| Dimitri Kirsanoff | |
|---|---|
| Born | 6 March 1899 Tartu, Estonia (Russian Empire) |
| Died | 11 February 1957 Paris, France |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Nationality | Russian (Latvian or Estonian) |
| Education | École Normale de Musique, Paris |
| Occupation | film director |
| Spouse | Nadia Sibirskaïa Berthe Noëlla Bessette (later known as Monique Kirsanoff) |
Dimitri Kirsanoff (Russian: Дими́трий Кирса́нов) (6 March 1899 – 11 February 1957) was an early filmmaker, considered part of the French Impressionist movement in film. He is known for his inexpensively made experimental films.[1]
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Kirsanoff was born Markus David Sussmanovitch Kaplan (Маркус Давид Зусманович Каплан)[2] in Tartu (then Juryev), Estonia, then Russian Empire in 1899. In the early 1920s he moved to Paris and became involved in cinema through playing cello in the orchestra at showings.[3] He began making films on his own, and never worked with a production company.[1]
Kirsanoff's best known work is Ménilmontant (1926), which takes its name from the Paris neighborhood of the same name. The film is a silent, but does not contain any intertitles. It begins with a flurry of quick close-up shots depicting the axe murder of the parents of the protagonists, two girls.[1] As young women, they are portrayed by Nadia Sibirskaïa, Kirsanoff's first wife, and Yolande Beaulieu; their mutual love interest is played by Guy Belmont.[4] The film uses many other techniques that were relatively new at the time, including double exposure.[1]