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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 758

A Life for a Life

191668 minRussia

Synopsis

A wealthy mother watches both of her daughters fall for the same indebted prince. He loves the adopted daughter but chooses the other sister for the money a marriage would bring. The resulting unions divide affection from financial advantage, leaving the family to live with decisions made under the influence of rank, desire and calculation.

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Video edition: Wikimedia Commons
Original language: No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified.
This copy runs: 68:08
Subtitles: No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: not identified. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Wikimedia Commons · Режиссёр Евгений Бауэр · Public domain

Cast

Olga Rakhmanova

Lidiya Koreneva

Vera Kholodnaya

Vitold Polonsky

Ivane Perestiani

DirectorsYevgeni Bauer

Inspirations

Bauer adapts Georges Ohnet's novel Serge Panine. The divided household allows the melodrama to examine how aristocratic status can conceal dependency on the wealth of others.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film reference Wikidata — film identity and credits

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 12, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

Lidiya Koreneva — Unknown author Unknown author; v-vulf.ru · Public domain
Vera Kholodnaya — Unknown author Unknown author; Internet Archive · Public domain
Vitold Polonsky — Unknown author Unknown author; http://tsarselo.ru/content/21/yenciklopedija-carskogo-sela/istorija-carskogo-sela-v-licah/polonskii-vitold-alfonsovich-1879--1919.html#.VF5_QJ_Dsa4 · Public domain
Ivane Perestiani — furnished; http://russiancinema.ru/template.php?dept_id=15&e_dept_id=1&e_person_id=4607 · Public domain

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