After Death (1915) User Reviews

BAUER'S CAMERA CREATES HAUNTING BEAUTY

[Auburn668 · 8/10 · 23 February 2004]

Yevgeni Bauer's "Posle Smerti" is not a feature length film but for its sheer brilliance alone in terms of cinematic technique it deserves worthy mention alongside D.W. Griffith's "The Birth of a Nation" as one of the best films of 1915 and one that ranks big among the silent film classics.

At its root, it is a tale of the battle between the spirit world and the world of the living as Russian legend Vera Karalli's character attempts to seduce Vitold Polonsky's character from beyond the grave. Polonsky himself was the reason for the girl's death and it is an added element that he must deal with.

But beyond the story lies Bauer, who actually might have better understood the technique of lighting, tinting, and panning even more than the American Griffith. Of particular mention are his conscious efforts to relate the girl ghost as coming out of the shadows when she makes her appearances on earth, darker at first and then lighter as she gets closer to Polonsky. His purposeful approach to brighten her first appearance to the point where her face is a glowing ball of whiteness is remarkable.

The world of the living has its tone set in various tints...yellow at the outset, blue to reflect the night time, an appropriate red for the darkroom where Polonsky views his photographs, pink for Polonsky's first appearance in the social circle in some time (as he plays a recluse), and flat black and white to illustrate the ghost world.

The pinkish tones for Polonsky's social gathering, where he first views the tragic Karalli, is arguably the best scene of the film as the camera slowly pans from group to group to reflect the guests surprise that Polonsky has come at all. The story itself is quite engaging but has nowhere near the impact of Bauer's technique.

DVD watchers will also find a delightful surprise in the new score composed for the film by Nicholas Brown and performed by the ensemble Triptych. The violin-cello-piano score sets every tone imaginable at the appropriate time taking the viewer on a journey from peace to intrigue, to torment, and even terror.

The nutshell: worth watching for cinematic technique and the music alone. A possible precursor to Weine's "Das Kabinett des Doktor Caligari" in terms of lighting and direction. The story sets Bauer up as Russian film's answer to Edgar Allan Poe...8/10.

Excellent for its day

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 30 July 2006]

Only a few years later, this film would have seemed very old fashioned and simplistic, though in 1915 when it was made it was a very good tale. Its running time of 46 minutes was full-length in the 1910s but in the 1920s this film would have probably been stretched out more and been less hyper-melodramatic--especially when it came to the character of the angst-ridden young man. In fact, now that I think about it, the movie and other Bauer films I've seen all are "angsty" and revel in misery! A young man can't get over his mother's death. In later years, such an idea might have been used to imply that the man was gay, though didn't seem to be director Bauer's intention. An actress somehow becomes enamored with him (though this is a shortcoming in the film, as this just seems to come out of nowhere). She professes his love and he rebuffs her--preferring to dwell in his own angst-driven world. She then kills herself (again, this DOES seem a bit over-the-top since she seems to hardly know him). But then the movie gets a lot better, as the man's conscience attacks him without mercy. He begins to dream of her constantly and later even begins to see her ghost during the daytime! He is obsessed with her and his guilt over being to cold to her that it ultimately takes over his life. An interesting idea and filled with creative cinematic images and camera tricks. However, due to its extreme melodrama, it certainly won't appeal to someone who is not already a fan of silent cinema. In fact, I would recommend a newbie watch almost any silent film before Bauer's because they might scare them away from the genre. Definitely an acquired taste or a film for the devoted fan.

Strange, but enjoyable

[vladislavmanoylo · 8/10 · 5 September 2015]

A more modern film tells a story through the characters, but Bauer tells his story primarily through the camera- through the motion, the color and the framing in the scenes. This results in a surreal, though not entirely unpleasant experience. This is fitting to the story as well, because of its emphasis on the supernatural. The connection between Death and the human psyche plays a central role in the story, and it treats the subject similarly to an Edgar Allan Poe story. The greatest similarity to Poe is how the film does nothing to establish the main character as a reliable narrator. Through the film the audience only briefly enters the main characters point of view, mostly resulting in visions of the deceased, but most of the time we are instead watching events as an outsider. There is a voyeuristic nature to many of the scenes, with the camera watching the events of the movie from behind doors or plants. This is especially evident in the party scene the camera walks slowly around the room, learning the story through the going-ons in the settings rather than through the main characters. Ultimately the same message is conveyed through this particular scene- that our main character is somewhat of an oddity in the room- but more indirectly. I think the film is brilliant because of the mystery it presents by not handing out information so simply. The camera intrudes on the characters lives and allows the audience to pick apart the events- and this elevates what would otherwise be a cheesy melodrama into an opportunity to explore the characters minds. It's enjoyable to watch because of how the story is told more than what is told.

