Forestier, Louis Petrovich

Born and raised in France. After graduating from college, he worked (since 1908 ) in the company of the famous film producer Leon Gomont in Paris , where he mastered all the technical aspects of working with film (worked as a gluer, a projection mechanic, a copyist, developer), then filmed a chronicle, including the earthquake in Messina flights of the first airplanes ^[1] .

In 1910, he was invited by Alexander Khanzhonkov to Russia and became the leading cameraman in his film company , replacing Vladimir Siversen in this position ^[2] .

In 1911, he shot the first Russian full-length historical film “The Defense of Sevastopol ” ^{[3] [4]} as the cameraman (together with Alexander Rylo ). In the period from 1910 to 1919 he participated in the filming of more than 50 paintings at various studios (Khanzhonkova, Drankova , Ermoliev , Persky , Taldykin and others).

He was considered one of the leading operators of pre-revolutionary cinema, “his name thundered along with the names of Levitsky and Tisse ”, “survived the turbulent and difficult years of the revolution, stayed forever in Russia, became Louis Petrovich, made several dozen films, raised his students ... " ^[5] .

Film-maker Yu. Zhelyabuzhsky highly appreciated the camera work of L. Forestier, who "always had a good command of chiaroscuro and the art of sharp and perfect composition of frames" ^[6] . Cinema historian C. Ginzburg noted the good work of Forestier ^[7] . He wrote: “Forestier was not an accidental guest performer for Russian cinema. He worked skillfully and conscientiously and found our second homeland in our country ” ^[8] .

Since 1920, he has been the cameraman of the Moscow City Council film department, filming chronicle-documentary materials about V.I. Lenin (he also participated in filming Lenin's funeral).

Since 1924 - the operator of the film studio Mezhrabpom-Rus (since 1928 - Mezhrabpomfilm , since 1936 - Soyuzdetfilm ).

In 1945 he released the book of memoirs, "The Great Mute."

He was buried at the Ostankino cemetery in Moscow.

• Order of the Badge of Honor (04/14/1944)
• medal "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945."
• Honored Artist of the RSFSR (1945)

1908

• Arlesian \ Arlesienne (France)

1909

• Nero \ Nerone (France)
• At midnight in the cemetery

1910

• In student years
• Second youth
• Eugenie Grande \ Eugenie Grandet (France)
• Buried alive
• Idiot
• Her Majesty's Courier
• On the eve of
• The Queen of Spades

1911

• Boris Godunov
• Boyar daughter ("Volyushka")
• Vasilisa Melentievna and Tsar Ivan Vasilyevich the Terrible
• Departure of the fire brigade of the 1st part of Tula
• Don Cossacks
• Eugene Onegin
• Life for the king
• Prince Silver
• Kreutzer's Sonata
• In a busy place
• On the eve of the manifesto on February 19
• Defense of Sevastopol ("Risen Sevastopol")
• Last present day
• Festive view of Kievskaya street in Tula
• The ruins of the palace of Catherine the Great
• Shine, but not warm
• Surgery

1912

• 1812 year
• Brothers robbers
• Spring stream
• Peasant share
• Cup of life and death
• Skin frost
• Working settlement

1913

• Poor sheep
• The accession of the Romanov dynasty (1613)
• Hunting Drama
• Dubrovsky
• Cliff
• Heavy drinking and its consequences

1914

• The madness of drunkenness
• In the pool of Moscow
• Volga and Siberia
• Tears
• Sonya Golden Pen (one of the series)

1915

• In the Golden Web of Moscow
• Seventh commandment

1916

• Two apartments - two loves
• Love is omnipotent
• Sold Glory
• Death of the gods
• The one who gets slapped
• Youth

1917

• Sovereign
• Why suffer and die
• Red lightning
• Idol defeated
• Love and chance
• People of sultry passions
• Night of judgment and execution
• Holiday night
• Ruined temple
• Heart thrown to the wolves
• Mourning Waltz

1918

• Spiritual eyes
• Fist
• Masquerade
• Sword of mercy
• Five floors
• Scherzo of the devil
• Labor and Capital
• Flavia tessini

1924

• Four and five
• What Mos says, guess this question

1925

• His call

1926

• The fight of the giants
• The last shoot

1927

• Captive Earth
• Alien

1928

• Salamander
• Lame gentleman

1932

• Friends of conscience

1935

• The end of the stop

1936

• Gobseck
• Father and son

1939

• Varya Captain

1940

• Case in the volcano

• Forestier Louis "The Great Mute". Memoirs of a cameraman. M .: Goskinoizdat, 1945

• Ginzburg S. S. Cinematography of pre-revolutionary Russia. - M .: Art, 1963. - S. 37, 40, 119, 132, 134. - 456 p.
• Selezneva T. Notes on film memoirs // The Art of Cinema. - 1977. - No. 3 . - S. 140-149 .
• Zhelyabuzhsky Yu. Mastery of Soviet operators. A brief outline of development // Cinema notes. - 2004. - No. 69 . - S. 272 .
• Short V.M. Operators and directors of Russian feature films. 1897-1921. - M .: Research Institute of Cinema, 2009. - S. 380-385. - 430 s.

• Louis Forestier at the Internet Movie Database
• Louis Forestier on the site "Encyclopedia of Russian Cinema"