Films Albatros was a French

film production Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

company established in 1922. It was formed by a group of White Russian exiles who had been forced to flee following the 1917

Russian Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...

and subsequent

Russian Civil War , date = October Revolution, 7 November 1917 – Yakut revolt, 16 June 1923{{Efn, The main phase ended on 25 October 1922. Revolt against the Bolsheviks continued Basmachi movement, in Central Asia and Tungus Republic, the Far East th ...

. Initially the firm's personnel consisted mainly of Russian exiles, but over time French actors and directors were employed by the company. Its operations continued until the late 1930s.

History

Faced with increasingly difficult working conditions in Russia after the revolution of 1917, the film producer Joseph Ermolieff decided to move his operations to Paris where he had connections with the Pathé company. Arriving in 1920 with a group of close associates, Ermolieff took over a studio in

Montreuil-sous-Bois Montreuil (), sometimes unofficially referred to as Montreuil-sous-Bois (), is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris in Seine-Saint-Denis. With a population of 109,914 as of 2018, Montreuil is ...

in the eastern suburbs of Paris and began making films through his company Ermolieff-Cinéma. His co-founder of the company was

Alexandre Kamenka Alexandre Kamenka (1888–1969) was a Russian-born French film producer. He was born the son of Boris Kamenka in Odessa, now in Ukraine. At that time the city was part of the Russian Empire. He fled following the Russian Revolution and went to Fr ...

, another Russian exile, and when in 1922 Ermolieff moved to Germany, Kamenka, together with his colleagues

Noë Bloch Noë Bloch (1875-1937) was a Russian-born film producer. He was born as Noé Markowitsch Bloch to a Jewish family in St. Petersburg in the Russian Empire. After emigrating from Russia following the Russian Revolution, Bloch established himself as a ...

and Maurice Hache, took over the company and re-established it as the Société des Films Albatros. He also set up a distribution company called Les Films Armor in order to control the distribution of his own films. Various explanations have been given for the choice of the name Albatros: the name of a boat which brought some of the émigrés from Russia; a symbol of White Russia; an incident with an albatros on the journey. As well as adopting the image of the albatros as its symbol, the company took the motto "Debout dans la tempête" ("upright in the storm"). Among the group of Russian artists who stayed to work with Albatros were the directors

Victor Tourjansky The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

and Alexandre Volkoff, the art director

Alexandre Lochakoff Alexandre Lochakoff was a Russian-born art director.Phillips p.39 After fleeing following the Russian Revolution in 1917 he settled in France where he worked designing film sets. Selected filmography * ''Heart of an Actress'' (1924) * ''Michel S ...

, the costume designer Boris Bilinsky, and the actors Ivan Mosjoukine,

Nathalie Lissenko Natalya Andrianovna Lisenko (russian: Наталья Андриановна Лисенко, 10 August 1884 – 7 October 1969), also known as Nathalie Lissenko, was a Russian actress who was active during the silent era. Biography Natalya Andria ...

, Nicolas Koline, and Nicolas Rimsky. Although this Russian company initially favoured Russian themes, Kamenka quickly realised the need for greater integration with French film production, and they turned increasingly to French subjects. In 1924 a number of Kamenka's Russian associates left Albatros, and Kamenka offered opportunities to several innovative French film-makers including

Jean Epstein Jean Epstein (; 25 March 1897 – 2 April 1953) was a French filmmaker, film theorist, literary critic, and novelist. Although he is remembered today primarily for his adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's ''The Fall of the House of Usher'', he directe ...

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

Marcel L'Herbier Marcel L'Herbier (; 23 April 1888 – 26 November 1979) was a French filmmaker who achieved prominence as an avant-garde theorist and imaginative practitioner with a series of silent films in the 1920s. His career as a director continued unti ...

and

René Clair René Clair (11 November 1898 – 15 March 1981), born René-Lucien Chomette, was a French filmmaker and writer. He first established his reputation in the 1920s as a director of silent films in which comedy was often mingled with fantasy. He wen ...

. Kamenka's production policy combined prestige projects with openly commercial films, and his consistent record made him the most successful French producer during the 1920s, according to

Charles Spaak Charles Spaak (25 May 1903 – 4 March 1975) was a Belgian screenwriter who was noted particularly for his work in the French cinema during the 1930s. He was the son of the dramatist and poet Paul Spaak, the brother of the politician Paul-Henri S ...

