Art
Cinema "Art"
Address:
Nevsky Ave., 67, St. Petersburg
Telephone:
+7 812 314-00-45
From “Biofon” to “Saturn” and back to “Artistic”.
The first mention of the house on Nevsky 67 that has survived to this day dates back to 1903, although the building itself was built much earlier and managed to change three owners before 1840, when the merchant Kozulin became its owner.
The cinema in this building was designed and built by the architect Artyom Georgievich Dzhorogov. On October 12, 1907, the newspaper “Birzhevye Vedomosti” for the first time mentioned a unique cultural and entertainment institution “Biofonauksetofon”, where audition sessions were held for drama, opera, operetta and pop artists.
This “theater,” whose name was soon shortened to “Biofon,” gave a performance every hour and a half until midnight, and on holidays until one in the morning. Entrance fees varied from 50 kopecks to one and a half rubles, which was a lot of money at that time. In October 1909, “Biofon” was renamed “Saturn” and in its new capacity became a cinema, located on the second floor of the building. Of particular interest is the collaboration with the Saturn cinema by Alexander Drankov himself, the first Russian film director, creator of “Ponizovaya Volnitsa” (1908), a film - a pioneer of Russian cinematography, who also filmed Leo Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana.
This film, shown exclusively at Saturn, over time became a source of special pride for our documentary filmmakers. The owner of the Saturn cinema was a hereditary nobleman and famous St. Petersburg businessman Yaroslav Frantsevich Krynsky. In 1933, the cinema received the name “Cinema for the Masses”, which it retained until 1935, when it became “Art”, immediately becoming one of the most visited cinemas in the city.
“Artistic” specialized in comedy and musical films. Old-timers say that in the late 30s a jazz orchestra performed there under the direction of Yakov Skomorovsky and Klavdiya Shulzhenko sang. A special page in the history of Khudozhestvenny is connected with the Great Patriotic War. The halls on Nevsky were filled even during the blockade.
There was only one break in the cinema's work, when during the terrible winter of 1941-42. The electricity supply has stopped. But, starting in the spring of 1942, it was possible to watch movies again. The sessions were sometimes interrupted by an air raid siren, and the audience obediently followed to the bomb shelter. And with the “air raid all clear” signal they returned to the cinema hall. In the 70-80s, exhibitions of various subjects were constantly held in the foyer of the Khudozhestvenny. The magnificent master Tatyana Ostrogorskaya also showed her work (she created costumes for such films as “A Dog in the Manger” (1977), “D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers” (1979), “The Pious” (1983), “The Demidovs” (1983) , "Don Cesar De Bazan" (1989)). The 80s were the most fruitful and eventful time in the history of cinema.
In March 1985, Khudozhestvenny was one of the five Leningrad cinemas (Zenit, Colosseum, Planet, Ruslan) that became winners of the All-Union Socialist Competition. It is not clear when the last session was noted, since no one simply noticed it.
The once bustling film life froze for many years. To rise, fortunately, in November 2005, like a Phoenix from the ashes. The fact that the revived Khudozhestvenny cinema opened on November 18, 2005, along with the start of the next, sixteenth week of Finnish cinema in St. Petersburg, seems symbolic to us, because 40 years have passed since the first such Week, dedicated to the days of the city Turku in Leningrad.
The first mention of the house on Nevsky 67 that has survived to this day dates back to 1903, although the building itself was built much earlier and managed to change three owners before 1840, when the merchant Kozulin became its owner.
The cinema in this building was designed and built by the architect Artyom Georgievich Dzhorogov. On October 12, 1907, the newspaper “Birzhevye Vedomosti” for the first time mentioned a unique cultural and entertainment institution “Biofonauksetofon”, where audition sessions were held for drama, opera, operetta and pop artists.
This “theater,” whose name was soon shortened to “Biofon,” gave a performance every hour and a half until midnight, and on holidays until one in the morning. Entrance fees varied from 50 kopecks to one and a half rubles, which was a lot of money at that time. In October 1909, “Biofon” was renamed “Saturn” and in its new capacity became a cinema, located on the second floor of the building. Of particular interest is the collaboration with the Saturn cinema by Alexander Drankov himself, the first Russian film director, creator of “Ponizovaya Volnitsa” (1908), a film - a pioneer of Russian cinematography, who also filmed Leo Tolstoy in Yasnaya Polyana.
This film, shown exclusively at Saturn, over time became a source of special pride for our documentary filmmakers. The owner of the Saturn cinema was a hereditary nobleman and famous St. Petersburg businessman Yaroslav Frantsevich Krynsky. In 1933, the cinema received the name “Cinema for the Masses”, which it retained until 1935, when it became “Art”, immediately becoming one of the most visited cinemas in the city.
“Artistic” specialized in comedy and musical films. Old-timers say that in the late 30s a jazz orchestra performed there under the direction of Yakov Skomorovsky and Klavdiya Shulzhenko sang. A special page in the history of Khudozhestvenny is connected with the Great Patriotic War. The halls on Nevsky were filled even during the blockade.
There was only one break in the cinema's work, when during the terrible winter of 1941-42. The electricity supply has stopped. But, starting in the spring of 1942, it was possible to watch movies again. The sessions were sometimes interrupted by an air raid siren, and the audience obediently followed to the bomb shelter. And with the “air raid all clear” signal they returned to the cinema hall. In the 70-80s, exhibitions of various subjects were constantly held in the foyer of the Khudozhestvenny. The magnificent master Tatyana Ostrogorskaya also showed her work (she created costumes for such films as “A Dog in the Manger” (1977), “D’Artagnan and the Three Musketeers” (1979), “The Pious” (1983), “The Demidovs” (1983) , "Don Cesar De Bazan" (1989)). The 80s were the most fruitful and eventful time in the history of cinema.
In March 1985, Khudozhestvenny was one of the five Leningrad cinemas (Zenit, Colosseum, Planet, Ruslan) that became winners of the All-Union Socialist Competition. It is not clear when the last session was noted, since no one simply noticed it.
The once bustling film life froze for many years. To rise, fortunately, in November 2005, like a Phoenix from the ashes. The fact that the revived Khudozhestvenny cinema opened on November 18, 2005, along with the start of the next, sixteenth week of Finnish cinema in St. Petersburg, seems symbolic to us, because 40 years have passed since the first such Week, dedicated to the days of the city Turku in Leningrad.
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