Yevgeni Bauer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yevgeni Franzevich Bauer
(Евгений Францевич Бауэр) |
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|---|---|
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| Born | 1865 |
| Died | 22 June 1917 Yalta, Russian Republic
(now Ukraine) |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 1913–1917 |
Yevgeni Franzevich Bauer (Russian: Евгений Францевич Бауэр) (1865 – 22 June [O.S. 9 June] 1917) was a very important Russian film director who made silent movies. He was also a talented artist for the theater and wrote movie scripts.
Bauer's work greatly shaped how Russian films looked and felt in the early 1900s. He made over 70 films between 1913 and 1917, and 26 of them still exist today. He was known for using long, flowing camera shots, which was very advanced for his time. Film critic Kenneth Turan called him "The greatest director you've never heard of." Another expert, Georges Sadoul, said Bauer was "the first true artist in the history of cinema."
Contents
Yevgeni Bauer's Early Life and Career
Growing Up in Moscow
Yevgeni Bauer was born in Moscow in 1865. His father, Franz Bauer, was a musician from Bohemia (now part of the Czech Republic). His mother was an opera singer. From a young age, Yevgeni loved art and acting. His sister even became a professional actress.
From Caricatures to Theater
In 1887, Bauer finished his studies at the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture. He tried many different jobs. First, he worked as a caricaturist, drawing funny pictures for newspapers. Then, he became a skilled photographer.
Later, he moved into the world of theater. He worked as a producer, a manager (called an impresario), and a professional set designer. In the 1890s, he married Lina Ancharovna, an actress and dancer. During World War I, he used her last name, calling himself Evgeni Ancharov. He felt his own last name, Bauer, sounded "too German" during the war.
Bauer's Journey into Filmmaking
Starting in Cinema
Even while working in theater, Bauer was very interested in cinematography, which is the art of making movies. He began working as an artistic producer and director. His first job in film was designing sets for a movie called "300 Years of the House of Romanov" in 1913. This film was made by Alexander Drankov's company.
After that, Bauer worked for Drankov as a producer and made four films. He then made four more movies for the French company Pathé Brothers, which had a branch in Moscow. Finally, he started working for the Khanzhonkov company. At that time, Khanzhonkov was the top film company in Russia.
Making Many Films
From late 1913 to early 1917, Bauer directed over 80 films. Sadly, less than half of these movies still exist today. Bauer mostly made social and psychological dramas. These are films that explore people's feelings and how they interact with society. He also made some comedies.
Some of his famous films include Daydreams (1915), After Death (1915), and A Life for a Life (1916). He worked with the biggest stars of Russian silent cinema. These actors included Ivan Mozzhukhin, Vera Kholodnaya, Vitold Polonsky, and Vera Karalli.
His Final Days
In 1917, Bauer and the Khanzhonkov company moved to a new studio in Yalta. There, he made the film For Happiness with a young actor named Lev Kuleshov. While working on set, Bauer broke his leg. He had to direct his next film, The King of Paris, from a special chair.
However, Bauer became very sick with pneumonia. He could not finish The King of Paris. On June 22, 1917, Yevgeni Bauer died in a hospital in Yalta. The actress Olga Rakhmanova completed his last film.
Bauer's Impact on Cinema
A Master of Film Style
Yevgeni Bauer is seen as a leading artist in Russian silent films. He focused a lot on how his films looked. He was a master of psychological drama, showing deep emotions and thoughts through his movies.
Bauer was also one of the first Russian directors to develop the artistic side of filmmaking. He used techniques like montage (editing shots together), mise-en-scene (arranging everything in the shot), and carefully planning each frame.
Innovative Techniques
Bauer used his theater experience to make his films special. He was one of the first to carefully place lights on the film set. He even changed the lighting during filming to create different moods. He used unusual camera angles and filmed through "gaseous" materials to create fog effects.
He believed that every shot should be like a work of art. He designed sets and filmed natural scenes to look like beautiful paintings. He also moved the camera to make the space in the shot feel bigger and add drama. Bauer's artistic experiments and amazing skills made him the top director in Russian cinema.
Selected Films by Yevgeni Bauer
- 1913 - Uncle's Apartment (with Pyotr Chardynin)
- 1913 - Twilight of a Woman's Soul
- 1914 - The Post Troika Races Along
- 1914 - The Free Bird
- 1914 - The Girl from the Street
- 1914 - Her Heroic Feat
- 1914 - Life and Death
- 1914 - Silent Witnesses
- 1914 - Glory to Us, Death to the Enemy
- 1914 - Tears
- 1915 - Daydreams
- 1915 - The 1002nd Ruse
- 1915 - Children of the Age
- 1915 - Heavenly Wings
- 1915 - Song of Triumphant Love
- 1915 - The Vanquisher of Women's Hearts
- 1915 - After Death
- 1915 - The Happiness of Eternal Night
- 1915 - The Thousand and Second Cunning
- 1916 - The Old Wrestler's Grief
- 1916 - A Life for a Life
- 1916 - The Queen of the Screen
- 1917 - Alarm
- 1917 - The Revolutionary
- 1917 - The Dying Swan
- 1917 - For Happiness
- 1917 - The King of Paris
