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Lenfilm - the Cradle of Russian Cinema
By Julia Ivanova
Published: 15th December 04
Julia Ivanova of Neva News converses with Alexander Pozdnyakov of Lenfilm. Alexander is a film expert, TV and radio journalist, the author of the programme “Sunday Culture Outing” on Radio “Russia”, author of the book “From Aquarium to Lenfilm,” published in 1996, to mark the 100-year anniversary of the first film screening in Russia.
Lenfilm is the oldest film production company in Russia, the cradle of Russian national cinema because everything started here. The most picturesque historical Russian dramas were produced here. This is now a well-known film production company world-wide.
History: from 1881
The territory of Lenfilm was originally in the private ownership of the Aquarium Garden, which belonged to the merchant Georgy Alexandrov, who operated here a restaurant, a public garden and a theatre.
Q.: When was the Aquarium Complex founded?
A.: The Aquarium Public Garden was established in May 1881. Georgy Alexandrov bought this big territory of 4 hectares on Petrogradskaya Storona/Side. Here were the kitchen gardens. He bought this site very cheap. Then a property fever began after the Trinity Bridge was constructed across the Neva and the prices for land in this area rose very highly. Alexandrov planted trees here and built at first a wooden theatre, which was in 1892 rebuilt into a stone theatre.
The composer Peter Tchaikovsky came to what was then the Aquarium Theatre (and is now Stage ¹ 4 of Lenfilm) as a guest to the performance of the overture to his “Nutcracker” ballet. Famous Russian bass singer Shalyapin and the star of the Soviet stage Utyesov sang here… I wrote a little book on the history of the Aquarium.
The first public film screening in Russia took place in the Aquarium, St Petersburg, on the 4th of May 1896. The 40 years of the Aquarium life and activity are connected with Italian opera divas, such as Lina Cavalieri, Tito Ruffo, Matia Batistini and singers from the Vienna Operetta, Paris chansonnette singers,the Lumiere programm by Raoul Gunsburg and light genre including cancan dancing. The Aquarium sometimes had a notorious reputation, because ladies of the night were common here at one stage. People closed their eyes to it. Even Grand Princeses and Rasputin visited the Aquarium incognito. Here was also a superior sea food restaurant. In the cellars there still exists a little pool covered with tiles for keeping fresh fish. There were marine shows held here. This historical restaurant has become Stage ¹ 2 today, where “Master and Margarita” is being filmed now by Vladimir Bortko.
Film City is Founded
Q.: When did the history of Lenfilm itself start?
A.: Lenfilm was founded in 1918. First it was known as Petrograd Film Committee. Then it was changed to Sovkino (Soviet Cinema), then to Leningradkino and later it was named Lenfilm. But it had a different address. It was first located at Sergievskaya Street, now Chaikovskogo Street. In 1924, when the Aquarium was officially closed, bolsheviks took Alexandrov’s property and arranged this State run film plant of Lenfilm to be here.
Hollywood Stars at Lenfilm
Q.: The whole complex of Lenfilm is like a big museum, with this enchanting atmosphere…
A.: Yes. For example, a restaurant where all these celebrities sang and spent good time… George Cuckor in 1975 made a film here called “The Blue Bird,” based on the Meterlink’s play. Elizabeth Taylor was here, she played Queen of Light in this film. Jane Fonda, Ava Gardner – they worked here, at Stage ¹ 4, the prior Aquarium Theatre. “Orlando” was partly filmed here with Tilda Swinton. Julia Ormond was here while the “Young Catherine” film was being made. “The Afghan Breakdown” was shot here by Vladimir Bortko, with Michele Placido, who plays a Russian colonel. Then William Hurt, a famous American actor and Sandrine Bonnaire played here in the film “Confession to the Stranger.” In the beginning of 1990s there were about a dozen famous American scriptwriters, the winners of Oscars, here. I then organized the excursions for them in Lenfilm. Such cult figures as Julius Epstein (who was the co-author of “Casablanca,” a cult film of the world cinema); Raj Kapoor, a film producer and an actor and a cult figure in the Indian Film Industry, the star of Bollywood; Lawrence Kasdan (a film director/producer who made “Grand Canyon” and “Silverado”). Nobody really knew Lawrence then. Now he is very famous – an Oscar winner. I showed films for them and told them the story of the Aquarium.
I just want to say that Lenfilm is a place that is tightly connected with world celebrities, such as those mentioned and Gerard Philipe, Silvana Pampanini, and with many great Russians: Vladimir Mayakovsky, Veniamin Kaverin, Sergey Kuryokhin, Daniil Granin etc.
Privatization
The history of the State film production company will now come to the end, for Lenfilm was corporatised by the State in 2004 and in 2005 it will be sold by the State to private owners. Everywhere in the world, except Cuba and Korea probably, the film industry is private. It’s good that people in Russia understood that it should be private. The people psychologically have matured, their minds have matured.
