The Lady and the Hooligan


The Lady and the Hooligan is a 1918 Russian silent film co-directed by Vladimir Mayakovsky and Yevgeni Slavinsky. The script, written by Mayakovsky, is based on the play La maestrina degli operai by Edmondo De Amicis.

Plot summary

A young schoolmistress arrives in a small village to teach reading and writing to boys and men. A hooligan sees her on the street and falls in love with her. Soon he begins to attend her classes. When one lesson is disturbed by one of the students, he beats him. The student seeks revenge with the help of his father and some of his friends. The hooligan is stabbed to death in a fight. Before dying, he asks his mother to call the schoolmistress. After the schoolmistress has kissed him on the lips, he closes his eyes and dies.

Cast

On 1 May, 1919, the film was shown in mass viewings in Moscow and Leningrad.

Analysis and Significance

The film includes "fast-paced editing and shot-reverse-shot editing patterns."