Chelovecheskie bezdny is an excellent sample of the “high style”, brought to perfection in Yevgeni Bauer’s melodramas.
A stage set designer by training, Bauer relied on drapes, curtains and columns, which divided the set into sections but were also used to disguise the lights. Wall ledges, fireplaces and couches served the
same purpose. All this led to an impressive depth and at times provided an almost stereoscopic effect. The contemporary press
was sympathetic: “Even if people do not live in such rooms, such lamps do not exist in real life, it makes an impression, it produces an effect, and this is significantly better than the most intense creativity of the directors who claim fame.” As for the actors, their main task was to highlight the integrity of the well-balanced frame, to move in harmony with the sets – diagonally, if possible. The surviving footage
of Chelovecheskie bezdny is so fragmentary that the narrative and acting become irrelevant. Which, come to think of it, emphasises the essence of Bauer’s style, turning the film into a mixture of architecture and ballet.
Peter Bagrov
