film directed by Pyotr Chardynin

A great stage performer falls ill and loses her voice and beauty, and she and her admirer's lives crumble because of it.

This 1914 drama set in the WWI-era relates a heroic act carried out by a war nurse for the Red Cross (Dora Tschitorina) who has witnessed the death of her husband (Ivan Mosjoukine).

A man rents out his uncle's room to all kinds of people.

Drama of plot and intrigue in Imperial Russia.

John Shilcott, a member of the English Parliament, a nervous, sickly man, has long since lost all energy for work, and only at times the increasing doses of morphine, which he injects into himself, give him the illusion of an influx of vitality. In his family life, too, not all is not well: over the past three years, he has become estranged from his wife, there is no spiritual closeness between them, and Ava Shilkott begs her father to help her get a divorce...

This film captures a stage production at Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, accompanied by the choir of Moscow Synagogue. Brothers Isaak and Borukh are both in love with Sarra, but Sarra chooses Isaac and they got married. However, Sarra could not conceive for ten years, and their Rabbi tells them that according to Jewish law, they must divorce. Isaak's parents push him to sign the divorce paper, then their Rabbi drops the divorce paper to Sarra's feet. She tells Isaac about her grief, and Isaak commits suicide. Soon after-wards, Sore realizes that she is pregnant, but she is now single.

A female doctor is so busy with her work that she has too little time for her fiancé. He falls in love with a waitress and the two have a child. Though considered by some to be a proto-feminist yarn, the film dwells on the consequences that equal rights for women may generate rather than openly champion suffrage. Similar in to Ibsen's The Doll House in many ways, the film provides mannered, solemn melodrama, ably acted by Mosjoukine and Yureneva.

Pastor Talnoх furiously urges the flock to fight temptations, but he himself becomes a victim of temptation. In his house appears Satan, pushing the hero to theft and spiritual fall.

During the early to mid 1920's Russian émigré Ivan Mosjoukine rose to great prominence as the preeminent star of French silent cinema, not only a popular draw at the box office but an exceptionally expressive and charismatic actor, who could flourish in both art-house and mainstream cinema. Such was his stardom that in 1926 Abel Gance's first choice for the title role in Napoleon was none other than Mosjoukine - who whilst flattered could not commit to the lengthy production. Instead Mosjoukine starred in Michel Strogoff and Casanova, two vehicles which whilst less well known today were considerable box office successes at the time. However after the second of these Mosjoukine made a major career misstep when, with a Universal contract, he left France for what he hoped would be Hollywood stardom. However only one film came from this, "Surrender", which, although interesting and well made, totally failed to establish him as a viable US attraction. Returning to Europe, his standing there had declined somewhat and he struggled to reestablish himself. White Devil was the last of 5 German & Italian vehicles and might well have returned the actor to his former stature, were it not for a technical revolution that was sweeping through the industry. For this film is the first of Mosjoukine's to include a synchronised soundtrack. The film boasts an effective score - with compiled elements and original music by Michael Lewin, Marc Roland & Willy Schmidt-Gentner - some sequences of singing and whistling, and a range of sound effects... but no dialogue. It's likely that the film was initially shot silent then retrofitted with sound in order to make it more attractive in a rapidly changing market. As such it comes off very well, with an exciting and action packed plot and a meaty role for it's expressive and versatile star. Mosjoukine stars as a fiery Caucasian captain Hadscht Murat who quarrels with his leader (initially over a perceived insult to the leader's daughter and then more seriously over the fate of some prisoners) and apparently defects to fight for the despotic Czar Nicolai I (Fritz Alberti) and becomes involved with Neidowa (played by Lil Dagover - beautiful but rather wasted in a smallish part) Hoping to use Murat as a go-between in his plans to conquer the Caucasus, the Czar ruler finds that our hero is not so easily manipulated. Rescuing Neidowa from the Czar's clutches, Murat leads a people's revolt against the despotic regent. Alexandre Wolkof directs with great style and visual flare in a film that represents the European silent tradition at it's finest and most dynamic. This has some wonderfully atmospheric cinematography - right up there with Sunrise & Docks of New York. Mosjoukine himself gives a moving and potent performance as the noble Murat – and the film ranks amongst his best,