In this essay, I argue that Ladislas Starevich's The Cameraman's Revenge (1912), in both it's method and it's medium serves as a reflection of the artistic and cultural conventions of it's time, while simultaneously turning a critical lens upon this time and thus effectively becoming a source of social commentary. In order to argue this, I will be examining both the historical context in which the film was made, the history of its creator, its reception by the public and nobility in Tzarist Russia, the form and narrative style, it's execution and ultimately the films subject, subtext and tone. In doing so I hope to prove the significance of both this film and it's artist not only in the past, but as it continues to influence the artists of today.
Firstly, let us have a brief synopsis of the film’s plot; during the course of this film Mr. and Mrs. Beetle (“Zhukov” in Russian) who are both dissatisfied with the state of their marriage engage in extramarital affairs, Mr. Beetle with a Burlesque dancer, and Mrs. Beetle with an artist. This films conflict arises only when Mr. Beetle runs afoul of his paramore's Grasshopper boyfriend, who just so happens to be a cameraman working at a local cinema. The two suitors clash rather violently at the nightclub, and enraged at his jilted status the Grasshopper goes on to film the lovers throughout the entirety of their tryst.
In the meantime, Mrs. Beetle has been engaged in similar liaisons with her Artist, which are subsequently discovered by Mr. Beetle upon his return home. In short, Mr. Beetle throws the artist out, magnanimously “forgives” his wife for her indiscretions and then offers as reconciliation a trip to the local cinema. This plan ultimately ends in disaster, with the footage of Mr. Beetle’s indiscretions being played by the vengeful grasshopper, humiliating both of the Beetles and ending with an all out brawl between the three of them. In our final scene we see the unhappy couple somewhat reconciled, albeit in a jail cell (1).
Now, with a basic understanding of the plot in mind I will address the historical context which birthed both artist and art. The artist is Ladislas Starevich (originally Władysław Starewicz), born in Russia’s Moscow, to a family of Polish immigrants on August 8th 1882. While there are a number of reasons as to why his family immigrated just prior to his birth, it is clear that at least in some part his family fled their home country in fear of the potentially far-reaching consequences of the failed insurrection of 1863, during which the Polish-Lithuanian government rebelled against the military draft as it affected the native Poles and Lithuanians living under Czarist Russian rule (2).
As a result of this failed coup many individuals and families were displaced in the ensuing chaos, many of whom were not able to return to their homeland. Happily, Starevich managed to number among the few exceptions to this rule and was able to revisit his parents hometown of Kaunas Lithuania, where he spent a great deal of his time as an adolescent. During this time his interests ranged from natural history (as evidenced by his brief employment as the Natural History Museum’s director) (2), theater, and entomology. These interests while initially separate, eventually coalesced into his unique variation on the established stop motion techniques of the day. Starevichs insect innovation was inspired in part due to being exposed to Emile Cohl's film The Lit Matches (1810) (2), and was first implemented as follows.
During his employment at the natural history museum he was faced with an inability to capture live stag beetles on camera while fighting due to the fact that they are extremely sensitive to light. His solution was as follows, he would take dead beetles, remove their limbs and replace them with wire and sealing wax and Voila! perfectly articulated insect actors which Starevich could pose and move at a whim. This usage of insects was hitherto unheard of in the field of early animation, and upon its initial debut some viewers became convinced that Starevich had actually trained live bugs to perform on command, earning him the title “The Bug Trainer”. And so he was in a sense, Starevich would go on to create a plethora of stop motion animated films both with and without his original insect cast members.
It is important to note that almost all variations of stop motion animation present during this era were incredibly labor-intensive and involved the creator posing actors and props, taking a picture, moving everything a millimeter in whatever direction was required, then taking another picture, and then repeating this process ad nauseam until they produced as much content as is needed for the film. The first instance of stop motion animation appeared in either 1897 or 1898, The Humpty Dumpty Circus was created by directors Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton (3) and while the original footage has been lost, their innovation gave birth to an incredibly rich tradition of animation of which Ladislas Starevich and his work play a significant role. Starevichs usage of insects and the sheer technical skill present in his work inspired many of his contemporaries such as Alexander Ptushko (a russian director who in 1935 released The New Gulliver)(3), and continues to inspire modern day filmmakers and artists such as Tim Burton, the Brothers Quay, Henry Selick, Terry Gilliam, Wes Anderson, and Jiri Barta. Furthermore, the significance of Starevichs work was even recognized on a national level, when his 1911 film The Ant and the Grasshopper received high praise and official decoration from the Tzar himself (4).