Q.: Can you tell us more details about the privatization of the film industry in Russia?
A.: The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in April 2000 proclaimed that all State film production companies in Russia should be privatized. So it was then only a matter of time. As for Lenfilm, the first step has already been done. In March 2004 it became officially the Public Joint Stock Company “Lenfilm Studio”. It will be privatized by the sale of all State shares in 2005. This is a transparent system, but it would not have been good to privatize it immediately. Such old State Unitary Enterprises are now all privatized in this way. Next July 2005 the process of Lenfilm privatization will finish and the future owners will appear on the scene. I hope and I suspect that they will be people who are involved in the film business. Maybe involved in film production or distribution or in construction and operation of new multiplexes. They will undoubtedly be professionals. I think that this process of privatization is good and will improve the future prospects for Lenfilm. State owning of film production is not effective.
I’ve just returned from the big congress of film makers in Moscow. This congress was dedicated to the problems of privatization. We discussed the Film Centre in Moscow and Museum of Film in Moscow and the unique Russian concept of Houses of Creativity. You know, the latter are cottages in the suburbs where film makers may have a rest and think about new projects, we call it Houses of Creativity. This is a Soviet idea but it is very nice.
A Russian Hollywood.
I think that there is no use in continuing to run this bulky film production business right in the centre of the city. Lenfilm occupies a territory of 4 hectares of golden real estate on Petrogradskaya Side. It’s a huge block near Kamennoostrovsky Prospect. It’s a film town like Cinecitta in Rome. There are stages, garages, warehouses, boiler-houses, an electric power station, a furniture warehouse and a costume department here, where 1500 costumes are kept. It’s a big film plant.
I think that most of the departments should be moved to Sosnovaya Polyana, the outlying district of the city, on the way to Strelna and Peterhof. There is a territory called Big Lenfilm there, in Sosnovaya Polyana (Pine Fields). It is not abandoned, but it is unreclaimed. But we may produce and shoot films there and re-create a film production village there. And I think that all these warehouses: costume department, furniture department, department for preparing the construction of scenery/sets, where they keep all the cars, vehicles – everything like this should be moved there to Big Lenfilm.
Q.: And what about the historical place on Petrogradskaya Side?
A.: To my mind here should stay only the office of the Chief Executive, the Museum of Lenfilm, the reconstructed historical Aquarium Restaurant and the Aquarium Theatre, where premieres, festivals, presentations, contests like Neva News Girl of the Month, prize awards and city events can be held – it should be a multifunctional hall, reconstructed according to the old images, and a fragment of the old Aquarium Garden. Because it is the roots of Lenfilm, a memorial place.
Multiplex in a Legendary Entertainment Complex
I would like to stress that this large city site should be a place for entertainment. 40 years of the Aquarium entertainment complex is a good tradition. We should revise it in this very place. People should come here to visit a film museum, to see films in the latest large multiplex, to drink champagne, to celebrate the premieres. Because this is the Russian Hollywood!
Here could be also a little hotel, restaurant, retail shopping arcade connected with films, DVDs etc., a film banker and pedestrian area between Kamennoostrovsky prospect and Kronverskaya street. It should be a place of attraction, a little Cinema Disneyland. I have been to Universal Studios, to Warner Brothers and other major Hollywood film companies. They use cinema themes very well. See that yellow building over there… there is now a computer store there. In this building, which belongs to Lenfilm, we are one day going to arrange a large multiplex cinema there. I mean many screening halls, cafes and entertainment infrastructure. In Houston I saw a 30-screen theatre complex. People can stay the whole day there, they can go to cafes, shops, have rest. They dance there, visit the archives. Besides, we would like to reconstruct a historical entrance to Lenfilm – the semi-rotunda at Kamennoostrovsky pr.
Q.: Have you got some kind of museum of Lenfilm here now?
A.: We have a couple of big rooms where all the scripts, posters (from the 1920’s), pieces of props, photos, models, wax figures are kept. We have costumes, stage props, we have real items from many films which can be displayed in such a museum. Presently it is not a museum; it’s a huge archive. We need to organize a museum of the pioneers of cinema in Russia. It was here in St. Petersburg that in 1908 the first Russian national feature film “Sten’ka Razin” was made by Alexander Drankov. I managed to find the grave of Drankov in Colma, California, South from San Francisco.
Film Archives and Copyright
Q.: What about the archive of films. Have you got an archive here or they are kept in Moscow?
A.: We have a little film library here, I mean 35-mm films, but the films here are not in good condition, films chemically change and become redish. All our negatives however are stored in Moscow, in Gosfilmofond (the State film depository) in a special temperature regime. So if we want to get a film for screening, for example for a festival in New York, we ask them to print a positive copy from the original negative in Moscow. We pay the Moscow people for a good professional film print about $ 1, 500 US dollars.
Q.: What about a copyright. Does it belong to Moscow?
