Fragment of an Empire

Fragment of an Empire

1929 · 110 min · ★ 5.7 · Drama

Director Frederick Ermler’s last silent feature and the last of four collaborations with actor Fiodor Nikitin. Nikitin plays an officer who spends a decade after the Great War as a shell-shocked amnesiac, until a glimpse of a woman through a train window sparks the return of his memory. He makes his way back to St. Petersburg, now Leningrad, a man out of time who struggles to make sense of the new society brought about by the revolution.

Directed by Fridrikh Ermler · Written by Fridrikh Ermler

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 2m together

Fragment of an Empire

Kotovsky

Both from Fridrikh Ermler.

More from Fridrikh ErmlerSee all →

KotovskyKotovsky · 1943
Kotovsky
9.71943
MovieWarHistory
Kotovsky, who went a long revolutionary way and became the recognized military commander of the cavalry troops: commander, brigade commander, commander. Six times he escaped from prison, was sentenced to death, and again escaped to become one of the most ardent warriors of the revolution. His famous equestrian brigade fought with the enemy near Kiev and the Belaya Tserkov, at Nikolaev and Odessa, and did not know defeat anywhere.
The Longtime ResidentThe Longtime Resident · 1962
The Longtime Resident
9.01962
MovieComedyFamily
Andrei Krutikov was the first child born in the settlement of the hydroelectric station workers. The residents of the settlement named a street after him. Years passed, and the young city grew. Andrei grew up to be a mischievous, lying, and wild storyteller. But then a new boy, Borya Skalov, appeared in his class. Unintentionally, Andrei started to imitate the serious and responsible Boris, and he didn't even notice how his life began to change.
The Great ForceThe Great Force · 1950
The Great Force
7.51950
MovieDrama
Professor Lavrov, a student and follower of Michurin, is trying to refute the discoveries of the theory of heredity and is successfully working on developing a new breed of chickens with high egg production and productivity. The brave experimenter is supported by the Central Committee of the CPSU in the person of Comrade, who arrived at the experimental poultry farm.
Anton Ivanovich Gets AngryAnton Ivanovich Gets Angry · 1941
Anton Ivanovich Gets Angry
7.01941
MovieComedyMusic
Anton Ivanovich Voronov is a highly respected professor at the Moscow Conservatoire, who places the music of Bach above everything else and regards it as the ultimate yardstick by which other musical accomplishments must be measured. His daughter, Serafima, is an aspiring singer with great potential, and her father’s anger is aroused when she begins singing in the operetta composed by Aleksei Mukhin, thus abandoning what he considers the higher calling of opera. Mukhin’s work, however, demands a high level of ability from his soloist, and Anton Ivanovich is persuaded of the legitimacy of operetta as a musical genre when, in a dream, he is visited by Johann Sebastian Bach himself, who tells him that ‘people need all kinds of music’.
Dinner PartyDinner Party · 1953
Dinner Party
7.01953
MovieComedy
A man invites people to a dinner party, but a dream and his forgetfulness get in the way.
PeasantsPeasants · 1935
Peasants
6.41935
MovieDrama
The peaceful life of an exemplary collective farm is being rent asunder by shortages and dissent, and a commissar is sent to uncover the source of the problems, unaware that their is actual sabotage involved.
The Parisian CobblerThe Parisian Cobbler · 1927
The Parisian Cobbler
5.91927
MovieDrama
Komsomol girl Katya Karnakova, a darling of the small provincial town Old Lopsha, is seriously smitten with a fellow Komsomol and does not even try to hide this from others. After some time as a result of their affair, she becomes pregnant.
Facing the Judgement of HistoryFacing the Judgement of History · 1965
Facing the Judgement of History
5.81965
MovieDocumentary
Director Fridrikh Ermler brings together monarchist Vasiliy Shulgin with a nameless historian who accompanies the right wing politician on a stroll through Leningrad, confronting him with his past.
No Greater LoveNo Greater Love · 1943
No Greater Love
5.81943
MovieWarDrama
The first day of the war brings tragedy to a peasant woman, Pasha. Her husband and her toddler son die before her eyes. She and the other villagers leave to go into the woods. Pasha leads the villagers to fight some German troops. Coming out victories, the partisans become a feared opponent of the Germans, with the leadership of Comrade P.
Air TaxiAir Taxi · 1943
Air Taxi
5.71943
MovieComedyRomance
A musical romantic comedy set in Soviet Union during the first years of WWII.
Katka's Reinette ApplesKatka's Reinette Apples · 1926
Katka's Reinette Apples
5.61926
MovieDrama
A young country girl who becomes an apple seller is seduced and abandoned. She finds a protector but when he is arrested for theft she finds honest work in a factory.
The Murderers Are ComingThe Murderers Are Coming · 1942
The Murderers Are Coming
5.41942
MovieDramaWar
Brecht's play Fear and Misery of the Third Reich consists of a series of playlets, portraying National Socialist Germany of the 1930s as a land of poverty, violence, fear and pretence. Nazi antisemitism is depicted in several of the sketches, including "the Physicist", "Judicial Process", and "the Jewish Wife".
Unfinished StoryUnfinished Story · 1955
Unfinished Story
5.31955
MovieDramaRomance
The local doctor Yelizaveta Maksimovna is a beautiful woman and a wonderful sympathetic person. She is lonely, although she is cared for by a confident and promising colleague. Yelizaveta Maksimovna has one patient, a manly, full-energy ship builder Yershov, chained to the bed with a paralysis of both legs. All doctors recommend him rest, and Elizaveta Maksimovna advises to work and not feel sorry for herself. Yershov with all his heart falls in love with his doctor, and she loves him, but she does not dare to say her feelings. Ershov thinks that he has no hopes, but...
CounterplanCounterplan · 1932
Counterplan
5.01932
MovieDrama
The story of an effort to catch "wreckers" at work in a Soviet factory. The film’s title-song called "The Song of the Counterplan", composed by Dmitri Shostakovich, became world famous and was adapted into "Au-devant de la vie", a notable song of the French socialist movement of the 1930s.
Lad from Our TownLad from Our Town · 1942
Lad from Our Town
5.01942
MovieDramaWar
In the summer of 1932, Sergei Lukonin, a young man from Saratov, leaves his hometown for the distant city of Omsk to attend tank school. His fiancée, Varenka, who soon became an actress, remained in Saratov. In 1936, Sergei went to fight in the Spanish Civil War. He was wounded, taken prisoner, escaped, and returned to training battles, with June 1941 looming ahead.
The District SecretaryThe District Secretary · 1942
The District Secretary
4.71942
MovieDramaWar
A story about a Secretary of the Communist Party District Committee who is leading partisans in their fight with the Nazis during WWII.

