This Russian film is really a mixed bag--being both very old fashioned AND very modern at the same time! The film is old is style because it uses a lot of over-the-top emotionality and melodrama and I'm sure many modern audiences would either not watch it at all or laugh at it--but that is true of most of these types of films from the 1910s. Plus, while it deals with very adult themes, the film is so obtuse in addressing the rape and murder that it's pretty easy to conceive of people in the audience having no idea what's happening! It's like they wanted to deal with important topics but they were such taboos to mention that they shouldn't have bothered. But, despite all this baggage, the film also tells a complete story that can hold your attention (something many older films from this era can't do today) and has good production values for the period. An interesting historical curio, but not exactly a memorable film.
Review of Sumerki zhenskoy dushi
