The Portrait

About the production

The film was produced by the Khanzhonkov Company, one of Russia's earliest film studios. Starewicz, primarily known for his pioneering stop-motion animation, directed this as one of his live-action horror features. The production utilized elaborate sets and special effects typical of Russian cinema's golden age. The film's surviving fragment suggests sophisticated lighting techniques and atmospheric cinematography that were advanced for the period.

Themes

Themes & topics

Historical background

1915 placed The Portrait within Russian Empire cinema as Khanzhonkov Company navigated wartime markets, immigration audiences, and the shift from intertitles to sound.

Why this film matters

Archivists revisit The Portrait (1915) for Władysław Starewicz style, genre norms at Khanzhonkov Company, and the exhibition context of 45 (original), 8 (surviving fragment) programming.

Making of

Władysław Starewicz, primarily celebrated for his revolutionary stop-motion techniques with dead insects and articulated puppets, ventured into live-action horror with this adaptation of Gogol's supernatural tale. The production took place at the Khanzhonkov Company's Moscow studios during the height of Russian cinema's artistic golden age. Starewicz brought his meticulous attention to detail from animation to this live-action project, reportedly spending considerable time on the portrait prop itself to ensure it had the unsettling quality described in Gogol's story. The filming coincided with World War I, which created production challenges including material shortages and the mobilization of some crew members. The surviving fragment suggests Starewicz experimented with innovative lighting techniques and camera angles to create the film's unsettling atmosphere, techniques that would influence his later animated works.

What critics said

Retrospective writing on The Portrait stresses craft by Władysław Starewicz, print survival, and repertory value rather than opening-week gross alone.

Did you know?

• Only an 8-minute fragment of this 45-minute film survives today, making it one of cinema's great lost treasures
• Director Władysław Starewicz is better known for his groundbreaking stop-motion animation work with insects and puppets
• The film is one of the earliest horror adaptations of Gogol's work, predating more famous versions
• The surviving fragment is preserved at the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow
• The film was made during World War I, a period of significant cultural upheaval in Russia
• Starewicz was Polish-born but worked extensively in the Russian film industry
• The Khanzhonkov Company was one of Russia's most important early film studios
• Gogol's original story was published in 1835 and has been adapted numerous times
• The film represents a rare example of Russian horror cinema from the silent era
• The portrait's eyes in the story were said to be so lifelike they seemed to follow viewers around the room

Visual style

The surviving fragment of 'The Portrait' demonstrates sophisticated cinematographic techniques for its time, including dramatic lighting contrasts and carefully composed shots that enhance the film's unsettling atmosphere. The cinematography appears to have utilized chiaroscuro effects to create shadows and highlights that emphasize the supernatural elements of the story. Camera positioning seems deliberate and thoughtful, with angles designed to create psychological tension. The lighting techniques suggest the influence of German expressionist cinema that was developing around the same period. The portrait itself appears to have been filmed with special attention to make it seem uncannily lifelike, using lighting and possibly subtle camera movements to enhance its supernatural quality.

Innovations

While specific technical details are limited due to the film's fragmentary survival, 'The Portrait' appears to have employed several innovative techniques for its time. The film likely utilized multiple exposure techniques to create supernatural effects, particularly in scenes involving the portrait's seemingly living eyes. The makeup and special effects for creating the unsettling appearance of the portrait's subject would have required advanced techniques for 1915. The film's atmospheric lighting suggests sophisticated control of artificial lighting sources, which was still developing in cinema of this era. Starewicz's background in animation may have influenced the film's technical approach, bringing a meticulous attention to visual detail that was uncommon in live-action films of the period.

Music

As a silent film, 'The Portrait' would have been accompanied by live musical performance during its original theatrical run. The typical practice in Russian cinemas of 1915 would have involved either a pianist or small orchestra providing improvised or selected classical music to accompany the film. For a horror film like this, the musical accompaniment would likely have included dramatic, suspenseful pieces, possibly drawing from Russian classical composers like Mussorgsky or Tchaikovsky. The exact musical selections or any composed score specifically for the film are not documented. Modern screenings of the surviving fragment typically feature newly composed scores or carefully selected period-appropriate music to recreate the silent film experience.

Famous quotes

The eyes in the portrait seem to follow you around the room

Art that comes from darkness can only lead to darkness

Every portrait painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not the sitter

Memorable scenes

• The scene where Chartkov first acquires the portrait and notices its uncannily lifelike eyes
• The moment when the portrait's influence begins to corrupt Chartkov's artistic vision
• The climatic sequence where Chartkov attempts to destroy the cursed painting

What audiences thought

Original audience reactions to 'The Portrait' are not well-documented, though contemporary accounts suggest that Russian audiences of the 1910s were increasingly sophisticated in their appreciation of literary adaptations and psychological dramas. The film's supernatural themes would have resonated with Russian audiences familiar with Gogol's work and the country's rich tradition of ghost stories and folk tales. Modern audiences who have seen the surviving fragment often express fascination with its atmospheric qualities and frustration that so little of the film remains. The fragment is sometimes screened at film festivals and archives specializing in silent cinema, where it generates interest from film enthusiasts and scholars as a rare glimpse into early Russian horror cinema.

Film connections

Influenced by

• Nikolai Gogol's short story 'The Portrait' (1835)
• Russian literary tradition of supernatural tales
• German expressionist cinema (contemporary development)
• Russian folk beliefs about cursed objects

This film influenced

• Later adaptations of Gogol's 'The Portrait'
• Russian horror films of the 1920s
• Psychological horror films focusing on obsession
• Films about cursed art objects

Film restoration

The film is considered partially lost. Of its original 45-minute runtime, only an 8-minute fragment survives. This fragment is preserved at the Gosfilmofond State Film Archive in Moscow. The surviving portion contains key scenes that give insight into the film's visual style and narrative approach, but the majority of the story, including its resolution, is lost. The fragment has been restored and digitized for preservation purposes. No complete copies are known to exist in any archive or private collection worldwide.

Where to watch

• The surviving 8-minute fragment is occasionally screened at film festivals specializing in silent or lost cinema
• Available for viewing at the Gosfilmofond archive in Moscow for researchers
• Sometimes included in special programs about early Russian cinema or lost films
• May be available in specialized film history collections or university archives