“Film historians have never tried to ascertain which films Josip Ermollieff brought with him when he left Crimea where he had transferred his activity pursued by revolutionaries.
Jay Leida, talks of six or seven films some completed some interrupted and later completed in France. The title which recurs most often is L’angoissante aventure, 1920, which, seen a few years ago at Pordenone, confirms its cosmopolitan origins: the backgrounds are typically French, French actors act along side Russian ones, and there is one scene in Costantinople (which was one of the stages of the diaspora).
L’Angoissante avventure arrived in Italy as L’Avventura angosciosa (v. c. 17495 of 10. 22); a few months later in June 1923 (v.c. 18369) another film was certified as being produced by Ermolieff just like the preceding one entitled Lord Chilcott. This film also includes Mosjoukine and Lissenko. There is a long review of the film by Alberto Bruno (Il Roma della domenica, Naples, 28/7/24) which includes a detailed account of the plot. When one compares this with Mosjoukine films made in France and Germany (readily available and rather well-known), one does not find any common reference points.
Neither the Film Lexicon, the Encyclopedia of Cinema, Mitry’s essay for the Anthology nor any other source can certify this title or any other one which could confirm it to be the missing film.
I must also say that I am certain of the French origins of the film, because in that period all of Ermollief’s film arrived in Italy, and also because it is most improbable that the film came from the Soviet Union under Ermolieff’s name, as the only Russian film to arrive in Italy, was Padre Sergio. The first Soviet films arrived in 1930, including the Pudovkin’s Mother, which appeared in some cities with the incredible italian title Vodka.
The mysterious Lord Chilcott reappeared at the end of last year when Farinelli and the undersigned, in carrying out research at C.S.C.- Cineteca Nazionale on behalf of the Lumière Project came across a film called Paraisos Artificiales the plot of this Spanish edition follows faithfully that of the reviewers mentioned above and features Mosjoukine and Lissenko.
At this point we had go to back to the beginning and with the aid of Yuri Tsivian we rediscovered the title and the date of the Muscovite release of the film: 7th. January 1923.
However, with regard to France there is a complete blank, although the film must have been released in Paris .
At any rate the film exists, it was reprinted by C.S.C.-Cineteca Nazionale and we are able to present it.
The historians and scholars are invited to add on this title, and the audience can admire the subtle performance of the exceptional actor who was Ivan Mosjoukine”. (Vittorio Martinelli)