简介：ForhisthirdfilminFrance,L'EnfantduCarnaval(1921),Mozhukhindirectedhimself.Thisisadelightfulwork,hintingattheastonishingvisualvocabularyMozhukhinwouldemployinhisnextdirectorialeffort,Lebrasierardent(1923).Fullofvisualwitticismsthatincludeamusingmatchcutsandaterrificuseofscenography,itcanbearguedthatthechoiceofsubjectmatter(wealthybachelorfindsachildonhisdoorstepandhiresthechild'srealmotherasnanny)hasmorethananold-fashionedairaboutit,buthemanagestokeepitfreshandsparklinguntilthetragicconclusion.TherearesomestylisticsimilaritiesbetweenL'EnfantduCarnavalandanItalianfilmfrom1917whichscreenedatlastyear'sFestival,LuigiServenti'sLeMoglielearance(WivesandOranges),writtenandsupervisedbyLucioD'Ambra,althoughthismaybepurecoincidence. LaMaisondumystèrewasfollowedbyMozhukhin'ssecondandfinalsolodirectorialeffort,theextraordinaryLebrasierardent(1923).ThoughRenoircitesthisasthefilmwhichconvincedhimtobecomeadirector,fewpeopleunderstoodMozhukhin'stourdeforceblendofsurrealism,Freudanddada,andLebrasierardentwasacommercialflop.ItisdirectedwithbreathtakingboldnessandamasteryofcinematicstylesrangingininfluencefromGanceandFeuilladetotheavant-garde.Lebrasierardentopenswithanightmaresequencethatjumpsoutattheaudience,beginninginhellandworkingitselfuptoacathedral,allwithMozhukhinindifferentparts,fromademonichereticatthestaketoabishop.ThevisionaryAlexanderLochakoffdesigned,withJoseph-LouisMundwiller(wholatershotpartofGance'sNapoléon[1927])ascameraman.Mozhukhin'sincandescentpersonality,shiningoutofthoserivetingeyes,actsasamatchtohisbravuradirecting,whichincludesastoundingeditsandtheuseofnegativeimages.Theaudienceisleftdazzledbytheaudacityofhisstyle,andmournfulthatagreatcareerasdirectorwascutshortbyanunappreciativepublic. Finally,Casanova(Volkoff,1927).IcanthinkofnofilmwhereVeniceissogloriouslyshot,wheretheCarnivalfestivitiesofthelate18thcenturyaresoperfectlyrecreated,straightoutofthepaintingsofPietroLonghi.Fullofcomedy,andwithMozhukhinboundingthroughhisscenesinthestyleofDouglasFairbanks, IvanMozhukhininCasanova IvanMozhukhininCasanova thisisagorgeouswork,andthoughitlacksthetechnicalbravuraof,say,Lebrasierardent,itisapleasurefrombeginningtoend.TheextraordinaryrestorationsbyRenéeLichtig(co-winnerthisyearoftheJeanMitryAward)ofboththisandMichelStrogoffincludetheiroriginalhand-colouredsequences.ThenightscenesduringCarnival,withfireworksexplodingoverthetorch-litgondolas,arescenesofwonder.…