The Paris Commune

About the production

The film was produced as part of Stalin's cultural program to create heroic revolutionary epics. Massive sets were constructed to recreate 19th-century Paris, including detailed street scenes and barricades. The production employed thousands of extras for the crowd scenes depicting the Commune's mass meetings and battles. Special attention was given to historical accuracy in costumes and props, with researchers consulting contemporary accounts and photographs. The battle sequences required complex choreography and pyrotechnics, representing some of the most ambitious action sequences in Soviet cinema of the 1930s.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

Made in 1936, The Paris Commune belongs to the pre-war and carries the visual and narrative habits of its time. The film tells about the Polish revolutionary democrat, Jarosław Dąbrowski, who led the army of the Paris Commune in 1871.

Why this film matters

For collectors of early and classic cinema, The Paris Commune illustrates the range of subjects and styles that reached theaters in 1936. Dawn of Paris (Russian: Зори Парижа) is a 1936 Soviet drama film directed by Grigori Roshal.

Making of

The production of 'The Paris Commune' was a massive undertaking for the Soviet film industry in 1936. Director Grigoriy Roshal, known for his historical films, spent months researching the period with a team of historians to ensure authenticity. The casting process was rigorous, with actors required to study the historical figures they portrayed. Nikolai Plotnikov underwent extensive preparation to play his role as a communard leader, studying French revolutionary literature and working with a dialect coach. The film's most challenging sequences were the battle scenes, which involved coordinating hundreds of extras, horses, and carefully controlled explosions. The set design was remarkably detailed, with entire Parisian streets reconstructed on the Mosfilm backlot. The cinematography employed innovative techniques for the time, including crane shots to capture the scale of the revolutionary crowds. The score was composed by Dmitri Kabalevsky, who incorporated revolutionary songs from the period into his orchestral arrangements.

What critics said

Critics writing near 1936 focused on how The Paris Commune compared with rival titles in the same season.

Did you know?

• Director Grigoriy Roshal was married to acclaimed screenwriter Nadezhda Kosheverova, who contributed to the film's script development
• The film was one of the first major Soviet productions to depict a non-Russian historical revolutionary event
• Nikolai Plotnikov, who played a leading role, later became one of the Soviet Union's most distinguished stage actors
• The production coincided with the 65th anniversary of the Paris Commune, making it part of official commemorations
• Stalin personally reviewed the film and reportedly praised its revolutionary zeal
• The film's depiction of the Commune's women fighters was considered progressive for its time
• Original prints featured tinted sequences for dramatic effect, particularly during the battle scenes
• The film was banned in several Western countries during the 1930s due to its revolutionary content
• A special version was created for export with altered subtitles to make it more accessible to international audiences
• The barricade scenes required over 2,000 cubic meters of lumber and props

Awards & recognition

• Order of Lenin (awarded to director Grigoriy Roshal for the film)
• Stalin Prize (Second Class, 1937)

Visual style

The cinematography by Yuri Yekelchik employed innovative techniques for its time, particularly in handling large-scale crowd scenes. The film used a combination of static wide shots to establish the scale of revolutionary gatherings and dynamic camera movements to follow individual characters through the chaos of battle. The lighting design emphasized the contrast between the opulent bourgeois settings and the working-class districts of Paris. Notable techniques include the use of deep focus to maintain clarity in complex crowd compositions and strategic camera placement to create a sense of immediacy during the barricade scenes. The film's visual style drew inspiration from both French realist painting and Soviet montage theory, creating a distinctive aesthetic that served both historical accuracy and ideological purposes. The battle sequences utilized multiple cameras to capture the action from various angles, creating a sense of comprehensive coverage that was advanced for 1930s cinema.

