Pozelui Meri Pikford

Everything revolves around film stars. Dusya, a very discerning woman, has ambitions to make films and will only respond to the wishes of Gogo, her admirer, if he becomes at least as famous as the American film stars. After doing a veritable crash course as a stuntman, he goes to a studio. Just as he is giving his first performance, however, something sensational happens: the much-idolised screen stars Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks visit the studio – and during an improvised shot Mary gives Goga a kiss. Now all the women are after him and he soon finds his sudden fame a burden …
In 1926, Pickford and Fairbanks are fired with enthusiasm as they watch Eisenstein's BRONENOSETS POTYOMKIN (Battleship Potemkin) in Berlin. Inspired by the film, they visit Moscow – the first international stars to do so. Mezhrabpom-Film invites the popular Americans to their studio and even shoots a few scenes with them on the spot. Sergei Komarov creates a little farce around the star cult. Igor Ilynski and Anel Sudakevich became Soviet film stars and the studio lands a box-office hit – much to the chagrin of its state competitors.

Print courtesy of the Austrian Film Museum, Vienna