The Volga Boatman (1926 film)

1926 film

April 4, 1926 (1926-04-04)

^[1]

Running time

120 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageSilent (English intertitles)Budget$479,357^[2]Box office$1,275,375^[2]

The Volga Boatman is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille,^[3] 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.^[2] The film was highly successful, turning William Boyd into matinee idol overnight.

Plot

As described in a film magazine review,^[4] 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

William Boyd as Feodor, a Volga boatman
Elinor Fair as Vera, a princess
Robert Edeson as Prince Nikita
Victor Varconi as Prince Dimitri
Julia Faye as Mariusha, a gypsy
Theodore Kosloff as Stefan, a blacksmith
Arthur Rankin as Vashi, a Boatman
Ed Brady as A Boatman (uncredited)
Charles Clary as Red Army officer (uncredited)
Gino Corrado as White Army officer (uncredited)
Lillian Elliott as landlady (uncredited)
John George as Red Army soldier (uncredited)

Production

The film was based on a 1926 Konrad Bercovici novel of the same title and was adapted for the screen by Lenore J. Coffee. Mitchell Leisen, Anton Grot, and Max Parker served as art directors. Costumes were done by Adrian.^[5]

Location shooting for the film was carried out near Rio Vista, California, in 1925.^[5]

Preservation

Complete prints of The Volga Boatman are held by:

George Eastman Museum (on 35 mm)^[3]
Cineteca Nazionale (on 35 mm)
UCLA Film and Television Archive (on 35 mm)
British Film Institute^[6]

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.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ "The Volga Boatman". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 210. ISBN 978-0-8131-2636-4.
^ ^a ^b "Progressive Silent Film List: The Volga Boatman". silentera.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
^ "New Pictures: The Volga Boatman". Exhibitors Herald. 25 (1). Chicago: Exhibitors Herald Co.: 91–92 March 20, 1926. Retrieved April 12, 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^ ^a ^b "The Volga Boatman". afi.com. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
^ "American Silent Feature Film Database: The Volga Boatman". Library of Congress. Retrieved April 6, 2024.