Olga Baclanova
Encyclopedia
Olga Vladimirovna Baclanova, or Baklanova, was a Russia
n-born actress, who achieved prominence during the silent film
era. She was billed as the Russian Tigress and remains most noted by modern audiences for portraying the leading lady
in Tod Browning
's unique horror movie Freaks
(1932), which features a cast of actual carnival
sideshow
freaks
. At the height of her career, she was billed by her last name only: Baclanova.
, Russia
, Baclanova was the daughter of Vladimir Baklanoff and his wife Alexandra, herself an actress in early Russian films. Baclanova studied drama
at the Cherniavsky Institute before being accepted into the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre
in 1912. Over the next decade she appeared in Russian films, and also performed extensively on stage
, touring and performing in many countries of the world.
's Lysistrata
. Though the rest of the company returned to Russia in 1926, she stayed to pursue career in the United States
. A statuesque blonde, Baclanova quickly established herself as a popular actress in American silent movies
and achieved a notable success with The Docks of New York
(1928), directed by Josef von Sternberg
. Later that year, she also appeared in The Man Who Laughs
; the creators of "Batman
" based the appearance of their character "the Joker
" on the titular protagonist in this film.
The introduction of talking films
proved difficult for Baclanova, as audiences did not respond to her heavy Russian accent. She no longer secured leading roles, and was relegated to supporting parts. Her career was in decline when she was offered the role of the cruel circus
performer Cleopatra in the Tod Browning
-directed film Freaks
(1932) a horror movie by the director of Dracula
that featured actual carnival
freaks. The film was highly controversial to say the least, and screened only briefly before being withdrawn and suppressed. It would be 30 years before Freaks gained a cult
following. The movie did not revive Baclanova's film career, which ended in 1943.
Baclanova worked extensively on stage in London's West End
and in New York, for about ten years starting in the mid 1930s. In 1943 she appeared in "Claudia" at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Baclanova's resemblance to modern singer Madonna
in The Man Who Laughs has been noted by current critics.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n-born actress, who achieved prominence during the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era. She was billed as the Russian Tigress and remains most noted by modern audiences for portraying the leading lady
Leading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
in Tod Browning
Tod Browning
Tod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras...
's unique horror movie Freaks
Freaks
Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
(1932), which features a cast of actual carnival
Traveling carnival
A traveling carnival is an amusement show that may be made up of amusement rides, food vendors, merchandise vendors, games of chance and skill, thrill acts, animal acts or sideshow curiosities. A traveling carnival is not set up at a permanent location, like an amusement park, but is moved from...
sideshow
Sideshow
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
freaks
Freak show
A freak show is an exhibition of biological rarities, referred to as "freaks of nature". Typical features would be physically unusual humans, such as those uncommonly large or small, those with both male and female secondary sexual characteristics, people with other extraordinary diseases and...
. At the height of her career, she was billed by her last name only: Baclanova.
Early life
Born in MoscowMoscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Baclanova was the daughter of Vladimir Baklanoff and his wife Alexandra, herself an actress in early Russian films. Baclanova studied drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
at the Cherniavsky Institute before being accepted into the prestigious Moscow Art Theatre
Moscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
in 1912. Over the next decade she appeared in Russian films, and also performed extensively on stage
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, touring and performing in many countries of the world.
Career
Baclanova first came to New York with the 1925 touring production of the Moscow Art TheatreMoscow Art Theatre
The Moscow Art Theatre is a theatre company in Moscow that the seminal Russian theatre practitioner Constantin Stanislavski, together with the playwright and director Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, founded in 1898. It was conceived as a venue for naturalistic theatre, in contrast to the melodramas...
's Lysistrata
Lysistrata
Lysistrata is one of eleven surviving plays written by Aristophanes. Originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC, it is a comic account of one woman's extraordinary mission to end The Peloponnesian War...
. Though the rest of the company returned to Russia in 1926, she stayed to pursue career in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. A statuesque blonde, Baclanova quickly established herself as a popular actress in American silent movies
Silent Movies
Silent Movies are 13 solo guitar compositions by Marc Ribot released September 28, 2010 on Pi Recordings.-Reception:The Allmusic review by Thom Jurek awarded the album 4 stars stating "For those interested in one of the more compelling and quietly provocative and graceful guitar records of 2010,...
and achieved a notable success with The Docks of New York
The Docks of New York
The Docks of New York is a silent film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Betty Compson and Baclanova. It tells the story of a prostitute who tries to rise above her life on the docks by finding love...
