The Volga Boatman is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, who reportedly said the film was, "his greatest achievement in picture making". The film's budget was $479,000 and it grossed $1.27 million. The film was highly successful, turning William Boyd into matinee idol overnight. The filming location was Wood Island, near Rio Vista, California, in 1925.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, Vera, a princess engaged to a Russian nobleman, falls in love with Feodor, a young boatman. A revolution breaks out and the threatened princess is saved by the boatman, and brought to an inn as his wife. Here they are both captured by the royal army, where the woman’s former sweetheart makes her dance for the drunken soldiers. The boatman shoots one of them, and he and the princess are ordered to be shot. They are saved in time by the revolutionists, who force the noblemen to assume their places as boatmen. Realizing they are in love with each other, the boatman and the princess go their way.
Cast
William Boyd as Feodor, a Volga boatman
Elinor Fair as Vera, a princess
Robert Edeson as Prince Nikita
Victor Varconi as Prince Dimitri
Julia Faye as Mariusha, a gypsy
Theodore Kosloff as Stefan, a blacksmith
Arthur Rankin as Vashi, a Boatman
Ed Brady as A Boatman (uncredited) Charles Clary as Red Army officer (uncredited) Gino Corrado as White Army officer (uncredited) Lillian Elliott as landlady (uncredited) John George as Red Army soldier (uncredited)
Home media
On June 27, 2000, the film was released on VHS by Kino Video. In July 2014, The Video Cellar released a lightly tinted DVD version of the film, and is currently the most widely available version. However, this version does not contain a musical score.