Thank you Bach Film for adding this rarely seen short film as a bonus to the Medvedev "Le Bonheur" DVD. It is wonderful to be able to see, alive on the screen, the great Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, in one of the rare films he wrote (in fact he penned eleven scripts, only few of which became films), interpreted and directed (co-directed, actually, with cinematographer Evgueny Slavinsky). In this loose adaptation of famed Italian novel 'Cuore', he plays the hooligan of the title - a bad boy yes but with a tender heart, who falls in love with the young school teacher teaching him and a bunch of rowdy male students of all ages to read and write. Feeling harassed by the young man, the girl feels more scared than attracted to him. But at the ultimate moment while the young man is on his dying bed, she finally comes to him and give him a consoling kiss.
The direction is rather static but what is wonderful is how modern the acting is : Mayakovsky and Alexandra Rebikova, the young actress, never overplay as was customary (and understandable) in silent movies. Moreover the film being projected in normal speed it looks as if they were being filmed today in period costumes.
Another good point of the film is its lack of sentimentality. The emotion is always underplayed, never thrust at you like in a cheap melodrama. In the end this tragic story of an impossible love lingers on in your mind long after the last fade to black. And the true emotion we feel is reinforced when we think of the tragic destiny of Mayakovsky, who took his life at the age of 37, disappointed by life and by the communist regime he had believed in.
The last point of interest is historical. Indeed 'La Demoiselle et le Voyou' is a good description of the revolutionaries' determination to educate the people. In this film, what is of particular interest is that it shows teaching adults to read and write was no bed of roses, the new students not being necessarily well-bred and willing to learn. The description is realistic and not idealized as would have been the case in a propaganda work.
Don't hesitate to see this film even if in the Bach copy there are only two insert titles, which does not make the understanding of the story too easy, especially at the beginning.
The direction is rather static but what is wonderful is how modern the acting is : Mayakovsky and Alexandra Rebikova, the young actress, never overplay as was customary (and understandable) in silent movies. Moreover the film being projected in normal speed it looks as if they were being filmed today in period costumes.
Another good point of the film is its lack of sentimentality. The emotion is always underplayed, never thrust at you like in a cheap melodrama. In the end this tragic story of an impossible love lingers on in your mind long after the last fade to black. And the true emotion we feel is reinforced when we think of the tragic destiny of Mayakovsky, who took his life at the age of 37, disappointed by life and by the communist regime he had believed in.
The last point of interest is historical. Indeed 'La Demoiselle et le Voyou' is a good description of the revolutionaries' determination to educate the people. In this film, what is of particular interest is that it shows teaching adults to read and write was no bed of roses, the new students not being necessarily well-bred and willing to learn. The description is realistic and not idealized as would have been the case in a propaganda work.
Don't hesitate to see this film even if in the Bach copy there are only two insert titles, which does not make the understanding of the story too easy, especially at the beginning.