Alexander Popov | |
---|---|
Directed by | Herbert Rappaport Viktor Eisymont |
Written by | Alexander Razumovsky |
Starring | Nikolai Cherkasov Yefim Kopelyan Aleksandr Borisov Bruno Freindlich Yury Tolubeyev Osip Abdulov |
Cinematography | Anatoli Nazarov Yevgeni Shapiro |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | Soviet Union |
Language | Russian |
Alexander Popov (Russian: Александр Попов) is a 1949 biographical drama film directed by Herbert Rappaport about the life and work of Alexander Stepanovich Popov, who was a notable physicist and electrical engineer and an early developer of radio communication.
Plot
Alexander Popov collaborates with Pyotr Rybkin (portrayed by Alexander Borisov), who is studying the electromagnetic theory of light. Together, they conduct experiments that lead to the invention of the wireless telegraph, a device they use to save the lives of sailors trapped in Arctic ice under the command of Admiral Makarov (played by Konstantin Skorobogatov).
However, Popov's journey is fraught with challenges. Alongside supportive colleagues, he faces unscrupulous individuals seeking to exploit scientific breakthroughs for personal gain. The invention's patent is ultimately secured by Marconi, forcing Russia to purchase devices from abroad for years. Despite offers from foreign institutions, Popov remains a patriot, reflecting the integrity and moral principles that make him a figure of admiration and respect.
Role as propaganda film
Along with Grigori Roshal's Ivan Pavlov, which came out that same year, Alexander Popov was among the first in a series of patriotic biographical films produced in the Soviet Union which aimed to prove the superiority of Russian and Soviet science and art over that of the West.[1]
The films acknowledges the Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi, but makes no mention of Nikola Tesla, whose work paved the way for Popov's inventions. This obscuring of American achievements is in line with other Russian Cold War-era films.[2]
Cast
- Nikolay Cherkasov as Aleksandr Stepanovich Popov
- Aleksandr Borisov as Rybkin
- Konstantin Skorobogatov as Admiral Makarov
- Ilya Sudakov as Mendeleyev
- Yuriy Tolubeev as Petrushevsky
- Vladimir Chestnokov as Lyuboslavsky
- Kseniya Blagoveshchenskaya as Raisa Alekseevna
- Leonid Vivyen as Tyrtov
- Bruno Freindlikh as Marconi
- Osip Abdulov as Isaacs
Awards
In 1951, Cherkasov, Skorobogatov, Freindlich, and Borisov received the Stalin Prize of the 2nd degree for their work on Alexander Popov.[3]
References
- ^ Liehm, Mira; Liehm, Antonín J. (1977). The Most Important Art: Soviet and Eastern European Film After 1945. Berkeley, Los Angeles and London: University of California Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-520-04128-8.
- ^ Kozovoi, Andrei (2014). "The Cold War and Film". In Kalinovsky, Artemy M.; Daigle, Craig (eds.). The Routledge Handbook of the Cold War. London and New York: Routledge. p. 341. ISBN 978-1-134-70065-3.
- ^ Alexander Popov at kino-teatr.ru
External links
- Alexander Popov at IMDb
- ‹The template AllMovie title is being considered for deletion.› Alexander Popov at AllMovie
- Film Alexander Popov watchable and downloadable with Esperanto subtitles
- 1949 films
- 1940s biographical drama films
- Soviet biographical drama films
- 1940s Russian-language films
- Lenfilm films
- Films directed by Herbert Rappaport
- Soviet black-and-white films
- Cultural depictions of Guglielmo Marconi
- 1949 drama films
- Biographical film stubs
- 1940s Soviet film stubs
- Films about radio
- Biographical films about scientists
- Films set in the Arctic
- 1940s Soviet films