Korolkova, Maria ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1784-3675 (2021) Frames, veils, and windows: Modern cinematic set design in early Russian films by Evgenii Bauer. In: Kirkham, Pat and Lichtman, Sarah, (eds.) Screen Interiors: From Country Houses to Cosmic Heterotopias. Bloomsbury Visual Arts, London, pp. 187-204. ISBN 978-1350150584 (doi:10.5040/9781350150614.ch-009)

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Abstract

This chapter focuses on cinematic representations of interiors in early Russian films by Evgenii Bauer (1865-1917), and in so doing raises questions about methodologies of Modernism. I argue that the preoccupation of Modernism (in its many versions) with speed, dynamism, and the modern city has left little space for the discussion of other urban representations, including interiors. I show that there are significant links between interiors and themes favored by modernists, especially speed and porosity, and argue for a methodological approach to studying what I categorize as “the cinematic interior.” Having outlined factors related to the neglect of interiors within cinematic Modernism, in contrast to the focus on cities and spaces of transition—trains, planes, trams—I foreground the interior as an important metaphorical locus of early cinematic innovation based on the close reading of two films by Evgenii Bauer a major figure of early Russian cinema. These include Twilight of a Woman’s Soul, 1913 and Child of the Big City (1914). The chapter highlights functions of interior imagery that were innovative of Bauer including his use of framing, vails, doors and windows in directing the complex mise-en-scène and creating the sense of depth on the screen.

Item Type:	Book Section
Additional Information:	This submission is part of a larger Multiple component output for REF2021 on Curating Russian Film for International Audiences (cf. item no. 27186).
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Interiors, silent film, architecture, Evgenii Bauer, Russian cinema
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR P Language and Literature > PN Literature (General) > PN1993 Motion Pictures
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > Digital Arts, Research & Enterprise (DARE) Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences > School of Design (DES)
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2021 20:27
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/27185

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