Медвежья свадьба | 1925 | Horror, Fantasy, Drama

Title: Медвежья свадьба | 1925 | Horror, Fantasy, Drama Director: Konstantin Eggert, Vladimir Gardin Studio: Mezhrabpom-Rus Starring: Konstantin Eggert, Vera Malinovskaya, Natalya Rozenel, Aleksandra Kartseva, Yury Zavadsky Based on: A play by Anatoly Lunacharsky, from Prosper Mérimée’s novella “Lokis” Release Date: January 25, 1926 Runtime: 68 minutes Format: Silent, black-and-white; Russian intertitles Country: Soviet Union Language: Silent Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Drama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Castle and omen in the Lithuanian forest 00:12:30 The attack and its consequence 00:28:00 The heir’s disturbing impulses 00:45:00 Courtship and wedding preparations 00:57:00 Wedding night and revelation 01:07:00 Conflagration and aftermath --- Summary: Set in 19th‑century Lithuania, the story follows a noble family overshadowed by a primal terror. After a bear’s attack drives the countess mad, her son grows to embody a feared legacy, torn between human affection and animalistic compulsion. As he courts the village girl Yulka and marries her, the conflict between civilization and instinct reaches its crisis. The film explores heredity, superstition, and the thin boundary between myth and reality, culminating in tragedy that engulfs the ancestral estate. --- Background: Produced by Mezhrabpom-Rus and co-directed by Konstantin Eggert and Vladimir Gardin, the film adapts Anatoly Lunacharsky’s stage version of Prosper Mérimée’s “Lokis.” Its mood of Gothic folklore and lycanthropic suggestion, photographed by Eduard Tisse and Pyotr Yermolov, places it among early Soviet ventures into horror-fantasy within the silent-era repertoire. --- Trivia: Also known by the alternate title “Последний Шемет” . Cinematography was by Eduard Tisse, later renowned for collaborations with Sergei Eisenstein, alongside Pyotr Yermolov. The source novella’s title “Lokis” is Lithuanian for “bear,” echoing the film’s central legend. Its lycanthropic theme predates Hollywood’s canonical werewolf films of the 1930s and early 1940s. Stage actor Yury Zavadsky appears in a key supporting role. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: January 25, 1926 Original Studio / Distributor: Mezhrabpom-Rus Copyright Status: Unknown Renewal: Unknown --- Hashtags: MedvezhyaSvadba TheBearsWedding SilentFilm SovietCinema Horror Fantasy Drama 1925 RussianIntertitles Mezhrabpom Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%D0%9C%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B6%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8C%D0%B1%D0%B0_(1925).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/%D0%9C%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%B2%D0%B5%D0%B6%D1%8C%D1%8F_%D1%81%D0%B2%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%8C%D0%B1%D0%B0_%281925%29.webm