Prisoner of the Volga (Paramount Pictures) (1959)

PUBLIC SYNOPSIS HE brilliant cavalry officer, Alexis Orloff (John Derek) proposes to Princess Irina (Dawn Tiaer, beautiful ward of the governor of the province, General Gorew (Charles Vanel). At their wedding, there is an awkward moment when Irina hesitates in her responses. After the ceremony a party is given in honor of the bride and groom in the governor's palace during which Irina has an attack of hysterics and retires to a bedroom where Alexis, greatly disturbed, follows her. There she breaks down and confesses to him that she is expecting a baby—General Gorew's—and that it was for that reason that the General encouraged their marriage. Furious, Alexis attacks the General in full view of his fellow officers. The vicious Gorew strips the young man of his rank and banishes him to a far-off disciplinary camp, noted for its inhuman treatment of prisoners, few of whom survive it. Irina pleads in vain with Gorew to forgive her husband. Knowing she is responsible for his plight, she takes her jewels and heads for the camp to buy Alexis’s freedom. She bribes the camp commandant to let her see her husband, then tells Alexis she has arranged for horses for their escape. In fleeing from their pursuers, Irina is shot and dies in Alexis’s arms. Alexis, carrying the dead Irina, comes upon a hermit and begs him to bury her, explaining what happened. He gives the hermit Irina’s jewels and continues his flight, managing to elude the soldiers who follow. He arrives at the Volga River and meets three friendly men whose help he enlists. They are boatmen of the Volga and they take him with them and hide him. They tell Mascha (Elsa Martinelli), beautiful daughter of Ossip, owner of the inn frequented by the boatmen, that they are harboring a fugitive who needs help. She, sympathetic to the handsome Alexis, offers to procure a passport for him so that he can get across the Volga to freedom. General Gorew, advised of Alexis’s escape, sends a detail of Cossacks, under the command of his sadistic Lt. Lisenko, to capture him. Lisenko arrives at the hostel, announces that he is looking for an escapee from the disciplinary camp who robbed his wife of her jewels and murdered her. Mascha, horrified that the man she has been about to help is a murderer and not the innocent victim of circumstances she had believed him to be, decides to withhold her aid. But several days later the hermit arrives at the hostel and Mascha overhears the true story of Alexis. While she busies herself getting Alexis a passport and money, she hides him in the attic of the hostel to keep him safe from Lisenko. Now completely in love with Alexis, Mascha fears that once he leaves with the boatmen she will never see him again. When all is in readiness for Alexis’ departure, she confesses to her father that she is in love with the hunted fugitive and that she wants to leave with him. Ossip is furious and informs Lisenko of Alexis’s whereabouts. Alexis is arrested but Mascha and the boatmen contrive his rescue, and get him “lost’’ among the Volga boatmen. In the meantime, the fellow officers of Alexis’s regiment learn the true nature of his ‘‘offense”’ and take the story of Gorew’s duplicity to his superior. Gorew is relieved of his governorship just at the moment of the arrival of Lisenko’s messenger who announces the arrest and imprisonment of Alexis. The vindictive Gorew leaves immediately with the intention of killing Alexis before his officer-friends can reach him with the news that he is to be reinstated. After a wild dash by troyka Gorew arrives at Ossip’s hostel to learn that the prisoner has departed with the Volga boatmen and Mascha. Gorew, Lisenko and the Cossacks get into a boat to follow the route of the barge pulled by the boatmen, to apprehend Alexis. When the two groups meet, there is a fierce battle between the Cossacks and the boatmen in which Gorew is killed. Alexis and Mascha flee in the direction from which come the young officer's friends with the good news that he is to return to his regiment. Alexis tells the happy Mascha that he wants her to be his wife. CAST ALEXIS ...............John Derek ELAGIN ............Nerio Bernardi MASCHA ...........Elsa Martinelli OSSIP ............ Wolfgang Preiss BINA on ov .....Dawn Addams = JAKOWLEW ........Jacques Castelot GOREW ..... se? Charles Vanel GRISHA .......... Nitza Constantin PROFESSOR ...........Gert Froebe | FOMITSCH ........ Feodor Chaliapin OLGA eo ctns ....Ingmar Zeisberg MICHAILOW ........Nino Marchetti LESEIE cc ccs Sts dese 2 -Rik Battaglia = PRINCIPE ........ .Arturo Bragaglia CREDITS A Transmonde-Fides Production; an Omnia-Regina Selection; Directed by W. Tourjansky; Eastmancolor—Totalscope; Director of Photography—Mario Montuori; Assistant Director—Robert Martin; Editor—Robert Cinquini; Script—Annalena Limentani; Music by Norbert Glanzberg, Published by Salabert; Screenplay by Salka Viertel and Al. Lyx; Co-author and Adaptor—W. Tourjansky; Dialog—Duncan Elliot—Barbara Sohmers. RUNNING TIME: 102 MINUTES SWEEPING ACTION, HIGH ADVENTURE SPARK ROMANTIC DRAMA, ‘PRISONER OF THE VOLGA’ (First Story) Movie fans who thrill to colorful adventure stories tilmed on a big scale will have a field day when they see the new Paramount re lease, “Prisoner of the Volga,” which is due to arrive ...... at the Stee. Theatre. With an enormous cast headed by stars John Derek, Elsa Martinelli and Dawn Addams, and Charles Vanel in the top featured role, the production was filmed abroad against backgrounds that match the story’s excitement. “Prisoner of the Volga” is set in the time of feudal Russia when the aristocracy and the army ruled the land and its miserable serfs. It concerns the hair-raising experiences of an army officer who, for personal reasons involving his _ beautiful bride, is banished to a disciplinary camp by his superior. The camp, noted for its inhuman treatment of prisoners, is one that few inmates survive. The bride arranges for her husband’s escape but is_ herself killed. He eludes his pursuers, however, and takes refuge with the boatmen of the Volga. The adventures that befall him and the spirited girl he meets through the boatmen, make exciting viewing of ‘Prisoner of the Volga.” John Derek has the title role. The beautiful Italian star, Elsa Martinelli portrays the fiery Mascha who helps him; lovely Dawn Addams his ill-fated bride. Magnificent Eastman color, heightened by filming in Totalscope, add to the visual impact of the picture. Still No. 47020-23 Mat 1A JOHN DEREK and DAWN AD DAMS in a scene from the romantic adventure thriller, “‘Prisoner of the Volga,” in Eastman color and Totalscope. The Paramount release, which also stars Elsa Martinelli, arrives + «Pamatet «See at the ........ Theatre. ‘Prisoner of the Volga’ Next at. .... . Theatre Beginning .... the .... Theatre will present a thrill-packed, unusual action drama, “Prisoner of the Volga,” a Paramount release starring John Derek, Elsa Martinelli and Dawn Addams, and featuring the international character actor Charles Vanel in the top supporting role. “Prisoner of the Volga,” in Eastman color and Totalscope, is an excitement-charged drama filmed on a big scale to re-create with colorful realism the broad steppes of feudal Russia, the misery of the subjugated serfs, the opulence and luxury of the palace life of the aristocracy and the favored, over-indulged position of army officers. The film tells the story of what happens to one of those officers whose run-in with his superior lands him in a disciplinary camp, from which he manages to escape. He joins the boatmen of the Volga and his adventures with them and the fiery girl with whom he falls in love make “Prisoner of the Volga” edge-of-the-seat entertainment for movie fans. Still No. 47020-1 Mat 2A JOHN DEREK in the title role of the new Paramount release, “Prisoner of the Volga,” has many a hair-raising adventure in the spectacular color thriller, which arrives ........ BUMteE. voles score Theatre. Exciter also stars beautiful Dawn Addams and Elsa Martinelli and features a tremendous cast. Vast, Impressive Cast ‘i In New Film Thriller Three attractive stars head the vast cast of the new Paramount release, “‘Prisoner of the Volga,” which arrives ...... Sutnee eats Theatre. They are John Derek, Elsa Martinelli and Dawn Addams, all of whom portray Russians of the old feudal days when the land and its millions of serfs were ruled with an iron fist in the richly gloved hand of the pampered aristocracy and the favored army. Filmed abroad in magnificent Eastman color and _ Totalscope, “Prisoner of the Volga” re-creates the bigness of the country and tells an adventure story on a scale equal to it. It concerns the experiences of Derek as an army officer condemned, through the vindictiveness of a personal enemy, to a harsh disciplinary camp. His escape, his subsequent Still No. 47020-9 Mat 1C alliance with the rugged boatmen of the Volga and his romance with the fiery peasant girl who helps him to freedom add up to the kind of screen excitement every fan of action movies should find most satisfactory and enjoyable. Still No. 47020-18 DYNAMIC ELSA MARTINELLI has a role to match her fiery personality in the Paramount release, “Prisoner of the Volza,idile a....... 2 at the ret Me Theatre. The color adventure thriller also stars John Derek and Dawn Addams. Mat 2B HARD ROAD AHEAD for newlyweds John Derek and Dawn Addams in “Prisoner of the Volga,” Paramount color film which arrives ....... at the Pere tic fi Theatre. Also starring in the action-packed, romantic adventure spectacle is the beautiful Italian star, Elsa Martinelli.