLA Film and Television Archive.
The Road to Yesterday is a 1925 American silent romantic drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is significant because it was Cecil B. DeMille's first release from his new production company, DeMille Pictures Corporation. It was also upcoming actor William Boyd's first starring role. In DeMille's next picture, The Volga Boatman, which was a tremendous success, he cast Boyd as the solo leading man.
The Greatest Thing in Life is a 1918 American silent drama film about World War I, directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, and David Butler. The film is now considered lost as no prints are known to exist.
Dress Parade is a 1927 American silent romantic drama film produced by William Sistrom and Cecil B. DeMille and distributed by Pathé. The film stars William Boyd and Bessie Love, and was directed by Donald Crisp. Although it is based on a story by Major Robert Glassburn, Major Alexander Chilton, and Herbert David Walter, the plot is essentially the same as West Point, produced at MGM in 1928.
The Lucky Lady is a 1926 American silent romance film produced by Famous Players-Lasky, distributed by Paramount Pictures, directed by Raoul Walsh, and starring Greta Nissen, Lionel Barrymore, William Collier, Jr., and Marc McDermott.
The Strange Adventures of Prince Courageous, also known as The Adventures of Prince Courageous, is a 1923 American silent fantasy film series starring Bessie Love and five-year-old Arthur Trimble, directed by Frederick G. Becker.
After the Show is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by William C. deMille and written by Vianna Knowlton and Hazel Christie MacDonald based on a story by Rita Weiman. The film stars Jack Holt, Lila Lee, Charles Stanton Ogle, Eve Southern, Shannon Day, and Carlton S. King. The film was released on October 9, 1921, by Paramount Pictures. It is not known whether the film currently survives, and it may be a lost film.
A Regular Fellow is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by A. Edward Sutherland and written by Joseph A. Mitchell, Reggie Morris and Keene Thompson. The film stars Raymond Griffith, Mary Brian, Tyrone Power, Sr., Edgar Norton, Nigel De Brulier, Gustav von Seyffertitz, and Kathleen Kirkham. The film was released on October 5, 1925, by Paramount Pictures.
The Girl from Montmartre is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Barbara La Marr in her last film role. It was distributed through First National on the day after La Marr died.
Queen of the Sea is a 1918 American silent fantasy film released by Fox Film Corporation that was directed by John G. Adolfi and starred Australian swimmer Annette Kellerman. This film is presumed to be lost.
The Reckless Lady is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Howard Higgin and starring Belle Bennett, Lois Moran, James Kirkwood, and Lowell Sherman.
Steel Preferred is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Vera Reynolds, William Boyd, and Hobart Bosworth. The film portrays a power struggle at a steelworks.