Mazepa, the Ukrainian governor is in love with his goddaughter Maria. He quickly wins her heart. But her old father treats the wooer harshly… Maria runs more
Mazepa, the Ukrainian governor is in love with his goddaughter Maria. He quickly wins her heart. But her old father treats the wooer harshly… Maria runs away. The furious father won’t submit. This intrigue makes the most of the ingredients of historical drama. Maria is confronted to the arbitrary; the young woman is in a dilemma between her love and her family. The tragic outcome is equal to her destiny. close
Two gypsy lovers sneak away from camp at night. The man proposes, the woman refuses. He then murders her with a knife. The body is immediately discovered. more
Two gypsy lovers sneak away from camp at night. The man proposes, the woman refuses. He then murders her with a knife. The body is immediately discovered. The distraught man then leaps off a cliff to the rocks below. close
The heroine loves her father's young steward. The appearance of her father, attempting to match her with a rich old man, makes her hide her lover under more
The heroine loves her father's young steward. The appearance of her father, attempting to match her with a rich old man, makes her hide her lover under the featherbed, where he suffocates; An unwitting, almost anecdotal murder-- understandable familial insubordination turned deadly. Having found the corpse, mother and daughter in fear call the janitor, who hides the body in a barrel and throws it into the Volga river. The 'kindly' janitor, however, begins to blackmail the troubled women. close
A dramatization of a wedding in 16th-century Russia, between members of two prominent boyar families (based on paintings by Konstantin Makovskii): Three more
A dramatization of a wedding in 16th-century Russia, between members of two prominent boyar families (based on paintings by Konstantin Makovskii): Three matchmakers first visit the family of the prospective bride, and then do the same with the prospective bridegroom's family. Later, as the time of the wedding draws near, the bride is dressed with great formality and prepared for the ceremony, as the guests get ready to celebrate the upcoming wedding. close
Based on Pushkin's short story: When his friends play faro, Germann always enjoys watching, but he never gambles himself. One day, as he is watching their more
Based on Pushkin's short story: When his friends play faro, Germann always enjoys watching, but he never gambles himself. One day, as he is watching their game, he learns that an elderly countess staying nearby is said to possess a secret for winning a fortune at the game. Germann is determined to learn this secret from her, and he initiates a romance with her grand-daughter Liza, in order to improve his chances. close