More Like This

MilkMilk · 2008
Milk
7.22008
MovieHistoryDrama
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.
Ella McCayElla McCay · 2025
Ella McCay
5.62025
MovieComedyDrama
An idealistic young politician juggles familial issues and a challenging work life while preparing to take over the job of her mentor, the state’s longtime incumbent governor.
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of ArcThe Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc · 1999
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
6.41999
MovieAdventureDrama
In 1429, a French teenager stood before her King with a message she claimed came from God; that she would defeat the world's greatest army and liberate her country from its political and religious turmoil. As she reclaims God's diminished kingdom, this courageous young woman has various amazing victories until her violent and untimely death.
Turk 182!Turk 182! · 1985
Turk 182!
5.91985
MovieActionComedy
After New York City firefighter Terry Lynch is unable to receive any compensation for an injury incurred during the off-duty rescue of a young girl, he grows suicidal. Furious, his brother Jimmy attempts to have Mayor Tyler intervene, but the corrupt politician instead denounces Terry as a drunk. Determined to get justice, Jimmy begins a graffiti campaign of embarrassing slogans mocking the mayor, which soon captivates the city.
Death of a PresidentDeath of a President · 2006
Death of a President
5.62006
MovieDramaCrime
A fictional investigative documentary looks back on the "assassination" of George W. Bush and attempts to answer the question of who committed the murder. Perhaps less morbid and disturbing to watch now than during Bush's presidency, the film doesn't address Bush's policies at all, instead focusing on the way a nation assigns blame in a time of crisis.
SarkarSarkar · 2005
Sarkar
6.92005
MovieCrimeAction
Subhash Nagre runs a parallel government in the city where he has a cult following. When his enemies plot to murder him, his son takes charge and stands up against them.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter