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Documentary film of Ethel Lilian Voynich watching the 1955 film of her novel the Gadfly

 Collection
Call Number: GEN MSS 1356

Content Description

Short black-and-white 16mm film (2 minutes, 36 seconds) documenting a visit by an unidentified filmmaker to the New York City home of Ethel Lilian Voynich, author of The Gadfly. The film is silent. Voynich is seen watching the 1955 Russian film version of The Gadfly (Овод), talking, and gesturing toward books and a reproduction of a portrait of a man by Italian renaissance painter Franciabigio.

The documentary film is accompanied by a copy of the 1955 Russian film adaptation of The Gadfly, Овод, on three reels (16mm, in color, with sound). The film was directed by Aleksandr Faintsimmer and stars Oleg Strizhenov, Mariana Strizhenova, and Nikolai Simonov, with a score by Dmitri Shostakovitch.

Dates

  • Between 1955 and 1960.

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Boxes 1-4 (films): Restricted fragile material. Reference copies may be requested. Consult Access Services for further information.

Extent

0.71 Linear Feet (4 reels + 1 box)

Language of Materials

Russian

Catalog Record

A record for this collection is available in Orbis, the Yale University Library catalog

Persistent URL

https://hdl.handle.net/10079/fa/beinecke.gadfly

Additional Description

Overview

Short black-and-white 16mm film (2 minutes, 36 seconds) documenting a visit by an unidentified filmmaker to the New York City home of Ethel Lilian Voynich, author of The Gadfly. The film is silent. Voynich is seen watching the 1955 Russian film version of The Gadfly (Овод), talking, and gesturing toward books and a reproduction of a portrait of a man by Italian renaissance painter Franciabigio. The documentary film is accompanied by a copy of the 1955 Russian film adaptation of The Gadfly, Овод, on three reels (16mm, in color, with sound). The film was directed by Aleksandr Faintsimmer and stars Oleg Strizhenov, Mariana Strizhenova, and Nikolai Simonov, with a score by Dmitri Shostakovitch.

Ethel Lilian Voynich (1864-1960)

Ethel Lilian Voynich was born in Cork, Ireland, in 1864, the daughter of mathematicians George Boole (1815-1964) and Mary Everest Boole (1832-1916), and raised chiefly in London, England. She was a musician and composer as well as a writer and translator, and is best known for her novel The Gadfly (1897). Set in revolutionary Italy in the 1840s, the work was widely popular in the early twentieth century and became particularly beloved in Russia and China. Its many adaptations included a stage play by George Bernard Shaw, dance, opera, and at least three Russian film versions (1928, 1955, and 1980). Ethel Lillian Voynich married Polish émigré Wilfred Michael Voynich in 1902. The couple relocated to the United States during the first World War, and following her husband’s death in 1930 Voynich carried on his business dealing in rare books and manuscripts. She died in New York City in 1960.

Related Names

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Documentary film of Ethel Lillian Voynich watching the 1955 film of her novel the Gadfly
Author
Ellen Doon and Janet Lopes
Date
January 2021
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Repository Details

Part of the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Repository

http://beinecke.library.yale.edu/
Contact:
P. O. Box 208330
New Haven CT 06520-8330 US
(203) 432-2977

Location

121 Wall Street
New Haven, CT 06511

Opening Hours

Access Information

The Beinecke Library is open to all Yale University students and faculty, and visiting researchers whose work requires use of its special collections. You will need to bring appropriate photo ID the first time you register. Beinecke is a non-circulating, closed stack library. Paging is done by library staff during business hours. You can request collection material online at least two business days in advance of your visit, using the request links in Archives at Yale. For more information, please see Planning Your Research Visit and consult the Reading Room Policies prior to visiting the library.

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