The Volga Boatman

Even in his early days, DeMille was a technological wizard who applied the credo "more is better" to his movies. In his silent epic, The Volga Boatman, he certainly employed all the cinematic devices available to him to paint a picture of the Bolshevik revolution, not so much on a sweeping political scale, as on a personal level, that of a peasant and a princess.

The imagery in this movie is DeMille at his most visually expressive: the Volga boatmen, the human mules of Russia, in their rags contrasting with the richly dressed aristocrats, particularly Princess Vera whose gowns were designed by Adrian; the clock in the background inexorably ticking away the minutes of Vera's life as she plays the brave aristocrat, defying Feodor, the steely-eyed boatman/Bolshevik leader, not to love her; and the grand ballroom scene where the cream of Russian society dances while Mother Russia convulses in political upheaval.

Imagery conveys meaning in silent movies more so than the dialog, however, the dialog in The Volga Boatman is studded with acerbic lines emphasizing the disparity between classes and adding to the overall atmosphere of cultural inequality. Unfortunately, we only read one of the best lines of dialog ever written. Despite the fact that Bill Boyd's (Feodor's) rich baritone voice was a generous mixture of northern Oklahoma and north Hollywood accents, I enjoy imagining what he could have done with the line: "We've waited 500 years for freedom, you can wait five minutes to die."

As a devoted fan of the movies, particularly movies having some historical content, The Volga Boatman remains a highly appealing and "watchable" film for me because it focuses on timeless human relationships and not the stale political tracts which can be supplanted. In addition, DeMille's technical craftsmanship is most ably demonstrated in the beautiful composition of each scene. Mr. DeMille went on to direct Technicolor extravaganza's but this hand-tinted, silent classic is one that stands out as an example of DeMille at his cinematic best.

When I first heard of the Volga Boatman, I couldn't believe it. Cecil B. DeMille, super-patriot and rabid anti-communist made a film in which the hero was a BOLSHEVIK? And said Bolshevik played by none other than William "Hopalong Cassidy" Boyd? Needless to say, I had to see it.

I like DeMille's silent films considerably better than his sound ones and The Volga Boatman is certainly a lovely film to look at. William Boyd and Elinor Fair look splendid, the historically inaccurate but lushly gorgeous gown by Adrian are breath-taking. Communists commune, White Russians waltz the night away and the Volga looks very Volga-ish in spite of being in California.

The movie begins with a disclaimer stating that the film takes no sides. For the most part, this is true. Both sides are shown to have their heroes and villains. The problem is, the behavior and motivations of the characters make the movie seem like a French Revolution film that got the wrong costumes delivered by mistake. The mob scenes in particular made me feel like I was watching a reel of Orphans of the Storm! Oh well, this is DeMille.

DeMille hired Russians as consultants and actors but discarded any advice that they offered on authenticity. The fact that boatman had not been used on the Volga in 50 years did not dissuade him. The fact that some modern viewers would see this movie as an authentic portrayal of Russian life is disturbing, to say the least. (My source, by the way, is "Behind the Mask of Innocence" by Kevin Brownlow) The plot involves Feodor (Boyd), the titular boatman. Elinor Fair is Vera, a princess engaged to marry Prince Dimitri (Victor Varconi). Vera and Feodor meet by the riverbank and there is definite chemistry, much to Dimitri's annoyance. When the Revolution comes, Feodor rises in the ranks of the Red Army and soon finds himself in the uncomfortable position of having to execute Vera personally. What will he do? Well, the movie is available on DVD so it's easy to find out.

The sincerity and charm that Boyd would display so memorably as Hopalong Cassidy serve him well in this part. DeMille asks a lot of his leading men, to make the sometimes very silly scripts believable must have been a job and a half. Being a DeMille leading man also required a certain amount of upper body strength. Please note the whiplash inducing spin that Boyd gives Fair before their first kiss. That's a DeMille specialty. The same technique was later used by Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments.

By the way, movie buffs should look for Eugene Palette (Friar Tuck in The Adventures of Robin Hood) in an uncredited role. He is part of the Red Army firing squad.

The Volga Boatman is a historical curio and pure brain candy. It is a fun movie to watch and it's certainly worth seeing Boyd without his cowboy hat, he and Fair give rather good performances and Varconi does a good job as the morally weak Dimitri. But as for the history... Well, best put that out of your mind and enjoy the ride.

