St. Jorgen's Day
About St. Jorgen's Day
In a fictional country, the feast of Saint Jorgen includes a rigged choice of his bride, and the bishop is pushing his relative Oleandra. Thief Michael Korkis breaks out with Franz Schulz, sees the church money, and is trapped inside during a procession. He steps out dressed as the saint, pretends to heal Schulz, and forgives sins for free. The clergy bribe him to leave. He, Oleandra, and Schulz flee, and the bishop later unveils a new saint whose icon shows Schulz with a crutch.
Cast & crew
More about St. Jorgen's Day
Yakov Protazanov directed, and Porfiri Podobed, the catalog's director, is listed as co-director. The script credits include Protazanov and Vladimir Shveitser, with uncredited work by Ilf and Petrov, Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, and Harald Bergstedt's novel. Pyotr Yermolov photographed it, Sergei Bugoslavsky wrote the score, and most of the 83 minutes was shot silent and finished on the Tagefon system.
Themes
Making
Sequences mix Russian intertitles with an orchestral and choral score, knocks, and patches of dialogue. Mezhrabpom-Film's orchestra and chorus are credited.
Look
Pyotr Yermolov photographed the Mezhrabpom part-talkie.
Technique
Most scenes were filmed without recorded sound. Effects and some dialogue were added later on the Tagefon system.
Music
Sergei Bugoslavsky wrote the score, played by the Mezhrabpom-Film orchestra and chorus.
Notes
- Igor Ilyinsky plays Franz Schulz and Anatoli Ktorov plays Michael Korkis.
- Mariya Strelkova plays Oleandra.
- The bishop had commissioned a film called The Life and Miracles of Saint Jorgen to draw a crowd.
- A line on the English page has Korkis answer a request for an ascension by asking how the money would ascend.
Scenes
- Caught in the church, Korkis walks out as Saint Jorgen and pretends to heal Schulz.
- The bishop's new icon shows Schulz, crutch in hand, as Saint Franz.
Influenced by
- Harald Bergstedt's novel, uncredited on the film
Also available
- Wikimedia Commons (1930 Праздник Святого Йоргена.webm)
Quotes
The primary task for a thief profession and for a saint is to vanish at right time!