In regards to the subject matter of his films, much of his work drew on classical works such as Aesops Fables; for example, his 1912 film The Beautiful Leukanida featured a storyline derived from Agamemnon and Menelaus. In addition, many of his other works were themselves based on Russian folklore and literature. One such instance is his reimagining of Russian author Nikolai Gogols story The Night Before Christmas (released in 1913) (4). However, while much of his work was based on specific canonical texts, there did exist a fair few which existed as their own original works, and which adhered to formulas favored by popular media of the day. For instance, The Cameramans Revenge 1912 featured storyboard cards which are in keeping with silent film conventions of the day. One could argue that Starevichs usage of this common formula served to legitimize his work by placing it on a level with popular media of the times; and, moreover, that using this accepted format draws the viewer in and enables them to suspend their doubt even in the face of Starevichs unconventional choice of actors.
Equally important to the storyboard cards accessibility is their tone, which is especially helpful in that they convey a great deal about both popularly held conceptions of what was and was not socially acceptable behavior whilst still encompassing Starevich’s own worldview and to some extent his politics. In doing so they employ a great deal of understated humor and at times sarcasm. For instance the first title card reads as follows "… Mr and Mrs Beetle have too calm a home life. Mr Beetle is restless and makes frequent trips to the city…" One could easily read this title card as implying that Mr. and Mrs. Beetle have either lost interest in each other, and that Mr. Beetles “restlessness" is in fact philandering.
This implication is further strengthened by the following line, "His business always took him to the "Gay Dragonfly" nightclub the dancer there understood him." (Emphasis mine) the implication being that he has an “understanding” with an burlesque dancer who may or may not be either his "girlfriend" or a prostitute. Furthermore the use of the phrase “understood him” brings to mind justifications which Mr. Beetle might use for his unfaithfulness, for instance "my wife just doesn't understand me, etc", which presumably is meant to let him off the hook for breaking his vows.
Based on the above, one can see that the topics present in the text itself are very reminiscent of that which one might have encountered in many of the Parlor Room Dramas (4) which were widespread at the time; and while his films could ostensibly be read as meant for children, they often offer the viewer a plethora of rather “risque” and mature themes. In The Cameramans Revenge alone there are a number of themes such as voyeurism, adultery, and the double standard of both gender and sexual freedom and expressions. While many of his films featured stylized characters there is very little about these films which might indicate a concession to infantile or superficial themes or tone. Even in the aforementioned film, he at no point (other than his choice to name his characters Mr. and Mrs. Beetle) succumbs to the urge to tone down or sugarcoat his work. In light of these more adult themes one could argue that, while it's medium lends it to children's entertainment well, and seems to automatically pigeon-hole this film as either a mere curiosity or novelty; it is in fact indicative of a broader social commentary on both the sexual moors and codes of conduct widely accepted throughout Russian society at the time.
As an aside, it is interesting to note that while stop motion animation was his speciality and claim to fame, Starevich did direct live action films. In fact he directed over 60 such films during his career in the Russian film industry (2). However, this prolific period of live action films ground to a halt at the onset of the October Revolution of 1917, after which Starevich moved both his family and himself to Paris joining the many Russian expats who sought sanctuary there from the chaos of war. The migration and the abandonment of purely live action work, would turn out to be ultimately permanent, as Starevich never returned to Russia and devoted his creative energies solely to puppet animation from this point forward.
At this point I would like to address a few of the technical aspects of Starevichs films, many of which were immensely innovative for the time and would go on to become standard practice within the film industry. Firstly, let us examine how Starevich employs the stop motion technique in his film The Cameramans Revenge 1912, the sheer amount of detail and nuance involved in each characters gestures, expressions, and movements is incredible. For instance, upon his arrival at the “Gay Dragonfly” burlesque club, Mr. Beetle is shown to stop in front of a poster featuring his beloved dancer, whereupon he gives her image an almost loving caress and then a brief kiss. The fact that Starevich is able to render emotion in a recognizable way to viewers even in light of the inherent limitations of insect actors, is a testament to his technical prowess and dedication. This is especially striking when one considers that every single gesture requires dozens if not hundreds of individual stills in order to achieve the fluidity and grace which Starevich has achieved here.
This feat is made possible in part because Starevichs technique of removing the limbs of the insects then replacement of them with wire and sealing wax, which allowed him to articulate the insects movements and gestures to an incredible degree. As a result not only are the insects movements extremely clean and articulated, they convey a stunning amount of emotion and are able to encompass a level of both subtlety and nuance, which is remarkable in light of their inhuman nature. Due to this Starevich is able to convince the viewer of both his actors personhood and their viability as characters with which one might identify and sympathize.
Essentially, these emotional displays and mimicry of human behaviors and affectations only serves to further strengthen the credibility of Starevichs world.
