The Volga Boatman (1926 film)

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The Volga Boatman
THE-VOLGA-BOATMEN-PROGRAM.jpg
Poster for film
Directed by Cecil B. DeMille
Written by Lenore J. Coffee
Based onThe Volga Boatman
by Konrad Bercovici
Produced byCecil 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
  • May 23, 1926 (1926-05-23)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryUnited States
Language Silent (English intertitles)
Budget$479,357 [1]
Box office$1,275,375 [1]

The Volga Boatman is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, [2] 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.

Contents

Plot

As described in a film magazine review, [3] 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.

Cast

Home media

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.

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References

  1. 1 2 Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 210. ISBN   978-0-8131-2636-4.
  2. Progressive Silent Film List: The Volga Boatman at silentera.com
  3. "New Pictures: The Volga Boatman". Exhibitors Herald. Chicago: Exhibitors Herald Co. 25 (1): 91–92. March 20, 1926. Retrieved April 12, 2023.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .