The Devil's Wheel (1926)
Typically of the heady days of early Soviet cinema, this is constructed according to the fast, sharp editing principles advocated by Eisenstein, complete with symbolic inserts; but in terms of subject matter, it's much less explicitly political than most movies emerging from Russia in the '20s. Chronicling a young sailor's descent into a murky, treacherous underworld of pimps and thieves, after having encountered a Louise Brooks lookalike at a fairground and missed his departing boat, it's a lively moral fable that delights in vivid visual effects and quirky characterisations. If the plot occasionally reveals gaping holes, and the tacked-on ending urging the clearance of the Leningrad slums seems to be rather gratuitous, there's enough going on to keep one attentive and amused.
Cast
- Pyotr Sobolevsky - Vanya Shorin, Red fleet sailor
- Lyudmila Semyonova - Valya
- Sergei Gerasimov - The Question Man
- Emil Gal - Koko, vaudeville performer
- Antonio Tserep - Tavern Owner
- Nikolay Gorodnichev - House manager
- V. Lande - Cafe dancer
- Sergei Martinson - Orchestra conductor
- Yevgeniy Kumeyko - Hooligan
- I. Berezin - Hooligan
Screenplay
Keywords
soviet realism
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is The Devil's Wheel about?
- Typically of the heady days of early Soviet cinema, this is constructed according to the fast, sharp editing principles advocated by Eisenstein, complete with symbolic inserts; but in terms of subject matter, it's much less explicitly political than most movies emerging from Russia in the '20s. Chronicling a young sailor's descent into a murky, treacherous underworld of pimps and thieves, after having encountered a Louise Brooks lookalike at a fairground and missed his departing boat, it's a lively moral fable that delights in vivid visual effects and quirky characterisations. If the plot occasionally reveals gaping holes, and the tacked-on ending urging the clearance of the Leningrad slums seems to be rather gratuitous, there's enough going on to keep one attentive and amused.
- Who directed The Devil's Wheel?
- The Devil's Wheel was directed by Leonid Trauberg, Grigori Kozintsev.
- Who stars in The Devil's Wheel?
- The Devil's Wheel stars Pyotr Sobolevsky, Lyudmila Semyonova, Sergei Gerasimov, Emil Gal, Antonio Tserep, Nikolay Gorodnichev.
- How long is The Devil's Wheel?
- The Devil's Wheel has a runtime of 40m (40 minutes).
- What genre is The Devil's Wheel?
- The Devil's Wheel is a Action, Crime film.
- Where was The Devil's Wheel produced?
- The Devil's Wheel was produced in Soviet Union.