''Glumov's Diary'' () is a 1923

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

silent

trick film In the early history of cinema, trick films were short silent films designed to feature innovative special effects. History The trick film genre was developed by Georges Méliès in some of his first cinematic experiments, and his works remain ...

, which was the first film directed by

Sergei Eisenstein Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein; (11 February 1948) was a Soviet film director, screenwriter, film editor and film theorist. Considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, he was a pioneer in the theory and practice of montage. He is no ...

. It was conceived as a part of the theatre production of

Alexander Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (; ) was a Russian playwright, generally considered the greatest representative of the Russian realistic period. The author of 47 original plays, Ostrovsky "almost single-handedly created a Russian national repe ...

’s 1868 comedy '' Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man (Na vsyakovo mudretsa dovolno prostoty)'' and it marks Eisenstein's transition from theatre stage director to film director.

Plot

The film is composed of three parts which were screened at different moments of the play. The opening sequence starts with a shot of Eisenstein removing his cap and bowing in front of the poster announcing the play, followed by a shot of

Grigori Aleksandrov Grigori Vasilyevich Aleksandrov (23 January 1903 – 16 December 1983, known by artist name Mormonenko) was a Soviet film director who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1947 and a Hero of Socialist Labour in 1973. He was awarded the S ...

as Glumov, in front of the same poster, and by shots of the main protagonists making comic faces. It has been argued that this could have been screened rather at the end of the play. The second sequence shows how Glumov's diary was stolen. It was linked to the play by the actor running out of the stage to reappear on screen climbing along the building's facade up to the roof where he was picked by an airplane. Eventually, he jumped out of the airplane to fall into a car that brought him back to the front door of the theater. At the end of this sequence, the actor came back onstage, holding in his hand a film reel. The third sequence shows metaphorically the contents of Glumov's Diary, using several stop motion substitutions reminiscent of early films by George Méliès. It ends up with the wedding of Glumov and Mashenka and Glumov answering requests for money from the other protagonists with a

fig sign The fig sign is a mildly obscene gesture that uses a thumb wedged in between two fingers. The gesture is most commonly used to ward off the evil eye, insult someone, or deny a request. It has been used at least since the Ancient Rome, Roman Age i ...

Production and release

''Glumov's Diary'' was a short film produced as a part the theatre production of

’s 1868 comedy '' Enough Stupidity in Every Wise Man (Na vsyakovo mudretsa dovolno prostoty)'' that Eisenstein realised in 1923 for the

Proletkult Proletkult ( rus, Пролетку́льт, p=prəlʲɪtˈkulʲt), a portmanteau of the Russian words "proletarskaya kultura" ( proletarian culture), was an experimental Soviet artistic institution that arose in conjunction with the Russian Revol ...

organisation. In the revolutionary context of the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

established one year before in 1922, the aim of this organisation was to create a new artistic

aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

suitable for the working class. Eisenstein therefore substantially transformed Ostrovsky's play that he renamed plainly ''The Wiseman''. He transposed the action to contemporary Russian émigrés circles in Paris, with new names for the characters and gave it a parodic style inspired by circus and the ''

Commedia dell'arte Commedia dell'arte was an early form of professional theatre, originating from Theatre of Italy, Italian theatre, that was popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was formerly called Italian comedy in English and is a ...

''. Following Eisenstein's request at the beginning of 1923 Boris Mikhin, the director of Goskino supplied him with the necessary filmstock and appointed

Dziga Vertov Dziga Vertov (born David Abelevich Kaufman; – 12 February 1954) was a Soviet pioneer documentary film and newsreel director, as well as a cinema theorist. His filming practices and theories influenced the cinéma vérité style of documentary ...

as consultant. The film was shot in April 1923 around the Arseny Morozov House in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

where the Proletkult theatre productions were taking place, a few days before the première of the play and was screened during the live performance. The film was eventually included in number 16 of Dziga Vertov's '' Kino-Pravda (Film Truth)'' newsreel series, released on 21 May 1923 under the title ''Spring Smiles of the Proletkult (Vesennie ulybki Proletkulta)''.

Restoration

Considered lost during many years, Kino-Pravda n° 16, including ''Glumov's diary'', was rediscovered in Krasnogorsk in 1977, restored and included in various DVDs. There are some discussions as to whether the restored version has kept the original order of the different sequences.From “Lost” to “Found”: The “Rediscovery” of Sergei Eisenstein’s Glumov’s Diary and its avant-garde context

Cast

as Glumov/Golutvin * Aleksandr Antonov as Joffre *Sergei M. Eisenstein as himself * Mikhail Gomorov as Turusina *Vera Muzykant as Mashenka/Mary McLack * Ivan Pyryev as the Fascist clown * Maksim Shtraukh as Milyukov-Mamaev *Vera Yanukova as Mamaeva

References

External links

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''Glumov's Diary''
a
A Cinema History
{{Authority control 1923 films Soviet silent short films Soviet black-and-white films Films directed by Sergei Eisenstein 1923 short films Articles containing video clips Trick films Soviet films based on plays Films based on works by Alexander Ostrovsky