Very Well-Crafted, Memorable Psychological Drama

[Snow Leopard · 27 June 2005]

This very well-crafted Yevgeni Bauer melodrama turns a relatively simple story into a movie that you're not likely to forget once you've seen it. It would be quite hard not to identify with the anxiety and frustrations of the two main characters, and Bauer had an almost unmatched feel for the way to present this kind of psychological drama on the silent screen.

The basic theme, which is the way that we remember interesting or important persons in our lives "After Death", is the kind of topic that Bauer seems to have found fascinating. A slightly later feature of his, "Daydreams", is a masterful treatment of similar ideas. Here in "After Death", the main character, Andrei, finds himself in the hold first of his mother, then of a fascinating actress.

The actual story is not particularly complex, yet the psychological implications are considerable, and they can leave you with a lot to think about. Bauer also shows a keen touch for how to use the camera and lighting to good effect. His use of pans and tracking shots always seem to come at the right moments, neither over-used nor under-used, directing the viewer's attention just where he wants it to go for best effect.

Sad and poignant

[tomgillespie2002 · 7/10 · 9 October 2017]

Many of cinema's earliest innovations tend to be rewarded to D.W. Griffith, the controversial director who, despite his obvious talents behind the camera, did himself no favours by releasing the incredibly ambitious but undeniably racist The Birth of a Nation. The annals of film history seem to have forgotten the Russian filmmaker Yevgani Bauer, who made around 70 films during the silent era, many of which are now lost. He was experimenting with cinematic techniques such as tracking shots, silhouettes and close-ups long before they became common practice in the industry, and was incredibly gifted at blurring the lines between reality, fantasy and dream. After Death, a spooky melodrama about the dead's grasp on the living, is a solid place to start for anyone seeking out his work.

Based on a short story by Russian playwright Ivan Turgenev, After Death tells the story of Andrei (Vitold Polonsky), a scholar living a reclusive lifestyle following the death of his mother. He spends his days in his study pouring over a portrait of the deceased, while his aunt (Olga Rakhmanova) tends to his needs. A friend comes to visit Andrei and begs him to break his cycle of sorrow. inviting him to an upper class social gathering. After much persuasion, Andrei eventually agrees. At the party, Bauer cleverly captures the atmosphere with a three-minute tracking shot, as all the party girls gossip behind fans at the sight of the recluse and the men chuckle as he walks by. It's a claustrophobic surrounding and Andrei is visibly uncomfortable, until he catches the eye of Zoya (Vera Karalli), a beautiful and fashionable actress who seems to develop an instant attraction to the awkward young man.

Zoya writes him a very forward letter declaring her love and arranging a meeting. Again, Andrei reluctantly agrees, but Zoya flees after disliking his stuttering reaction. Three months later, and Zoya has killed herself by taking poison before a big show, and Andrei's obsession with the dead reemerges. Bauer captures Andrei's descent into depression and despair with a collection of haunting, blue-tinted dream sequences, often switching back into reality in the same scene through clever use of editing. Andrei cannot be with his lost love in the real world world, so he spends his time in the world of the dead, laying with the soul he can only visit through pictures and memories in reality. It's incredibly sad, as most Russian silents are, but After Death is also incredibly poignant, succeeding in exploring how death plays such an important factor in many of our lives, and doing so within a 45 minute running-time.

"The death of a beautiful woman is, unquestionably, the most poetical topic in the world" - Edgar Allan Poe

[Screen_O_Genic · 7/10 · 10 July 2019]

A man comes across a woman and destiny lays a hand leading them into roads they never would have foretold. Fate passes a dark shadow in their paths and tragedy turns to a twist of fate that binds them. One cannot live without the other and their destinies reunite for eternity. Led by the odd and ghastly Vitold Polonsky and the charming Vera Karalli, this is a short and quite moving film on relationships and the timelessness of fate and love. A precursor to "Somewhere in Time", this is one of the more profound and imaginative love stories of the silents. Directed by Yevgeny Bauer during his peak and made when the First World War was raging in Europe with Russia involved, this is one of the more watchable flicks from the distant past.

