Where in the world is Boris Barnet?

[Kirkinson]

I just watched the Image DVD of Boris Barnet's Outskirts and The Girl with the Hatbox, and I'm absolutely flabbergasted. I've read some articles about other films of his and many of them sound just as wonderful. Unfortunately, I can't find them around. Short of waiting to chance upon screenings, are any more of his films available on DVD anywhere or are these unsubtitled Russian VHS tapes the only chance I'll have to see things like Alenka and By the Bluest of Seas?

[Michael Kerpan]

There was a nice traveling mini-retrospective a few years back -- but there hasn't been any follow-up of additional material on DVD. I especially _loved_ "Girl With a Hatbox"

[tryavna]

Besides Outskirts and Hatbox are there any other major Barnet films? He's not a director who gets talked about that much aside from those two films, though I have heard a few passing references to his 1928 silent The House on Trubnaya. I'd be happy to stand corrected, of course, as I'm as eager as the next person to get better access to classic Soviet films. Perhaps David Shepard would know...?

And speaking of Shepard, I believe he worked on the Kino VHS releaseof The Extraordinary Adventures of Mr. West in the Land of the Bolsheviks, which stars Barnet -- though it was directed by Kuleshov. (I really wish Shepard would get around to reissuing on DVD all those old Soviet silents he released on VHS.)

[Kirkinson]

From the little I've read in the past couple days I would say no, there's nothing else that seems to be generally considered as "important" as those two films. But apparently Godard and Iosseliani both loved By the Bluest of Seas (that's what the press for that mini-retrospective said, anyway).