Russia's Yevgeni Bauer has been called "The greatest film director you never heard of." Spending years in theater as a producer and set designer, he became involved in movies in the 1910's. His directorial debut, August 1913's "Twilight of a Women's Soul," is a stunning testimony of Bauer's justification of earning the right to be labeled the "first true artist in the history of cinema."
"Twilight" is a story of a woman who gets raped and then kills the rapist. Later, she meets a prince who appears to be a very caring person-that is until she relates to him the rape episode shortly after they marry. He's distraught and fails to sympathize with her.
Bauer sets this domestic drama with psychological implications, a trademark of his. Two sequences reflects Bauer's mastery of his unique set designs in his rookie effort: the bedroom scene where our heroine is sleeping and the soon-to-be-rapist passes her a note. The room is amassed in gauze, symbolizing the dream state she's in. The second scene is where she's become a famous stage actress, and the prince, after two years of searching, finds her to ask for his forgiveness. The room is filled with adoring flowers from her fans, showcasing her new-found confidence in her conversation with him.
Bauer would go on to direct 70 films between 1913 and 1917, with only 26 surviving. He would die of pneumonia that year, ending an incredible run of aesthically-charged films. But his influence in Russian cinema would be immense afterwards.
