Vera Karalli
Acting
Biography
Vera Karalli was a Russian ballerina turned star silent film actress. A mistress of Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich of Russia, she reportedly was a co-conspirator in the plot to murder Grigori Rasputin in December 1916. She died in Austria in 1972.
Born: July 27, 1889
Place of Birth: Moscow, Russian Empire [now Russia]
Known For
Do You Remember?..
The Dying Swan
After being betrayed by her playboy lover, a heartbroken mute young woman joins a ballet company; during a performance of “The Dying Swan,” she enraptures a painter obsessed with portraying death genuinely.
After Death
Young scholar Andrei, fascinated by haunting actress Zoia Kadmina, is surprised when she sends him a note. The two have a brief scheduled meeting, then three months later Andrei is shocked to learn she has died. He becomes obsessed with Zoia's memory and decides he must find out all that he can about her.
The King of Paris
The lives of two young men-- A virtuous artist who's renounced a background of riches and a debonair swindler proclaimed by many the King of Paris-- intersect when the artist's mother becomes the target of the kingly charlatan.
The Happiness of Eternal Night
A blind woman is cured by a doctor, but when her sight is restored she accidently mistakes her kind lover for his wayward younger brother and no one deems to correct her ‘fearing for her psyche’.
Chrysanthemums
A tragic story of a ballerina.
Cinema in Russia
Documentary film about early years of Russian cinema: its first directors, cameramen, producers and actors. Includes rare fragments of pre-revolutionary feature films, newsreels and Starewicz's animation.
The Draconian Contract
The waiter Antosha is in love with the restaurant owner's daughter. This distracts Antosha from his work and the owner is going to fire him. The notary appears and informs the owner that Antosha is receiving a large inheritance. He sets up a three-year contract with Antosha which, In the event of its early termination, the owner receives a large amount. Drunk, Antosha signs the contract, and the next day he becomes rich. Antosha wants to quit right away, but after seeing the contract, he remains to work. At night, he leads the luxurious life of a rich man. The owner of the restaurant is trying this way and that to fire Antosha. But he manages not only to avoid being fired, but also to marry his daughter.
Shadows of Sin
A Woman's Revenge
In order to punish her cold, brutal aristocratic husband for murdering her lover, a woman becomes a common prostitute to shame him.
Filmography
as Film footage
as Natasha Bobrova
as Cameo
as Magda, Igor's sister
as Gizella Raccio
as Masha Belskaya / Lady Hermione
as Zoia Kadmina
as Restaurant owner's daughter
as Lily Pleskova, the blind young woman
as Lola, the dancer
as Irina Kareyeva
as Elena Pilskaja
as Vera Alekseevna Nevolina, the dancer
as Ljubochka, model