Lenfilm
Kinostudiya "Lenfilm" (in
Russian, Киностудия Ленфи́льм) was a
production unit of the Soviet film industry, with its own
film studio, located in
Leningrad,
R.S.F.S.R..
The territory of Lenfilm was originally in the private ownership of the
Aquarium garden, which belonged to the merchant Georgy Alexandrov, who operated a restaurant, a public garden and a theatre. The composer
Peter Tchaikovsky came to what was then the
Aquarium theatre (and is now Stage # 4 of Lenfilm) as a guest to the performance of the overture to his
Nutcracker ballet. Famous Russian bass singer
Feodor Chaliapin and the star of the Soviet stage
Leonid Utyosov sang here.The
Leningrad film studio facilities was established in
1918 and had a different name. From
1934 named
Lenfilm.
During the
WWII the film studio was evacuated to
Alma-Ata (
1942) and merged with other
Soviet film studios into the
Central United Film Studio (
TsOKS). The Lenfilm returned to
Leningrad at
1944.
Today in the Aquarium Theater there is a stage where many famous Lenfilm pictures had been shot and many film stars played their roles.
George Cukor in
1975 made a film here called
The Blue Bird.
Elizabeth Taylor was here, she played
Queen of light in this film.
Jane Fonda,
Ava Gardner " they worked here, at Stage # 4, the prior Aquarium Theatre.
Orlando was partly filmed here with
Tilda Swinton.
Afghan Breakdown was shot here by Vladimir Bortko, with
Michele Placido, who plays a Russian Colonel. In the beginning of the 1990s there were about a dozen famous American scriptwriters, the winners of Oscars, here.
By the end of the Soviet Union, Lenfilm had produced about 1,500 films. Many film
classics were shot at Lenfilm throughout its history and some of these were granted international awards at various
film festivals.
After the
dissolution of the Soviet Union, it became a quasi-private film production company of the
Russian Federation, retaining its name in spite of renaming of the city of Leningrad to
St. Petersburg.
Lenfilm is a place that is tightly connected with the world celebrities, such as those mentioned and
Jane Fonda,
Maximilian Schell,
Marina Vlady,
Julia Ormond,
Michael Caine,
William Hurt,
Sophie Marceau,
Sandrine Bonnaire,
Gérard Philipe, and with many great Russians:
Vladimir Mayakovsky,
Veniamin Kaverin,
Sergey Kuryokhin,
Daniil Granin etc.
*
1934 Чапаев / Chapaev (
cult film)
*
1949 Александр Попов / Alexander Popov (
biographical film)
*
1963 Каин XVIII / Kain XVIII, directed by
Erast Garin (
film adaptation)
*
1964 "амлет / Hamlet, directed by
Grigori Kozintsev (drama), the
Golden Lion Award at the
Venice Film Festival in
1962 nominated and Special Jury Prize winner.
*
1976 Синяя птица / The Blue Bird, directed by
George Cukor (
film adaptation)
*
1978 Одинокий голос человека / The Lonely Voice of Man, directed by
Alexander Sokurov (drama)
*
1980 Разжалованный / The Degraded, directed by
Alexander Sokurov (
short film)
*
1981 Приключения Шерлока Холмса и доктора 'атсона. Собака Баскервилей / The Hound of the Baskervilles, directed by
Igor Maslennikov (
film adaptation)
*
1986 Ампир / Empire, directed by
Alexander Sokurov (
short film)
*
1991 Афганский излом / Afghan Breakdown (
war film)
*
Mosfilm*
Gorky Film Studio*
Belarusfilm*
Soyuzmultfilm*
Cinema of the Soviet Union*
*
Lenfilm official site
