Satan's Woman: First Black film star of Russia

Satan's Woman (released May 14, 1915)

Filmed at the G.I. Libken Studios in nearby Yaroslavl as WWI raged and revolution was around the corner, popular director Sigimund Veselovsky created his intresting attempt on Russian soil an American adventure film "Satan's Woman", about life within the circus and musichall. The headlining actors for the film were Nikolai Saltykov (as 'Tolsky') and Afro-American entertainer Emma Harris (as 'Galima'). The film was well received by the Russian populace, and also helped develop Emma Harris as Imperial Russia's first black film star. She continued filming in the 1920s even as the country converted to Communism, appearing in propagandized Soviet films.

Description from "Films from Pre-Revolutionary Russia":


Satan's Woman. Drama, 5 hours, 1 350 m. T / D S. Veselovsky and Parkhomenko. Issued by offices "Alians" May, 14 1915. Scene and dir. S. Veselovsky. Acts: Ge-De-Gayam (Gaia Assi, circus actress). N. Saltykov (actor Yevgeniy Tolsky), Lihomsky (Andrey, his brother), Galima (Emerita, Negro), Oriedo, Lyubomirsky, Kuznetsov, Nezhdanov. A tricky adventure film from circus life; an interesting attempt from a building on Russian soil.

Moscow around the time of the filming

ЖЕНЩИНА-САТАНА. Драма, 5 ч., 1 350 м. Т/Д С. Веселовский и Пархо­ менко. Вып. конторы «Алиано> 14/У 1915. Сцен, и реж. С. Веселовский. Акте­ ры: Ге-Де-Гаям (Гея Асси. цирковая арти­стка). Н. Салтыков (артист Евгений Тольский), Лихомский (Андрей, его брат), Галима (Эмеритта, негритянка), Ориедо, Любомирский, Кузнецов, Нежданов. Трюковой приключенческий фильм из цирковой жизни; интересна попытка со­ здания на русской почве а.