Moscou sous la neige

This is really quite a beautiful film with some incredibly impressive cinematography for the time. Featuring scenes from a snow-covered Moscow, we are treated to shots of various parts of the city which capture the vibrancy and variety that can be found at any time in any city. Of course, as this film is over one hundred years old it gives us a glimpse into a world that would normally be lost to us. This was a world in which the Romanovs still ruled and cars, although invented, were still things that belonged in the future.

While the shots of Moscow's remarkable architecture are fascinating, it's the scenes in which we meet the city's residents that are the most entertaining. Today, they would mug and wave while they talked to their mates on their mobiles, but in this simple age they simply stare at the camera with frank curiosity. One chap enters from stage left so quickly and so suddenly you can almost see him vibrating like a plucked string when he comes to a stop.

Winter Moscow one of the most finest seats on the Earth, as well as Russia, It is not dependent, in what to year it removed also who removed, whether it be Russian The person or people foreign. And nevertheless only to Russian heart It is allowed to touch this captivating beauty. As the Ampere-second has written. Пушкин.:... Moscow as is a lot of in this sound // For heart of Russian Has merged! // As it is a lot of in it has responded! Though presently many think Itself great photographers or directors, artists, which ostensibly It is possible to something to present under new ' angle ' and to receive new ' a masterpiece '. But in it there is no sincerity, talent and feeling. I very much ask, if who Wishes to embody and show Moscow on the staff, on a film, on a canvas, Study to it, even look ' Moscow under a snow ' (1909).

This very interesting and sometimes beautiful collection of Moscow winter scenes has excellent photography, with a very well-chosen assortment of settings, and it has also been well-preserved over the years. The sights range from panoramic views of majestic buildings, to busy street scenes, to placid residential settings. The camera work could not have been much better, and it does a good job of making you feel as if you were there as an observer. With its importance and its long history, Moscow has an impressive array of public and governmental buildings that few cities can match, and this is brought out well here. Then too, seeing the city when everything is covered with snow seems particularly appropriate.

This kind of filmed record of a distant place and time makes very interesting viewing when it is done well. It gives you a chance to see different sights and ways of living, but if you watch perceptively, you can also see how similar the essentials of daily life really are across time and place. There is a nicely done view of a street scene that goes on for some time, showing crowds scurrying along, and vehicles dashing back-and-forth. To be sure, the vehicles are horse-drawn, and no doubt there were many items in those stores that we would not find in our homes now, but the nature of the activity is still a familiar feature of any city. Then also, some of the scenes of residential areas could almost have been taken in a recent Midwestern winter. No doubt, different viewers will have different impressions, but in any case this is a nicely done feature that provides interesting sights worth seeing and thinking about.

As Jack Finney did with "Time and Again" based on photographs he found in a New York curio shop.

Pathé Frères once again proves to the world that beautifully stencil-colored fairy-tale extravaganzas are not all they can do. "Moscow Clad in Snow" was made during the late 1900s, a time when travelogues such as these were big with the company. Directors such as Segundo de Chomòn worked considerably on producing films of this genre for Pathé, with beautiful views of foreign lands to show the Frenchies back in France. This film is quite probably the best travelogue I've seen from that period, due to its advanced panning shots and beautiful scenery. There are historically interesting scenes of different sites such as Petrovsky Park, the Kremlin Bridge, a cracked bell and some Russian soldiers marching. Others are just scenes of beauty and awe, such as the trail and birds-eye city views.

It is interesting that this was the only movie Joseph-Louis Mundwiller directed. He clearly had a talent for cinematography and the camerawork here is even better than the likes of Chomòn. There are no involuntary movements in the panning, everything is slow and smooth for a movie of the time. Almost every shot has a pan and each of them is done top-notch for 1908.

Some of the most interesting scenes are the ones with the peasants working in the mushroom market. Some of them, having never seen a camera, are of course a little curious at what Mundwiller was doing--particularly one man who just smiles stupidly at the camera. Others are a little less extroverted and try their best to ignore it. I particularly like the part where the fishmonger smiles proudly at the camera as if to show off his wares. These points of interest add extra touches of humor to an otherwise serious documentary.

And if you're wondering about the date, I can clear that up. Wikipedia informs me that this movie was indeed shot to portray the Moscow winter of 1908, but was apparently released 1909. This makes sense considering how late in the year it would have been before Mundwiller got back to France and set the editors to work adding titles.