House of the Dead

1932 Drama 91 minutes Directed by Vasili Fyodorov

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About House of the Dead

A man is sent to a tsarist prison and lives among the convicts, following Dostoevsky's account of his own years there.

Cast & crew

More about House of the Dead

Vasily Fyodorov directed it and shared the script with Viktor Shklovsky. The source is Dostoevsky's Notes from the House of the Dead. Vasili Pronin photographed it. Vladimir Kryukov wrote the music. Mezhrabpom-Film released it on 10 April 1932. It runs 91 minutes. Nikolay Khmelyov, Nikolai Podgorny, and Mikhail Zharov are billed. The Russian title is Мёртвый дом.

Themes

  • A tsarist prison
  • Convicts in a barracks
  • Dostoevsky's years inside
  • Dostoevsky
  • Shklovsky
  • Fyodorov
  • Mezhrabpom

Look

Vasili Pronin photographed the prison yard and the barracks.

Music

Vladimir Kryukov wrote the music.

Notes

  • Shklovsky reworked the script's title more than once before the release.
  • Khmelyov leads the cast.
  • The setting is a tsarist jail, not a Soviet one.

Scenes

  • The prisoner enters the convict barracks.
  • Daily life in the prison fills the film.

Also available

  • Wikimedia Commons (1932 Мертвый дом, Тюрьма народов.webm)