Another notable aspect of the film is Starevichs implementation of color in the production of this film. Specifically, he was known to dye the stills for specific scenes with a light wash of color (5). This was done in order to evoke a variety of moods and and in some cases to emphasize the melodrama of a particular scene. For instance, when we discover that the jilted grasshopper is in fact a cameraman hellbent on getting vengeance on Mr. Beetle, the stills are dyed a deep red color which persists throughout the entirety of his pursuit and filming of the lovers during their secret tryst. This colors serves to not only convey the grasshoppers anger and vindictiveness, it makes reference to the infamous “Red Light District” wherein the Hotel la’ Amour is presumably located.
Further references to aspects of real life appear throughout the film, and I argue that his decision to integrate details from real life into his fantasy world serves to rend that world more realistic and believable to his audience. One prominent example of this is the introduction of Mrs. Beetles Artist “Friend”. The artist appears to us in his studio, paintbrush in hand, totally engrossed in rendering the image of his beloved Mrs. Beetle. He receives a note which reads "Dear one- He is away- I am alone- Come! Bea" the artist dances briefly with joy and then grabs both his portrait and his extravagantly ostentatious hat which is comprised of a wide brim and a huge feather. It is notable that these types of hats were extremely popular for artists at the time and where strongly associated with them as a result.
Lending further strength to this films “realism” is the incredibly detailed and well rendered sets, costumes, and props. As both the film director, writer, and animator Starevich took on the majority of the labor required to render his vision into reality. In fact up until his move to Paris he worked entirely alone, after which point he was assisted by both his daughter Irena, and his wife Anna Zimmerman (8). Regardless, his incredible dedication to his work is visible not only in the hand painted backgrounds which include portraits and wallpaper, but in the many props and costumes, including fireplace, tables, statuary, plants, all of which would have all been perfectly suitable to a small apartment in any urban settlement in Russia at the time. The amount of time and energy required to manufacture these sets and props is staggering and serves to further strengthen the credibility of this miniature world and invest the viewer fully in the story being unfolded within it.
Finally, I would like to address the ways in which Starevich approaches the more metaphysical and philosophical aspects of the camera and filming, it's fidelity, it's controlling aspects, it's recursive and reflexive nature, ect. Firstly, we encounter the perception that "the camera never lies" essentially what is meant by this phrase is that recorded images have credibility due to the fact that the camera can in theory, only capture reality. Therefore, Mrs. Beetle does not think to question the presentation of her husband's infidelity on the screen, she simply accepts it as truth. Regardless of the fact that this concept only really works "in theory", it is important to recognize that this concept was widely accepted at the time.
Secondly, Starevich confronts us with the unsettling reality of the cameras inherent voyeurism. The camera sees but remains unseen by its subjects. This is rendered very literally in the film, most notably when the cameraman positions the camera just outside the keyhole of the lovers hotel room and films their affair. Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, there exists a great potential for power within the camera. The camera in this film is not only a disimpassioned observer, in the hands of someone as motivated as say, the cameraman, it literally has the power to reveal that which others would keep secret. Not only can it divulge that which it has seen, its ability to witness and convey information imbues it with the power to destroy or save lives.
Finally, Starevich (and perhaps inadvertently) references the phenomenon commonly known by the term mise en abyme, which roughly means "placed in the abyss" (7). This effect is most often apparent when one places two mirrors in front of each other and each of them contains a multitude of consecutively shrinking versions of themselves in continuous regression. Starevich invokes this effect by his placement of the camera in front of another camera (eg: when the Cameraman films the lovers at their hotel), and again when the Beetles witness themselves on the cinema screen and are simultaneously being filmed. This effect could of course be produced infinitely, were one to continue placing more cameras.
In conclusion, through his masterful implementation of stop animation techniques, popular film conventions, canonical texts and culturally iconic tropes, and a great deal of artistic license, Ladislas Starevich established himself as not only an incredible innovator and a dedicated artist, but as a foundational member of the Russian Film Community. His film The Cameramans Revenge 1912 stands as a shining example of his skill and it's endurance in public memory and continued influence on the directors and animators of today is a testament to its impact and power.
Bibliography
Starevich, Ladislas. “The Cameraman's Revenge (1912) Animation.” YouTube, YouTube, 18 Dec. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=U424m8utJnA.
Ray Harryhausen. Tony Dalton. A Century of Model Animation: From Méliès to Aardman. 2008. Watson-Guptill. p. 44.
Donald Crafton; Before Mickey: The Animated Film, 1898-1928; University of Chicago Press; (2nd edition, paperback, 1993)
Nicholas Rzhevsky. The Cambridge Companion to Modern Russian Culture. Cambridge University Press. 2012. p. 317.
Giannalberto Bendazzi (Anna Taraboletti-Segre, translator); Cartoons: One Hundred Years of Cinema Animation; Indiana University Press; (reprint, paperback, 2001)
Liner notes to the DVD The Cameraman's Revenge and Other Fantastic Tales.
“Mise En Abyme.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mise%20en%20abyme.
Richard Neupert. French Animation History. Wiley Blackwell. 2011. p. 61.