, who came to the company as a script-writer in 1928. Kamenka successfully achieved international distribution for many of his films (even in Soviet Russia with which his company had so little political sympathyClaude Beylie, ''Une histoire du cinéma français''. Paris: Larousse, 2005. p. 96.) and from 1927 he entered into co-production arrangements with production companies in other European countries, driven by growing financial difficulties in the French film industry. The arrival of sound pictures posed a serious difficulty for Albatros which had hitherto relied considerably upon Russian actors, especially Mosjoukine whose accent precluded a successful transition into the talking era. The company's output diminished in the 1930s, but it achieved one further artistic success of note when

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...

joined them for his 1936 adaptation of Gorki's ''

Les Bas-fonds ''The Lower Depths'' (french: Les Bas-fonds) is a 1936 Cinema of France, French Drama film, drama film directed by Jean Renoir, based on the 1902 The Lower Depths, play of the same title by Maxim Gorky. Its scenes contrast the life of the upper an ...

''. By this time, Albatros was the longest surviving film company operating in France,Dudley Andrew, ''Mists of Regret''. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995. p. 178. but with the outbreak of World War II, Kamenka wound up the company which had remained particularly associated with silent cinema.

Films produced by Albatros

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

: ''Nuit de carnaval'' (dir.

) *

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

: ''Calvaire d'amour'' (dir. Victor Tourjansky) *

: ' (dir. Victor Tourjansky) *

: '' La Maison du mystère'' (dir. Alexandre Volkoff) *

: ''

Le Brasier ardent ''Le Brasier ardent'' is a 1923 French film directed by Ivan Mosjoukine. It combines elements of comedy, mystery, romance and psychological drama. The title has been variously translated into English as ''The Blazing Inferno'', ''The Burning Cru ...

'' (dir. Ivan Mosjoukine) *

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hol ...

: ' (dir. Victor Tourjansky) *

: ''Le Chiffonnier de Paris'' (dir. Serge Nadejdine) *

: ''La Cible'' (dir. Serge Nadejdine) *

: ''La Dame masquée'' (dir. Victor Tourjansky) *

: ''L'Heureuse Mort'' (dir. Serge Nadejdine) *

: ''

Kean Kean may refer to: * Kean (name) * Kean (play), ''Kean'' (play), 1838 play by Alexandre Dumas père based on the life of the actor Edmund Kean, and its adaptations: ** Kean (1921 film), ''Kean'' (1921 film), a German silent historical film ** Kean ...

'' (dir. Alexandre Volkoff) *

: '' Le Lion des Mogols'' (dir.

) *

: ''Les Ombres qui passent'' (dir. Alexandre Volkoff) *

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

: ''Les Aventures de Robert Macaire'' (dir. Jean Epstein) *

: ''

Le Double Amour ''Le Double Amour'' ''(Double Love)'' is a 1925 French melodrama film directed by Jean Epstein and produced by the Films Albatros production company. Plot Saint Blaise sur mer, 1904: Countess Laure Maresco sings for a charitable event at the ...

'' (dir. Jean Epstein) *

: ''Le Nègre blanc'' (dir. Serge Nadejdine,

Nicolas Rimsky Nicolas Rimsky (russian: Николай Алекса́ндрович Римский; born Nikolai Alexandrovich Kurmashov; 18 February 1886 – 5 September 1941) was a Russian-French film actor, director and writer. He was born in Moscow, Russia. ...

and Henry Wulschleger) *

: ''Paris en cinq jours'' (dir. Nicolas Rimsky and Pierre Colombier) *

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

: ''

Carmen ''Carmen'' () is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the Carmen (novella), novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first perfo ...

'' (dir. Jacques Feyder) *

: ''

Feu Mathias Pascal ''Feu Mathias Pascal'' (''The late Matthias Pascal'') is a 1925 French silent film written and directed by Marcel L'Herbier. It was the first film adaptation of Luigi Pirandello's novel '' Il fu Mattia Pascal''. Background Since seeing a Paris ...

'' (dir.

) *

: '' Gribiche'' (dir.