Haunting

[Cineanalyst · 10/10 · 17 June 2005]

There's a slight pan to the left, then a slow dolly out to a plant, a pan right to a social encounter, another dolly out to another plant. The plants give the shot bearings. From there, the camera pans right to another greeting, as they meet the bearded man. A slow outward dolly motion and a slight pan to the right bring us to more socializing. The camera pans left briefly, with the bearded man in view, as if it's interested in the party. Next, the camera goes back to the protagonist and his old schoolmate, who is obviously enjoying himself more so; the camera follows them with its gaze as they move to the left, where Andrei, the protagonist, meets Zoya for the first time, before he cowers back to the right and sits in a chair, fixated upon her appearance. Here, the film cuts to a medium shot of him in the chair, thus ending the some three-minute tracking shot.

What a great film. Yevgeni Bauer was a genius. "After Death" is not only an astonishingly photographed motion picture; it illuminates a complex and intriguing narrative. Bauer's achievement here (and in other films) is even more amazing for its age. Based on Ivan Turgenev's novel, the protagonist is a recluse, who mostly interacts with the dead, while turning away from his aunt and old schoolmate. Bauer himself, as it becomes clear, had such morbid preoccupations and only lived until 1917. And, Russians were a people preferring tragedy, for whom other national movie industries often altered their endings to be sad.

The real trick, however, is in how Bauer brings the dead alive. There is the superimposed ghost, or just an actor supposedly as a ghost. The dreams and flashbacks are my favorite, though. Most of the flashbacks are from earlier moments we've seen in the film, but Bauer also employs a flashback to the death of Zoya on stage, which is the first time we witness the event. The dreams of his with Zoya on a path between fields of tall prairie grass, especially the first one, are exceptionally well photographed by Boris Savelyev, who worked on most of Bauer's films. The overexposed emulsion in the first one gives it more of a dream atmosphere, sun bright and blurring Zoya's hair and the background. It is one of the film's most haunting images.

In other scenes, light from a lamp glows on the actors' faces. There's a shot through a partially open door to begin the film, with a lighted background and dark foreground, a common composition in Bauer's work. Giving the protagonist an interest in photography is a nice touch for this wonderfully photographed film. I think Bauer intended it to be self-referential; the scene with the projector makes it clearer. In another scene, Zoya's ghost reads a poem, which she also reads on a stage earlier, referencing the source novel, as well as the film via theatre, which to this day remains the art that film most often emulates. Film also greatly affects our dreams, as well as being closely associative.

This eerie masterpiece features some of the best lighting and staging of the times, with other masterful uses of low-key lighting, set design and camera positioning for interesting perspectives and use of space, as well as some nice use of tinting and diegetic lighting. There are plenty of medium shots; the close-ups of Zoya on stage seem even more memorable as a result. Furthermore, shots seem to flow into the next. It's not a long film, and so fits very compactly its complexities and beauty. This elaborates upon the film's images and represents the flowing quality that dreams and memories have. Bauer is a little quick with some of the cuts, but there isn't much I can pan this film for. I actually feel rather short on words to praise it; I found this to be a wonderful film experience--one I hope to haunt me forever.

One of the best cinematic ghost stories-- silent or not!

[MissSimonetta · 10/10 · 26 June 2017]

Yevgeni Bauer must surely be one of the most underrated directors of all time! His movies are beautifully composed with haunting narratives and damaged characters. He was also experimental to some degree, playing with tracking shots to open up the cinematic space as early as 1913.

After Death is surely his masterpiece, or at least one of them. It is a story of mad love; a bereaved young man is pursued by a lovelorn actress. He rejects her, prompting her to commit suicide (though the film hints there could have been additional factors to her choice). The young man, allegedly disinterested, becomes obsessed with the actress once she is dead. Visions of her appear to him in the night. Bauer blurs the line between the real and the imaginary with otherworldly imagery. Vera Karalli shines as the doomed actress; she has a Gothic beauty and already seems to belong to some other, more spiritual plane.

The Birth of a Nation still gets a lot of credit for "inventing" modern film-making, but this is a generalization. While one cannot deny Griffith's influence, there were other groundbreaking filmmakers working in the 1910s. After Death, released the same year as Birth, is testament to that fact.

