Directed by Yevgeni Bauer • 1916 • Russia

The godfather of pre-revolutionary Russian film, Yevgeni Bauer, brought all his powers to bear on this haunting melodrama. Documenting a love triangle between two sisters and a dashing prince, Life for a Life demonstrates Bauer’s mastery of production design and his interest in complex female figures – aided here by a stirring performance from Vera Kholodnaya, “Russia’s first movie star”. An invaluable document of a lost cinematic era, presented with an original score composed and performed by Juliet Merchant.

LIFE FOR A LIFE • ЖИЗНЬ ЗА ЖИЗНЬ
Written and directed by Yevgeni Bauer
From the novel by Georges Ohnet
Cinematography by Boris Zavelev
Music by Juliet Merchant
Starring: Vera Kholodnaya, Olga Rakhmanova, Lidiya Koreneva

Silent with Russian intertitles and English subtitles