(1928), directed by Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg — born Jonas Sternberg — was an Austrian-American film director. He is particularly noted for his distinctive mise en scène, use of lighting and soft lens, and seven-film collaboration with actress Marlene Dietrich.-Youth:Von Sternberg was born Jonas Sternberg to a Jewish...
. Later that year, she also appeared in The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs (1928 film)
The Man Who Laughs is an American silent film directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. The film is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name and stars Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine and Mary Philbin as the blind Dea...
; the creators of "Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
" based the appearance of their character "the Joker
Joker (comics)
The Joker is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by DC Comics. He is the archenemy of Batman, having been directly responsible for numerous tragedies in Batman's life, including the paralysis of Barbara Gordon and the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin...
" on the titular protagonist in this film.
The introduction of talking films
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
proved difficult for Baclanova, as audiences did not respond to her heavy Russian accent. She no longer secured leading roles, and was relegated to supporting parts. Her career was in decline when she was offered the role of the cruel circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performer Cleopatra in the Tod Browning
Tod Browning
Tod Browning was an American motion picture actor, director and screenwriter.Browning's career spanned the silent and talkie eras...
-directed film Freaks
Freaks
Freaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
(1932) a horror movie by the director of Dracula
Dracula (1931 film)
Dracula is a 1931 vampire-horror film directed by Tod Browning and starring Bela Lugosi as the title character. The film was produced by Universal and is based on the stage play of the same name by Hamilton Deane and John L...
that featured actual carnival
Carnival
Carnaval is a festive season which occurs immediately before Lent; the main events are usually during February. Carnaval typically involves a public celebration or parade combining some elements of a circus, mask and public street party...
freaks. The film was highly controversial to say the least, and screened only briefly before being withdrawn and suppressed. It would be 30 years before Freaks gained a cult
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
following. The movie did not revive Baclanova's film career, which ended in 1943.
Baclanova worked extensively on stage in London's West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
and in New York, for about ten years starting in the mid 1930s. In 1943 she appeared in "Claudia" at the Moore Theatre in Seattle, Washington.
Baclanova's resemblance to modern singer Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
in The Man Who Laughs has been noted by current critics.
Later years
After her retirement she settled in Vevey, Switzerland, where she died after several years of poor health, and possibly Alzheimers.Selected filmography
- The Czarina's Secret (1928)
- The Man Who LaughsThe Man Who LaughsThe Man Who Laughs is a novel by Victor Hugo, originally published in April 1869 under the French title L'Homme qui rit. Also published under the title By Order of the King...
(1928) - Three SinnersThree SinnersThree Sinners is a 1928 silent film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Pola Negri and co-starring Warner Baxter, Olga Baclanova and Paul Lukas. the film was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play Das Zweite Leben by Rudolf Bernauer and...
(1928) - Street of SinStreet of Sin-Production background:The film was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures, directed by Mauritz Stiller and Ludwig Berger, and starred Olga Baclanova, Emil Jannings, and Fay Wray.-Cast:*Olga Baclanova as Annie...
(1928) - The Docks of New YorkThe Docks of New YorkThe Docks of New York is a silent film directed by Josef von Sternberg and starring George Bancroft, Betty Compson and Baclanova. It tells the story of a prostitute who tries to rise above her life on the docks by finding love...
(1928) - The Wolf of Wall Street (1929)
- A Dangerous WomanA Dangerous Woman (1929 film)A Dangerous Woman is a 1929 film released by Paramount based on the Margery Lawrence story "A Woman Who Needed Killing". It was directed by Gerald Grove and Rowland V. Lee from a script by John Farrow and Edward E. Paramore Jr....
(1929) - The Great LoverThe Great Lover (1931 film)The Great Lover is a 1931 film starring Adolphe Menjou and Irene Dunne, and directed by Harry Beaumont. The supporting cast includes Ernest Torrence and Baclanova.-Cast:Complete credited cast:Adolphe Menjou ... Jean PaurelIrene Dunne ... Diana Page...
(1931) - FreaksFreaksFreaks is a 1932 American Pre-Code horror film about sideshow performers, directed and produced by Tod Browning and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, with a cast mostly composed of actual carnival performers. The film was based on Tod Robbins' 1923 short story "Spurs"...
(1932) - DownstairsDownstairs (film)Downstairs is a 1932 dramatic film. It stars John Gilbert as a charming but self-serving chauffeur who wreaks havoc on his new employer's household, romancing and fleecing the women on the staff, and blackmailing the employer's wife. Gilbert had written the story in 1928 for a proposed silent film...
(1932) - Billion Dollar Scandal (1933)
- Claudia (1943)