Каин и Артём (1930) : distribution, intrigue et streaming

Released in 1930, Каин и Артём is a notable film directed by Pavel Petrov-Bytov, running about 85 minutes.

What it’s about. Pavel Petrov-Bytov was an enfant terrible of the highbrow Leningrad Sovkino film factory. He was notorious for his article “We Have No Soviet Filmmaking,” in which he criticized all the achievements of the Soviet avant-garde. In spite of his beliefs and his scandalous struggle with “bourgeois” and “formalist” filmmaking, Petrov-Bytov directed an aesthetically refined work, shot entirely on set with masterful chiaroscuro lighting: a perfect example of “Soviet expressionism.” Based on a Maxim Gorky story, the plot of Cain and Artem provides a wake-up call to the Russian people to overcome alcoholism and religious factionalism, as it spotlights the (many) drunken denizens of a typical village and their disregard for the Jewish shoemaker Cain.

Who’s in it. Каин и Артём stars Emil Gal as Cain, Nikolai Simonov as Artem, Yelena Yegorova as Woman in the Market Place and Georgiy Uvarov as Husband of Woman in the Market Place.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Каин и Артём page.