) *

: ''Jim la houlette, roi des voleurs'' (dir. Pierre Colombier,

Roger Lion Roger Lion (27 September 1882 – 27 October 1934) was a French film director and screenwriter. Filmographie * 1912 : ''L'Agence Cacahouète'' * 1914 : ''La Petite Bretonne'' * 1915 : ''À qui la femme?'' * 1916 : ''Sacré Joseph'' * 1916 ...

and Nicolas Rimsky) *

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 * ...

: '' Le Chasseur de chez Maxim's'' (dir. Roger Lion et Nicolas Rimsky) *

: ''Nocturne'' (dir. Marcel Silver) (short) *

: '' La Proie du vent'' (dir.

) *

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

: ''La condesa María'' (dir.

Benito Perojo Benito Perojo González (Madrid, 14 June 1894 – Madrid, 11 November 1974) was a successful Spanish film director and film producer. Biography Son of José Perojo Figueras (1850–1908), a journalist and politician of Cuban origin, by his ...

) *

: ''

Les Deux Timides ''Two Timid Souls'' (french: Les Deux Timides) is a 1928 French silent film comedy directed by René Clair, and based on the 1860 play ''Les Deux Timides'' by Eugène Labiche. It was made by the Films Albatros production company.McGerr p.224 Th ...

'' (dir. René Clair) *

: ''La Tour'' (dir. René Clair) (short) *

: '' Un chapeau de paille d'Italie'' (dir. René Clair) *

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

: '' Cagliostro - Liebe und Leben eines großen Abenteurers'' (dir.

Richard Oswald Richard Oswald (5 November 1880 – 11 September 1963) was an Austrian film director, producer, screenwriter, and father of German-American film director Gerd Oswald. Early career Richard Oswald, born in Vienna as Richard W. Ornstein, began h ...

) *

: ''Harmonies de Paris'' (dir. Lucie Derain) (short) *

: ''

Les Nouveaux Messieurs ''Les Nouveaux Messieurs'' ("the new men") is a 1929 French silent film directed by Jacques Feyder. It is a satirical comedy, whose initial release in France was delayed for several months because of objections to its portrayal of the French par ...

'' (dir. Jacques Feyder) *

: ''Souris d'hôtel'' (dir.

Adelqui Migliar Adelqui Migliar (5 August 1891 – 6 August 1956), also known as Adelqui Millar, was a Chilean film actor, director, writer and producer. He appeared in 31 silent films between 1916 and 1928. He also directed 24 films between 1922 and 1954. ...

) (short) *

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be ...

: '' Le Procureur Hallers'' (dir.

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other German Expressionism, ...

) *

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

: '' Le Monsieur de minuit'' (dir.

Harry Lachman Harry B. Lachman (June 29, 1886 – March 19, 1975) was an American artist, set designer, and film director. He was born in La Salle, Illinois on June 29, 1886. Lachman was educated at the University of Michigan before becoming a magazine and bo ...

) *

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

: ''Il a été perdu une mariée'' (dir. Léo Joannon) *

: ''Un coup de téléphone'' (dir. Georges Lacombe) *

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

: ''La Femme invisible'' (dir. Georges Lacombe) *

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

: ''Le Bossu ou le petit parisien'' (dir. René Sti) *

: '' La Porteuse de pain'' (dir. René Sti) *

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – George V of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India, dies at his Sandringham Estate. The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King E ...

: ''

'' (dir.

) *

1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into Fe ...

: ''Le Messager'' (dir. Raymond Rouleau) *

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

: ''Grisou'' (dir.

Maurice de Canonge Maurice de Canonge (March 18, 1894 – January 10, 1979) was a French actor and film director.Oscherwitz & Higgins p.222 He is also sometimes known by the name Maurice Cannon. Selected filmography Director * ''Inspector Grey'' (1936) * '' Captain ...

) *

1939 This year also marks the start of the Second World War, the largest and deadliest conflict in human history. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 ** Third Reich *** Jews are forbidden to ...

: ''La vie est magnifique'' (dir. Maurice Cloche)

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

''Le cinéma russe en exil: l'aventure des Films Albatros''
(online exhibition at Cinémathèque Française). n French.
''Albatros (et l'École russe de Paris)''
in ''Dictionnaire du cinéma français des années vingt'' (''1895'', no.33, 2001). Retrieved 28 December 2015. n French. French companies established in 1922 1939 disestablishments in France Mass media companies established in 1922 Mass media companies disestablished in 1939 Film production companies of France White Russian emigration Russian diaspora in France