The Departure of a Great Old Man

1912 Drama 31 minutes Directed by Elizaveta Thiman

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About The Departure of a Great Old Man

Peasants come to Leo Tolstoy (Vladimir Shaternikov) to ask for land. He has to tell them that his wife, Countess Sofia (Olga Petrova), controls the holdings and will not give them up. She counts money and quarrels with him. The strain pushes Tolstoy to the edge of suicide. The film ends with him on his deathbed, visited by Jesus.

Cast & crew

More about The Departure of a Great Old Man

Yakov Protazanov and Elizaveta Thiman directed. Isaak Teneromo wrote it. Paul Thiemann produced. Aleksandr Levitsky and Georges Meyer were the cinematographers. It was Olga Petrova's first film. The picture was banned after Sofia Tolstaya objected to her portrayal and threatened a libel suit.

Themes

  • Land the countess will not give
  • A marriage at the end of a life
  • A deathbed vision
  • Leo Tolstoy
  • Sofia Tolstaya
  • peasants
  • ban
  • deathbed

Background

A 1912 Russian film of Tolstoy's last days, pulled from screens because of the way it showed his wife.

Preservation

A copy is on Wikimedia Commons.

Notes

  • Wikidata lists the writer as Isaak Feynerman, another form of Teneromo's name.
  • The English Wikipedia titles the film Departure of a Grand Old Man.
  • The ban followed the countess's threat to sue.

Scenes

  • Tolstoy tells the peasants he cannot give them the land.
  • Jesus appears at the deathbed.

Also available

  • Wikimedia Commons (1912 Уход великого старца, Жизнь Толстого.webm)