This weekend we will watch a really ancient Russian silent movie. It was made in 1926, by LeningradKino (now Lenfilm) studio.

They consider this movie as an adventure comedy. Since this is a silent movie without English subtitles it’s a good idea to read a plot:

Spirka Shpandyr, a petty crook and a swindler after serving a prison term escapes from the Soviet country. Abroad the swindler immediately finds common language with the police and becomes a paid police agent. He provokes all kinds of conflicts between capitalist government officials and Soviet missions. Spirka pretends to be a priest, a worker and, finally, a baron. This is how Spirka Shpandyr, a swindler and provocateur, the pride of Russian White emigration makes his brilliant career abroad.

The crew:
Director: Boris Svetlov, screenplay: G. Batargin, camera: Friedrich Verigo-Dorovsky, production designer: A. Goncharsky

The cast:
Cast: Leonid Utesov, Nina Zheleznova, Anatoly Nelidov, Yekaterina Podolskaya, Nikolai Shmidthof