In his autobiography Cecil B. DeMille said that getting this picture made later would probably have gotten him blacklisted. Of course in saying that DeMille knew his rightwing credentials were impeccable and no chance of that happening. In fact this film about The Russian Revolution is so sanitized that you'll not see mentioned the names of Lenin, Stalin, Trotsky, Kerensky or any of the personalities of that seminal event in history of the 20th century.

Bearing no small resemblance to the later MGM film At The Balalaika, The Volga Boatman stars Elinor Fair as a Russian princess who while out riding with Victor Varconi of her own class gets good and smitten with peasant leader William Boyd who is one of the folks who totes those barges down the Volga River. Varconi takes it upon himself to humiliate Boyd for being uppity, but Boyd becomes a leader of the Revolution and soon the tables are turned.

The problem is that he too is good and smitten with the princess Fair and risks life, limb, and position in the revolution to save her. I doubt Lenin would have approved. So the Russian Revolution in this film is turned into a will love find a way drama. By the way two men in heat over the same woman is running theme in a flock of DeMille films from this one right up to Charlton Heston and Yul Brynner in The Ten Commandments.

The battle scenes are as usual impeccably done as is the DeMille tradition. That makes up for a lot of the hokiness that today's audience would find with The Volga Boatman.

At The Balalaika had Nelson Eddy's singing to do the same.

"The Volga Boatman" is an interesting film if only for a better idea of the capabilities of William Boyd, an actor known to most only as "Hopalong Cassidy". Boyd, as a DeMille discovery and contract player was in many of DeMille's films for his own studio, after Paramount and before his 3 year stint at M.G.M. DeMille loved Russian affectations at the time, even to wearing Cossack shirts when on his country home called "The Paradise Ranch". The long-standing tradition of eschewing accurate wardrobe in order to appeal to a more contemporary audience is very noticeable in this film. The designer, Adrian, chose (or was directed to choose) decidedly late 1920's fashions for this film. These are not the high waisted hobble skirts of the period, and do not resemble photographs of the women of the Russian royal family whose fashion sense seemed to be closer to the turn of the century rather than 1914-1918. The scenes in which the upper class men and women are pulling the wagons through the mud in their evening clothes reveals the short hemlines and t-strap high heeled shoes so popular in the nineteen-twenties. That the women's clothes are beautiful is beside the point. DeMille was a populist and rather liked being in the forefront of fashion so that the "Volga" wardrobe doesn't contribute to the realism of the film.

Given what it aimed to do, which is to provide interesting entertainment, Cecil B. DeMille's lavish production of "The Volga Boatman" succeeds pretty well. It makes quite an interesting contrast with the films made on the Russian Revolution by the great Soviet-era film-makers such as Eisenstein, Dovzhenko, and Pudovkin, yet it would be rather unfair to compare it directly with movies that had a much different goal.

DeMille's feature primarily uses the 1917 setting in Hollywood fashion, simply as a fascinating background to the main human-interest story of loyalty and love. Yet the relative lack of bias is quite apparent, with both admirable characters and scoundrels being found both among the Whites and among the Reds. DeMille even unexpectedly tries his hand at comedy on a few occasions, and it usually works well enough.

The two main characters are very interesting, and they are brought to life effectively. As Princess Vera, Elinor Fair believably portrays her aristocratic poise and haughtiness, while successfully showing how she could also sympathize with and admire the boatman Feodor, in spite of her beliefs. As Feodor, William Boyd keeps it simple but convincing, making his Red hero one-dimensional in personality but complex in his sense of right and wrong. The third main character, Prince Dimitri, is much more straightforward, but Victor Varconi does well enough in bringing out the coldness that belies the weaknesses inside him.

Though the story emphasizes the complicated ways that these three are brought together in the course of events, it does provide some interesting glimpses into the historical setting as well. DeMille was in his element in re-creating the Volga setting along the banks of the Sacramento River, and that and all of the settings are used effectively. The constant use of the "boatmen" and their painful lot in life is an effective image for the condition of the majority of Russians under tsarist rule. All in all, as long as you don't compare it with the great Russian film classics about the same era, "The Volga Boatman" is an enjoyable movie to watch.