Boris Barnet (1902-1965)
Barnet was one of the top Soviet filmmakers working in the late ‘20s and early ‘30s. Hailed a master of tragic/comic satire, Barnet directed 27 films during a career that spanned from 1927 to 1963.
Barnet was born in Moscow in 1902. At the age of 16, he volunteered to serve as a medic for the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.
Upon completing his military service, Barnet enrolled in the Central Military School of Physical Education of Workers. Following a brief career as a professional boxer, he joined the experimental film workshop run by Lev Kuleshov. Barnet would go on to play Cowboy Jeddy in the first film to come out of the workshop, The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (1924), directed by Kuleshov.
In 1926, alongside Fyodor Otsep, Barnett co-directed the comedic adventure serial Miss Mend, in which he also co-starred. The following year, he made his first solo effort as a director. The Girl with the Hatbox [1927], a comedy starring Anna Sten which satirized the New Economic Policy.
After the failure of his third directorial effort, Moscow in October (1927), Barnet returned to form with The House on Trubnaya Square (1928), a comic look at the declining bourgeoisie in Moscow. Although the film was popular with audiences, critics warned that such satires could be detrimental for the filmmaker’s career.
In 1933, Barnet made Outskirts, a pacifist film about the effects of the Great War on one small community. The film received a great deal of acclaim at the first ever Venice Film Festival, but was heavily criticized domestically for its negative portrayal of Russian people. It would prove to be Barnet’s last true satire, but the damage was already done. He would never regain the popularity and official approval he enjoyed prior to making Outskirts.
Barnet continued to make films into the ‘60s, however, while in production on a feature in Riga, he took his own life at the age of 62.
Sources
Barnet was born in Moscow in 1902. At the age of 16, he volunteered to serve as a medic for the Red Army during the Russian Civil War.
Upon completing his military service, Barnet enrolled in the Central Military School of Physical Education of Workers. Following a brief career as a professional boxer, he joined the experimental film workshop run by Lev Kuleshov. Barnet would go on to play Cowboy Jeddy in the first film to come out of the workshop, The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks (1924), directed by Kuleshov.
In 1926, alongside Fyodor Otsep, Barnett co-directed the comedic adventure serial Miss Mend, in which he also co-starred. The following year, he made his first solo effort as a director. The Girl with the Hatbox [1927], a comedy starring Anna Sten which satirized the New Economic Policy.
After the failure of his third directorial effort, Moscow in October (1927), Barnet returned to form with The House on Trubnaya Square (1928), a comic look at the declining bourgeoisie in Moscow. Although the film was popular with audiences, critics warned that such satires could be detrimental for the filmmaker’s career.
In 1933, Barnet made Outskirts, a pacifist film about the effects of the Great War on one small community. The film received a great deal of acclaim at the first ever Venice Film Festival, but was heavily criticized domestically for its negative portrayal of Russian people. It would prove to be Barnet’s last true satire, but the damage was already done. He would never regain the popularity and official approval he enjoyed prior to making Outskirts.
Barnet continued to make films into the ‘60s, however, while in production on a feature in Riga, he took his own life at the age of 62.
Sources
ESSENTIAL FILMOGRAPHY
1926 – Miss Mend
1928 – The Girl with the Hatbox
1928 – The House on Trubnaya Square
1933 - Outskirts
Complete Filmography
1928 – The Girl with the Hatbox
1928 – The House on Trubnaya Square
1933 - Outskirts
Complete Filmography