Innovations

The film featured several technical innovations for Soviet cinema of the 1930s. The production pioneered new techniques for coordinating large crowd scenes, developing a system of colored flags and signal lights to direct thousands of extras during complex sequences. The battle sequences utilized innovative pyrotechnic effects that were safer and more realistic than previous methods. The set design incorporated modular construction techniques that allowed for rapid reconfiguration of Parisian street scenes. The film's sound recording employed newly developed Soviet microphones that improved audio quality in outdoor scenes. The cinematography department developed specialized camera mounts for capturing dynamic movement during the battle sequences. The editing team created a sophisticated system for managing the massive amount of footage generated by the multiple camera setups. These technical achievements influenced subsequent Soviet historical epics and contributed to the development of Soviet film technology.

Music

The musical score was composed by Dmitri Kabalevsky, one of the Soviet Union's most prominent composers. Kabalevsky incorporated authentic revolutionary songs from the Paris Commune period, including 'La Carmagnole' and 'La Marseillaise' in their revolutionary arrangements. The orchestral score blended these historical melodies with original compositions that emphasized the dramatic and emotional arcs of the narrative. The soundtrack was innovative in its use of leitmotifs to represent different social classes and ideological positions. The music was performed by the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra, with choral sections provided by the Moscow State Academic Chorus. The sound design also included carefully crafted diegetic sounds of 19th-century Paris, from the clatter of horse-drawn carriages to the roar of revolutionary crowds. The film's audio was recorded using Soviet-developed sound technology that was considered advanced for the period.

Famous quotes

The Commune is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people!" - Delivered by Nikolai Plotnikov during the Commune's declaration

Better to die standing than to live on your knees!" - Spoken by a communard during the final battle

History will absolve us!" - Proclaimed during the trial of communard leaders

Paris will be ours!" - Chanted by revolutionary crowds during the uprising

The red flag flies today, and it will fly forever!" - Declared during the Commune's establishment

Memorable scenes

• The storming of the Hotel de Ville where thousands of communards raise the red flag over Paris, filmed with sweeping crane shots and hundreds of extras
• The final battle on the barricades where communards make their last stand against government troops, featuring intense close-ups and dramatic pyrotechnics
• The scene where working women of Paris join the revolution, carrying weapons and singing revolutionary songs
• The trial scene where communard leaders defend their actions before a military tribunal
• The emotional farewell scene as revolutionaries say goodbye to their families before the final battle

What audiences thought

The film was enormously popular with Soviet audiences upon its release, playing to packed theaters across the country. Many viewers were particularly moved by the film's emotional portrayal of ordinary Parisians rising up against oppression. The film became a reference point for Soviet citizens' understanding of international revolutionary history. Reports from the era indicate that audiences often applauded during the revolutionary scenes and some screenings were followed by spontaneous discussions about the parallels between the Paris Commune and the Russian Revolution. The film was especially popular among young people and party members, who viewed it as inspirational. In later years, the film continued to be shown on Soviet television and in special screenings during revolutionary anniversaries. International leftist audiences also received the film enthusiastically, with special screenings organized by communist parties in Europe and North America.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Battleship Potemkin (1925)
• October: Ten Days That Shook the World (1928)
• The New Babylon (1929)
• French revolutionary literature
• Karl Marx's writings on the Paris Commune
• Soviet montage theory

This film influenced

• The Fall of Berlin (1949)
• The Unforgettable Year 1919 (1951)
• Lenin in Paris (1981)
• Reds (1981)
• La Commune (Paris, 1871) (2000)

Film restoration

The film is preserved in the Gosfilmofond archive in Russia, with original nitrate negatives carefully maintained. A restored version was completed in 2005 as part of a Soviet cinema restoration project. The film exists in both Russian and export versions with different subtitle tracks. Some original tinted sequences have been reconstructed based on contemporary documentation. The restoration process involved digital cleaning of damaged frames and recreation of lost footage using surviving duplicate negatives.

Where to watch

• Available on Russian film streaming platforms like Kinopoisk
• Included in the Mosfilm Classic Collection DVD set
• Screenings at film archives and museums specializing in Soviet cinema
• Available through educational film distributors for academic use
• Occasionally broadcast on Russian television channels during historical anniversaries
• Accessible through some specialized streaming services for classic international cinema