Dimitri Kirsanoff Movies
Filmmaker Dimitri Kirsanoff was born in Estonia and moved to Paris in 1923 where he attended the Ecole Normale de Musique. Kirsanoff is best known for his highly original, at times avant garde French silent films. During the '20s, he was among France's most highly regarded filmmakers with his best known film being the poetic and innovative Menlimontant (1924). Many of his early films starred his first wife Nadia Sibirskaia. Kirsanoff continued directing through the 1950s, but his talkies were more commercially oriented and not as well regarded. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1956
Ce Soir les Jupons Volent (Tonight the Skirts Fly) was designed primarily to show off a new wide-screen process called Dyaliscope. The story concerns a trio of clothing models, all of whom participate in a high-profile fashion show. In flashback, the lives of the three girls are detailed, with emphasis on romantic entanglements. Director Dmitri Kirsanoff knows what his audience wants: a goodly portion of the film is given over to backstage glimpses of barely dressed damsels, not to mention the climactic runway display of revealing Gallic gowns. Whether or not the three leading ladies in Ce Soir les Jupons Volent could act was hardly taken into consideration. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1949
Soviet filmmaker Dimitri Kirsonoff spent his entire career in France, alternating between feature films and short subjects. One of his briefer endeavors was the three-reel Faits Divers a Paris (1949), the story of a young girl's disillusionment in the big city. Contemporary reviews indicate that this film was released at 82 minutes, and that its plot was episodic. It is highly possible that Faits Divers a Paris was bundled together with several other Kirsonoff-directed shorts as an ersatz "feature film". Whatever the case, the film was edited by Kirsonoff's second wife Monique. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Legris
- 1939
This "feature film" was actually comprised of eight musical short subjects, helmed by three of France's top filmmakers. Artists spotlighted herein include pianist Alfred Corto, performing Debussy's Children's Corner; cellist Gregory Piatigorsky, playing Andante et Rondo; and contralto Elizabeth Schumann, singing Schubert's Ave Maria. The individual sequences vary wildly in quality, adding to the patchwork ambience of the film. Many consider Max Ophuls' Valse Brilliante and the aforementioned Ave Maria as the highlights of the show, though these are more impressive visually than musically. The film's final offering, featuring a performance by Serge Lifar and the French Opera Ballet, was radically cut down from its original three-reel length. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregor Piatigorsky
- 1937
Also known as Aspects of France, this 34-minute travelogue spends most of its time exploring aspects of Paris. Eventually, the producers get around to peeking in the various nooks and crannies of Normandy and Marseilles. It's standard documentary fare, enlivened by some surprisingly creative camerawork and clever use of filters and gauze, all courtesy of cinematographer Marcel Grignon. Apparently, American critics in 1937 were oblivious to the charms of Francais; one reviewer carped that the film might as well have been made in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for all the interest it generated. Portions of the film later made their way into American documentaries, with no credit given to Grignon or director D. Kirsanoff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1936
Filmed in Switzerland, Magic Mountain is not based on the novel of the same name by Thomas Mann. Rather, it was inspired by Separation des Races, a novel by Ramud, and was originally released as Rapt. Set high in the Alps, the story (such as it is) concerns a romance blighted by ethnic differences. The plot is subordinated throughout by the "arty" photography, which borrows heavily from the German expressionistic school. With the exception of German leading lady Dita Parlo, most of the cast of The Magic Mountain is French. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1934
Filmed in Switzerland, Magic Mountain was inspired by Separation des Races, a novel by Ramud, and was originally released as Rapt. Set high in the Alps, the story concerns a romance blighted by ethnic differences. The plot is subordinated throughout by the "arty" photography, which borrows heavily from the German expressionistic school. With the exception of German leading lady Dita Parlo, most of the cast of The Magic Mountain is French. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dita Parlo, Nadia Sibirskaia, (more)
- 1925
A story of two sisters who lose their parents to a vicious murder. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nadia Sibirskaia
