The Living Corpse (1929 film)
1929 film by Fedor Ozep
The Living Corpse (German: Der lebende Leichnam, Russian: Живой труп, romanized: Zhivoy trup) is a 1929 German-Soviet silent drama film directed by Fyodor Otsep and starring Vsevolod Pudovkin, Maria Jacobini and Viola Garden. It is based on Leo Tolstoy's play The Living Corpse that posthumously debuted in 1911. It was made as a co-production between the Russian-based Mezhrabpomfilm and the Communist-backed German company Prometheus Film.
Plot
At the center of the action is Fyodor Protassov whose marriage with his wife Liza is largely over. As the Russian Orthodox Church does not tolerate divorce, he one day fakes his suicide so that his wife can be with her lover Viktor Karenin. While he begins to lead a life of illegality and subterfuge which despite his new companion does not make him content, this decisive step to the fake death which has made him a "living corpse" is no real happiness.
One day it is found out that Fyodor is still alive and that Liza is guilty of bigamy. She is accused and a sentence is imminent for her "offense", which is actually Fyodor's offense. Protassov, who never wanted to take this so far, decides therefore to make one last sacrifice: he now completes the deceived act and actually commits suicide by shooting himself.
Cast
Vsevolod Pudovkin as Fyodor Protasov
Maria Jacobini as Yelizaveta Andreyevna Protasova (Liza)
Viola Garden as Sasha (Liza's sister)
Julia Serda as Anna Pavlovna
Nato Vachnadze as Masha, a gypsy
Gustav Diessl as Viktor Mikhajlovich Karenin
Vera Maretskaya as Prostitute
Daniil Vvedenskiy as Artem'ev (The Good Spirit)
Vladimir Uralsky as Petushkov
Boris Barnet as Sailor in tavern
Carola Höhn
Karl Junge-Swinburne
Porfiri Podobed
Pyotr Repnin
Sylvia Torf
References
Bibliography
Taylor, Richard.
The public source identifies “The Living Corpse (1929 film)” as 1929 film by Fedor Ozep. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Living, Corpse and film.
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