Vintage original 8 x 10 in. US single-weight glossy photograph from the classic 1920's silent film drama, THE COSSACKS, released in 1928 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by George W. Hill and Clarence Brown (uncredited).The image features an exterior long shot of a village set and depicts a group of Cossacks on horseback as they enter the main area with various villagers greeting them from the sidelines. It is in fine condition.
*"The Cossacks is a 1928 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) and directed by George Hill and Clarence Brown. The film stars John Gilbert and René Adorée and is based on the 1863 novel The Cossacks by Leo Tolstoy.
The Cossacks was beset with problems due to MGM executives requesting various script changes during filming. Frances Marion, who wrote the screenplay, became frustrated by the numerous requests and later said she "lost track of what the story was really about and the material seemed frayed on all edges." The film's stars, John Gilbert and Renée Adorée, complained about the numerous rewrites and felt their roles were "not worthy". Before filming completed, George W. Hill requested that he be removed as director as he did not like the film's subject matter and had tired of Gilbert and Adorée's complaints. Clarence Brown was then hired to reshoot several scenes and ultimately completed the film.
Among the many extras used in The Cossacks were members of a "Dijigit Troupe" of over 100 genuine Russian Cossacks, who in 1926 came to the United States from Europe after performing equestrian exhibitions and traditional Cossack musical and dance shows in various cities in France and England. Once the troupe arrived in the United States, MGM contracted some of its horsemen to perform as trick riders and as doubles in several of the studio's films in 1927 and 1928, including The Gaucho and The Cossacks.
In its review of The Cossacks in June 1928, the American entertainment trade publication Variety notes the use of these Russian extras and their contributions to enhancing the authentic "look" of the film. Variety also comments about the equestrian exhibition, "the fiasco", that the Cossack troupe had presented in New York at Madison Square Garden before some of its performers continued to California, where MGM crews had constructed elaborate location sets for the Cossacks in Laurel Canyon.
The Cossack village [built by MGM] is a faithful reproduction of the real thing. Superb horsemanship. The riders are mostly real Russians who came to this country to work in this picture and stopped en route to Hollywood to pull the most gigantic flop that Madison Square Garden has yet housed. The survivors of the fiasco finally reached the coast and are present in this film.
The film earned rentals of $747,000 in the United States and Canada and foreign rentals of $588,000 for a total of $1,335,00."
*(source: Wikipedia)
3RB