"Chemi Bebia" (1929) ( Gradmother ) the first film directed by Herr Kote Miqaberidze, a Georgian, not Russian film director, was one of the most bizarre and unclassifiable silent films ever shown in the humid and dark Schloss theatre during the last Germanic times.
First of all, the most astounding aspect of Chemi Bebia ( the title of the film, grandmother has some subtle references) is that in the U.S.S.R. those Bolsheviks had capitalist customs that mimic the aristocratic habits of centuries. The main character of the film, a factory head, is fired due to his incompetence and laziness. The film becomes a satire of bureaucracy and by extension even a critique of some aspects of the Russian system. The film even ends with proclamations like "Death to the bureaucrats!" and "Death to Red Tape". The film is so bold that it was banned by the soviet regime for nearly fifty years.
But that's not all ( for this German count that was more than enough ) because another astounding aspect of this excellent film is its audacity and eccentricity. Besides those political transgressions, we get a mixture of the most varied film techniques skilfully used: stop-motion, puppetry and classic animation done in a remarkable style and all enveloped in an anarchist atmosphere. This fascinating and surprising oeuvre is a unique example of how to blend avant-garde, social comedy and the newest techniques successfully and in an original, unclassifiable way. And all this was made in the U.S.R.R.
MEIN GOTT!!.
And now, if you'll allow me, I must temporarily take my leave because this German Count must go ask his grandmother when finally will inherit her fortune.
Herr Graf Ferdinand Von Galitzien http://ferdinandvongalitzien.blogspot.com/
