A Kiss from Mary Pickford
A Kiss From Mary Pickford (Russian: Поцелуй Мэри Пикфорд, romanized: Potseluy Meri Pikford) is a 1927 Soviet silent comedy film made in directed by Sergei Komarov and co-written by Komarov and Vadim Shershenevich. The film, starring Igor Ilyinsky, is mostly known today because of a cameo by the popular film couple Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. The footage of the couple was shot during their visit to the USSR, with the couple knowingly participating as a gesture towards the Russian film industry.[2][3]
| A Kiss From Mary Pickford | |
|---|---|
 Movie poster | |
| Directed by | Sergei Komarov |
| Starring | Igor Ilyinsky Anel Sudakevich Mary Pickford Douglas Fairbanks Vera Malinovskaya |
| Cinematography | Sergei Komarov[1] |
| Distributed by | Mezhrabpom-Rus |
Release date | 9 September 1927 |
Running time | 6 reels |
| Country | Soviet Union |
| Language | Silent film Russian intertitles |
A print of the film still exists and is preserved at the Library of Congress.[4] The film was shown during the Berlin International Film Festival in February 1991 and at San Francisco Silent Film Festival Winter Festival at the Castro Theatre in February 2009.
Plot
Goga Palkin is a theatre check-taker in love with a beginner actress named Dusya. She has a crush on Douglas Fairbanks and only wants to date someone famous like a Hollywood star. After a chance meeting and a kiss from Mary Pickford, Goga becomes a local celebrity, and a lot of girls chase him through the streets. The popularity of her admirer makes Dusya jealous, and she falls for him.[4]
Cast
- Igor Ilyinsky as Goga Palkin
- Anel Sudakevich as Dusya Galkina
- Abram Room
- Mary Pickford as herself (cameo)
- Douglas Fairbanks as himself (cameo)
- Vera Malinovskaya as herself (cameo)
- Vasili Bokarev as A young man
- Olga Bazanova as Appearing
- Vera Marinich as Appearing (not in credits)
References
- Book of Lists #3 (Patrick Robertson's 10 Favorite Movie Oddities) p. 196 ISBN 0-553-27868-1
- Whitfield, Eileen (1997). Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 245.
- Jay Leyda (1960). Kino: A History of the Russian and Soviet Film. George Allen & Unwin. p. 175.
- "Russian Films in the Library of Congress". Library of Congress. April 15, 2009. Archived from the original on 18 April 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.