The Volga in Flames

Country

Czechoslovakia, France

Copyright

1934

Production year

1933

Premiere

9 February 1934

Runtime

84 min

Category

film

Genre

drama

Typology

featuretheatrical distributionlong

Original title

Volha v plamenech

Czech title

Volha v plamenech

English title

The Volga in Flames

Parallel title

Volga en flammes / Volga en Feu / Wolga in Flammen / Der falsche Zar

Working title

Požár Volhy

Synopsis

Young officer Orlov travels to a fortress in Siberia. On the way he finds a frost-bitten man in the snow and he saves him. He does not know that this is the escaped prisoner Silačov, who is preparing the resistance movement against the czar. Orlov falls in love with the commander's daughter Máša and she reciprocates his love. This arouses the envy of Lieutenant Šalin, who has tried in vain to win her for himself. Silačov declares himself to be the true czar of vast Russia and exhorts the people to fight. He even captures the fortress and has all the officers hanged. He spares only Orlov, to repay him the debt of having his life saved. Even Šalin has saved himself by going over to the bandits, and he tries to take Máša by force. In the meantime Orlov succeeds in escaping to the czar's forces and with a large army he marches on Silačov, who surrenders to the superior force. Šalin abducts Máša, but in fleeing he is stopped by the soldiers and Orlov frees her. Together they happily depart and on the way they encounter the shackled Silačov who is being led away to prison.

Note

This co-produced film was shot only in a French version. NO-N, NZ-N 2260,0 m and the German-speaking copy KK-A and a part of the Czech-speaking copy KK-N 53,0 m are preserved in the National Film Archive.

Cast

Valerij Inkižinov

vůdce vzpoury Silačov

Nathalie Kovanko

Olga, jeho mileka

Albert Préjean

poručík carské gardy Orlov

Danielle Darrieux

Máša Ivanovna, dcera velitele pevnosti

Raymond Rouleau

poručík Šalin

Jacques Berlioz

velitel pevnosti na Sibiři

Marcelle Worms

manželka velitele

Henri Marchand

sluha Ivan

Georg John

spiklenec, muž bez jazyka

Vladimír Borský

poručík carské gardy

Josef Zezulka

gardový důstojník

F. X. Mlejnek

člen Silačovovy družiny

Antonín Jirsa

člen Silačovovy družiny

V. Ch. Vladimírov

člen Silačovovy družiny

Ladislav Hemmer

důstojník carské gardy

Václav Pata

číšník

Viktor Socha

číšník

Josef Kytka

důstojník v posádce

Jena Worms

Charles Camus

Crew and creators

Assistant Director

Václav Binovec

Based on

Alexandr Sergejevič Puškin (Kapitánská dcerka /Kapitanskaja dočka/ – novela)

Director of Photography

Václav Vích, Fritz Arno Wagner

Costume Designer

René Hubert

Film Editor

Antonín Zelenka

Sound Designer

Gerhard Goldbaum

Production Manager

Julius Aussenberg

Cooperation

Willy Ströminger (fotograf)

Music

Music Composed by

Willy Schmidt-Gentner

Music Performed by

Pražský symfonický orchestr (Music Conducted by Willy Schmidt-Gentner)

Songs

Krásná je, že na sto mil nikdo lepší nespatřil

Singer Ruský soubor Zlatý kohout

Production info

Original Title

Volha v plamenech

Czech Title

Volha v plamenech

English Title

The Volga in Flames

Parallel Title

Volga en flammes / Volga en Feu / Wolga in Flammen / Der falsche Zar

Working Title

Požár Volhy

Category

film

Typology

featuretheatrical distribution

Genre

drama

Origin country

Czechoslovakia, France

Copyright

1934

Production Year

1933

Production specifications

date of censorship 02/1934
date of censorship 06/1934 (německy namluvená jazyková mutace)

Premiere

premiere 9 February 1934 /unsuitable for youths/ (kina Kotva /3 týdny/ a Lucerna /3 týdny/, Praha /česky namluvená jazyková mutace/)
premiere abroad 6 April 1934 (Paříž, Francie /francouzská verze/)
premiere 06/1934 /unsuitable for youths/ (německy namluvená jazyková mutace)

Production

AB, Omnia Paris

Copyright Holders

Národní filmový archiv

Distribution

AB

Technical info

Duration typology

feature film

Duration in minutes

84 min

Original length in metres

2 390 meters

Distribution carrier

35mm

Aspect ratio

1:1,19

Colour

black & white

Sound

sound

Sound system/format

Tobis – Klang

Versions

Czech, German, French

Dialogue languages

Czech, German, French

Subtitles languages

without subtitles

Opening/End credits languages

Czech, German, French