''The Three Million Trial'' (russian: Процесс о трех миллионах, italic=yes) is a 1926

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

silent comedy Silent comedy is a style of film, related to but distinct from mime, invented to bring comedy into the medium of film in the silent film era (1900s–1920s) before a synchronized soundtrack which could include talking was technologically avai ...

film starring

Igor Ilyinsky Igor Vladimirovich Ilyinsky (russian: И́горь Влади́мирович Ильи́нский; 24 July 1901 – 13 January 1987) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor, director and comedian. Hero of Socialist Labour (1974) and People ...

and directed by

Yakov Protazanov Yakov Alexandrovich Protazanov (russian: Яков Александрович Протазанов; 4 February ( O.S. 23 January ) 1881 – 8 August 1945) was a Russian and Soviet film director and screenwriter, and one of the founding fathers of ...

based on the play ''The Three Thieves'' ( it, I tre ladri) by

Umberto Notari Umberto Notari (1878-1950) was an Italian journalist, writer, and editor. Bibliography * Quelle signore (Scene di una grande città moderna) - Milan 1904 * Femmina (Scene di una grande capitale) - Milan 1906 * I tre ladri (Mio zio miliardario) ...

. It was also released as ''Three Thieves'' in the United States.

Plot

To prepare grounds for yet another

speculation In finance, speculation is the purchase of an asset (a commodity, good (economics), goods, or real estate) with the hope that it will become more valuable shortly. (It can also refer to short sales in which the speculator hopes for a decline i ...

, the banker Ornano (

Mikhail Klimov Mikhail Mikhailovich Klimov (Russian: Михаил Михайлович Климов; November 20, 1880July 9, 1942) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1937). From 1909 to 1940 he was a leading actor of ...

) sells his house for three million rubles, but since it's the weekend he cannot deposit the money in a bank and must carry it with him. He leaves the city for his country home for a short period of time, only to return right away owing to his worries about the money. His wife sends a note to her lover telling him that there are three million in the house but the note, owing to the machinations of one of the three thieves on whom the film focuses, is intercepted. The note, falling into hands of the thief/adventurer Cascarilla (

Anatoly Ktorov Anatoly Petrovich Ktorov (Russian: Анатолий Петрович Кторов; April 24, 1898September 30, 1980) was a Soviet and Russian stage and film actor. People's Artist of the USSR (1963). Early years He was born Anatoly Petrovich Vi ...

) causes him to plot his attempt to steal the money. Meantime, the small-time burglar Tapioca (

) also chooses the same night to break into the house.

Cast

– Tapioka *

– Cascarilla *

– Ornano, the Banker * Olga Zhizneva – Noris, the Banker's wife * Nikolai Prozorovsky – Guido *

Vladimir Fogel Vladimir Pavlovich Fogel (russian: Влади́мир Па́влович Фо́гель; 19029 June 1929) was a Russian silent film actor. Biography Vladimir Fogel was born in Moscow. His family name comes from his German father, an immigrant who ...

– Man with binoculars

References

*. *.

External links

* * (English subtitles) 1926 comedy films Soviet comedy films Russian comedy films 1926 films Gorky Film Studio films Soviet black-and-white films Soviet silent feature films Films directed by Yakov Protazanov Articles containing video clips 1920s business films Russian silent feature films Russian black-and-white films Silent comedy films 1920s Russian-language films {{1920s-comedy-film-stub