A Solid Melodrama

[zachary-03373 · 8/10 · 6 September 2015]

Evgenii Bauer's "After Death" is a film that seems like a work typical to the artist and era with a few aesthetic embellishments that were absent in his later film, "The Dying Swan". Once again, Bauer is obsessed with death, a theme that lasted through his career (from what I understand). The characters belong to an upper part of society, where the day to day physical strife of the common worker is replaced by the afflictions of ample free time and the painful facial contortions of melancholy. With this combination of death and melodrama, only tragedy can result. A tragedy that I felt was undermined once again, by how shallow the characters and their relationships are presented. Andrei (the reclusive student) and his love Zoia (the performer) are more or less reduced to symbols for the ideas at work (much like the characters of "The Dying Swan"). Death, madness, and the love's brief window of opportunity are Bauer's main concerns.

SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT

Bauer shows much more visual prowess in this film than "The Dying Swan". Technically, the film is exceptionally made. Bauer is able to convey ideas effectively through camera work alone. For example, Andrei's seclusion in the beginning is shot with an unmoving frame, emphasizing the emotional stagnation of being alone. Later when he is introduced to the soirée attendees, the camera tracks him as he moves throughout the room. The dynamism of life is reintroduced to him, culminating with him meeting Zoia. I'd like to think of this scene as a very early precursor to Scorsese's famous Copa Cabana tracking shot. The aforementioned main ideas are shown just as skillfully. Bauer's somewhat romanticized version of death is shown through the staging of his actors, the low key lighting, and Zoia's translucent superimposition during dream sequences. The latter is especially effective. Zoia is radiant and has an otherworldly quality in Andrei's dark bedroom. Andrei's slip into madness is conveyed through the constant shifting in the film's tint towards the conclusion. Finally, one of my favorite moments in the film is a perfectly placed dissolve when Andrei first learns of Zoia's suicide. The film dissolve's away from Andrei's dark bedroom to the white, snowy park they last met in.

Although it is hard for me to appreciate the theatrical quality of the acting and wafer thin characters (a criticism directed more at the silent era in general), Bauer's direction is very easy to admire. He made a film that spoke the language of cinema in an era when there was yet to be a common language.

The dead image

[chaos-rampant · 9 September 2011]

In Daydreams, it was about the living image of memory shattering the mind; once clearly defined boundaries between the images of social life and the private workings of memory were thus thrown together beyond repair. That same year Bauer reworked the theme by inversing the perspective of illusion; now it is about the dead image coming to haunt.

Again, the woman is an actress. Here it is she that courts the man, before eventually withdrawing. Soon after she commits suicide for unrequited love, and the man is devastated with guilt.

Generally speaking, if you are to see one of the two films - although I advise both - I would recommend the other. Except for two magnificent touches.

One is the woman eventually excusing herself from the illicit meeting with the man by claiming she thought he was somebody else. So, it is not simply the ensuing nightmare that frightens but the more sinister implication that so much suffering may have sprung from coincidence, from the mind's habit of chasing chimeras.

The other, is that the man is trusted with the diary of the dead girl. We do not know whether or not he was the intended partner; but, having become privy in the inner workings of her mind, he assumes his place in her narrative. So, now this narrative - the diary - of a girl yearning for love is nested inside the other, about the man's self-recrimination for not reciprocating.

Oh, there is mention of the man's morbid fixation to his dead mother - again the image of her, prominently hung above the fireplace - which is a contemporary Freudian slip that must have looked chic at the time but is useless. And the appearances of the dead woman desperately call out for cinematic presentation; but the impressionist technique of the French was still several years into the future.

Other than that, it's a fascinating tappestry to tease out. Bauer knew what he was doing with these films.

After Death (1915) - 4.8

[Bonnell7 · 1 September 2020]

Russian Film

Nice tracking shot and some cool pans for the time

Some longer scenes to with no cuts which are impressive, especially the one at the party

Andrei sees that Zoya the girl he liked died

Learn from her family she killed herself with a position of sorts

Zoya might have killed her self because of Andrei

Sees her in his dreams again

Andrei sees and feels her specter a lot now

Andrei wants to be with her

Andrei does somehow and gets to be with her

Unexceptional film except for the good tracking shot at the party