The Peasant Women of Ryazan (1927)
*** (out of 4)
This Russian film from Olga Preobrazhenskaya takes place right before WWI as well as its aftermath. The story centers on a young orphan girl named Anna who lives with her relatives. The story focuses on her being forced into a marriage against her will while she is in love with another man. Pretty soon a group of events lead to devastation for this small town.
Also known as BABY RYAZANSKIE and various other titles, this film isn't as well-known as the major works from a variety of Russian filmmakers of this era but it's certainly an interesting and very well-made picture. The one thing that does separate this from various other Russian films of this period is the fact that there's no propaganda or anything like that. This is certainly an early feminist movie but the film stays away from politics and simply looks at arranged marriages of social pressure.
The look of the film is quite excellent as you get some terrific editing that is among the best that I've seen from this era. The film itself can't rank up against the likes of Eisenstein or Pudovkin but at the same time it is right on mark when compared to what was coming into American cinemas at the time. The film features some excellent performances that really push the story along including Raisa Puzhnaya as Anna and Georgi Bobynin as Ivan.
The look of the film is quite excellent and especially the cinematography, which is one of the highlights. If I had to say anything negative about the film its that the story really isn't all that challenging but then again there is a simple nature to the picture. Preobrazhenskaya's direction shows that she was a major talent and that she could deliver such a fine film.
