Baby Rjasanskije

The actress, first Russian female director and sometime assistant to Vsevolod Pudovkin, Olga Preobrazhenskaya, dedicated herself to the rural sphere in pre-revolutionary Russia. When the First World War broke out, Anna and her sister-in-law Vasilisa were left alone. The latter builds an orphanage, while the former is raped and impregnated by her father-in-law. Both are subjected to the patriarch's violence and the moral standards of the village. Anna is ostracised after being the victim of the assault and Vasilisa raises her fists. Preobrazhenskaya and Pravov visibly denounce the patriarchy. The film was a great success with audiences in the Weimar Republic. Traditional dances and celebrations as well as scenes of manual labour and farming are also shown. (Bianca Jasmina Rauch)