Sumerki zhenskoi dushi (1913)

English title: Twilight of a Woman's Soul.
Synopsis: A rich woman ends up harmed by a pauper she tries to help, and long term consequences ensue from that.
Appraisal: The early films' elliptic fashion of showing sex has, in this one, the effect of not allowing one to know the exact extent of some crucial events in the development of the plot.
This film has a careful mise-en-scène, the acting is fine, the frame composition is well made, and the cinematography is also good. The story has implausible elements, but keeps your interest.
For me the most interesting side of the film is a look into the way that the upper class regarded itself and the lower one. The rich in this film are shown as basically good people that try to help the poor. The poor are shown as lechers and crooks, and ultimately undeserving of the charity of the rich. Remember that this is pre-revolution Russia, and that this worldview had its days counted.
Post Comment: I have just read an article about this film's director, and it seems that his later films show a radically different, more critical, view of the upper class, so this one must be an exception.