A.: No, the copyright to the films belongs to us because we produced these films.
The rights to all our pictures belonged to Lenfilm before March 2004. Now the rights belong to “Filmofond” Joint Stock Company. In other words old Lenfilm is now divided into two parts: “Lenfilm Studio” PJSC and “Filmofond” PJSC. If some TV-company wants to screen an old film they ask “Filmofond” to give permission, to sell the rights. “Lenfilm Studio” now only produces films.
Film Costs and Financing
Q.: Where do you get money for films?
A.: From the Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography in Moscow. But in 2007 this Federal Agency of Culture and Cinematography will stop State budget financing. The idea is to incite all film production companies, especially all those that are privatized, to seek and to find funds from everywhere, including private companies, TV-companies and specialist bankers. As an exception the Federal Agency may still somehow support even a private film project by adding a few hundreds or a few thousands of US dollars or to support in some other way. Until this year most of the money came from this Federal Agency or from our Ministry of Culture. We should understand that the State financing will end and we should think how to get money. Most TV serials, soap operas are financed now by TV channels. To produce one 50-minute episode of a TV serial a few years ago cost about $50 000, now the cost is $100, 000 US dollars, which is still not very expensive because it is done on Video Beta. Sometimes TV channels finance feature films as well.
Q.: Like “The Night Watch” movie. Was this financed by the 1-st TV channel?
A.: Yes. By the 1-st TV channel and also by two more private producers.
Q.: Can anyone come to Lenfilm and make a movie?
A.: Yes.
Q.: What capacity is there at the moment? If I came and said: I want to do a movie?
A.: It depends on the project. There is a price list of facilities and services - cameras, transportation, everything. And people come from abroad (from Scandinavia, from America, from Germany, from India) to produce films in St. Petersburg… In Australia there is a film director Richard Dennison who would like to make the film “The Angel of Leningrad” (about the Siege of St. Petersburg) and he doesn’t have a big budget. But you can produce films here, in St. Petersburg, very cheap, like the Germans recently did.
Q.: What’s a low budget film here?
A.: You can produce a full-length film for half a million and even cheaper, even for $100, 000 US dollars. But $100, 000 is more like an exception now for some art house films. The ordinary budget now is $1 million US dollars. You know, Nikita Mikhalkov made his film “The Barber of Siberia” for $70 millions. But in St. Petersburg all prices and services are cheaper, at least 3 times cheaper even than in Moscow and Moscow is still cheaper of course than the West. “The Night Watch,” the next Oscar nominee from Russia, cost approximately $6 - 7 million US dollars to make. This block-buster is the leader in cinema box office income in Russia in 2004, they got more than $15 million US dollars so far from the exhibition of this movie in Russia. It is absolutely unusual for a Russian national film produced here to make money. This one will. Now its distribution rights are being sold to the American “Fox” company.
Q.: What films have been shot at Lenfilm recently?
New Movies
A.: For the next Berlin Film Festival we propose two films. One of them is “The Demon” by Irina Evteeva, based on the poem by Lermontov and paintings by Vrubel. Its shooting was finished recently and the film will appear on the screens in the beginning of the next year. It’s a mixture of animation and feature.
Q.: Is this the film where our local singing star Zara took part?
A.: Yes, Zara is very nice in this movie. She is a very good singer and a very charming actress. She played Tsarina Tamara in this film. This film is not pop entertainment, it is for people who love sophisticated experimental art.
Another recent film, “An Italian,” is a shrill melodrama about a children's home, which was directed by Andrey Kravchuk, produced by Olga Agrafenina.
Q.: What about a new film by the renowned Russian film-director Alexander Sokurov?
A.: Alexander Sokurov produced the film called “The Sun” about the life of the Japanese Emperor, Hirohito, one of the most controversial leaders of the 20th century. It is a part of the Sokurov’s series of films about power and personalities in the 20th century. “The Sun” follows the films “Moloch” about Hitler and “Taurus” about Lenin.
Q.: All the films of this Sokurov’s series were filmed here, in Lenfilm?
A.: Yes.
I’m absolutely optimistic about the privatization of Lenfilm and think that it will add more energy for film making. Also the level of purchasing capacity by Russian people for cinema entertainment was previously low, but now it is increasing. People now spend more time in cinemas and pay $5 USD for a ticket, which is nearly comparable with the western level of cost. It means that the film industry will be again a good business. And it is! Moscow blockbusters are already proving that. Now it’s time for St. Petersburg, which is again becoming a very popular city, to have a big future in film making.
10 of the top films in the archives of Lenfilm:
Chapayev (1934)
Cinderella (1947)
The Lady with a Lap Dog (1960)
The Amphibian Man (1961)
A Lively Voyage (1961)
The Chief of Chukotka (1966)
Wedding in Malinovka (1967)
Hamlet (1964)
The Blue Bird (1976)
Peculiarities of the National Hunting (1995)
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