Abstract

The role of women in silent era cinema has become increasingly important in recent cinema scholarship. One aspect of this current scholarship is the appearance of the female star and the social, industrial and ideological forces that contribute to the construction of the star system. The Khanzhonkov studio, founded and directed by Alexander Khanzhonkov, Khanzhonkov & Co., was one of the leading studios in Russia prior to the Revolution. Taking a cue from recent scholarship on the variety of women’s roles in the cinema, and building on the work of academics such as historian Denise Youngblood and film scholar Yuri Tsivian, this paper will explore some of the practices and policies of Alexander Khanzhonkov and his studio.