Lenfilm

Background

The history of the studio started in 1908 when Vladislav Karpinsky created his Omnium-Kino at Kino-Aquarium in St. Petersburg. After the revolution (in 1918) all the studio's property was nationalized, and Aquarium facilities passed into Sevzapkino (North-western regional photo and film administration). In 1924 the factory renamed Leningradkino and through other names, came to Lenfilm in 1934. Lenfilm Studio became one of the best-known Soviet movie companies, and it was the second biggest production entry in former Soviet Union (after Mosfilm). The famous logo, depicting the Bronze Horseman statue in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad, hence the name), was introduced in 1966, though Lenfilm has other logos before it.

Contents

1st Logo (1936-December 27, 1965)	2nd Logo (August 5, 1963-March 7, 1966)	3rd Logo (November 2, 1963-November 1967)	4th Logo (November 18, 1966-September 10, 2015)	5th Logo (Koleso lyubvi variant) (December 1, 1994)	6th Logo (March 17, 2016-)

1st Logo (1936-December 27, 1965)

Visuals: The basic concept had shown three text lines with the text

ЛЕНИНГРАДСКАЯ
ОРДЕНА ЛЕНИНА
КИНО СТУДИЯ

and below is "ЛЕНФИЛЬМ". The year is written below.

Variants: Throughout the years, "ЛЕНФИЛЬМ" has been stylized differently.

On Cinderella, the company name is in a wavy format and the top text are separated by lines.
In 1949, the logo is in a fancy serif font and italicized.
On Happy Sailing, the logo is in normal capitalization and a fancy font. The copyright year is also missing.
On Mussorgsky, "ЛЕНФИЛЬМ" is gold and 3D.
On Belinsky, a set of lines replace the copyright year.
On Meet Baluyev!, a dot is seen underneath the notice.

Technique: A painting filmed by a cameraman.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on many releases from this period including Cinderella, Mussorgsky, Valgus Koordis, and many more. The last film to use this logo is Znoynyy iyul.

2nd Logo (August 5, 1963-March 7, 1966)

Visuals: More looking like a logo, this one features name ЛЕНФИЛЬМ in fancy italics font. The letter Ф is replaced with filmstrip and other letters are shifted up and down from normal case. The filmstrip goes into both directions, creating loose ends above (with text reading ОРДЕНА ЛЕНИНА) and below (with text reading КИНОСТУДИЯ Year).

Variants:

On Cain XVIII, the year is removed.
The logo may be seen in widescreen or Sovscope.
Colorized variants feature the logo in a blue or a slight green tint.
On some movies, the logo is positioned on the left with the text in English "FIRST creative ASSOCIATION" fading in on the right. The logo simultaneously fades out.

Technique: A still card produced on print.

Audio: None.

Availability: It made its debut on Cain XVIII and was last used on A Boy and a Girl. The split-screen variant can be seen on Vozvrashchyonnaya muzyka, Hamlet, Prieš teismo istoriją, The Workers' Settlement, and Segodnya novyy attraktsion. Throughout the majority of its time, it was used in tandem with the next logo.

3rd Logo (November 2, 1963-November 1967)

Visuals: The three familiar lines are moved to upper right corner to make room for even bigger relief ЛЕНФИЛЬМ with first letter capital. There is a year below.

Variants:

Colorized variants may feature the logo on a blue background.
- On Sleeping Beauty, the background is purple
- On Pervorossiyanye, the background is light blue and the text is brown.
The text is sometimes formatted differently with it having a beveled appearance or in a serif font.
Later releases replaced year with the rhombus.
On A Boy and a Girl, the logo is squished.

Technique: A still card produced on print.

Audio: None.

Availability: This logo is slightly easier to find than the previous one, appearing on Ulitsa Nyutona, Everything Remains for the People, and Going Inside a Storm, among several others. It first appeared on The Serf Actress and last appeared on Pervorossiyanye.

4th Logo (November 18, 1966-September 10, 2015)

Hail, Mary!
King Lear
The Road to Ruebezahl
Circle
Sluchainiy Val's
The Royal Hunt
Satana
Tayna
Otrazhenie v zerkale
Drumroll
Peculiarities of the National Hunt
Paper Soldier

The Little Prince
Ulysses Studio
Lentelefilm
NTV-Profit
Slovo
Narodny Film
Aquarium Studio
Slovo (Dikarka)
EN Film Studio + Konvesky the Virgin Nativity Monestary

Smoke
My edem v Amerika
Russkiy tranzit

Visuals: On a blue or black background, the picture of Bronze Horseman, the equestrian statue of Peter the Great sculpted by Étienne Maurice Falconet, zooms in. It is crossed by two static searchlights, coming from the side letters of the word ЛЕНФИЛЬМ written below in 3D white font. Then the searchlights go down, and the name fades out. Current version has the searchlights made in a different way. They go up at the starting point, and the whole logo then fades out.

Variants:

In the first years, the logo was black and white, then it was tinted in a greenish color.
In the mid-1970's, the logo is positioned more towards the bottom section of the screen and the searchlights are slightly more transparent.
In latest years, the logo was redrawn to look more realistic: the letters are less 3D, the searchlights are blue and the statue is copper-colored.
Sometimes, the searchlights are bigger and the statue is smaller.
An open-matte variant exists.
A print logo variant exists, consisting of the statue in a silhouette with the rock with stylized details and the company name underneath.
- On My edem v Amerika, the variant is mirrored.
- On Russkiy tranzit, the whole shape of the logo is in a silhouette.
On Wedding in Malinovka the logo is on a red background.
On a few films from 1970 and 1971, the logo fades in from the top left. When it fades out, the text "FIRST creative association" appears.
- On Circle, the logo is within a blurry triangular mask and the bottom text reads "SECOND martial union".
On Proschchaniye s Peterburgom and The Headless Horseman, the copyright year is shown underneath the logo. The latter has it in a blocky font whereas the former is more normal.
On Poslednya Oxota, the statue is unlit.
Mystery of Blue Mountains has the searchlights tinted light blue.
On Prishvin's Paper Eyes, the background is gray with a light in the center, the searchlights are black, and the text is red.
On A Visitor to a Museum, the background is maroon, the spotlight is light yellow, and the text is yellow. The statue is also a silhouette.
On Sluchainiy Val's, the finished logo in sepia tone and fades in near the center. The serachlight and text then fades out and the text "CREATIVE ASSICATION •TROITSKY BRIDGE•" appears underneath.
On Satana, the logo is positioned on the top left with the following text underneath

----INDEPENDENT--------------STUDIO---
----------STUDIO---------------COPYRIGHT-
---------ULYSSES--------------FILM TAK-T--

Additionally, Investabbank's logo and notice is seen underneath.

On The Royal Hunt, the logo, while in the same position as the above variant, fades out when the text "STUDIO •VOICE•" fades in.
Tayna has the same text present but underneath the logo, now on the top right.
On Otrazhenie v zerkale, the logo is on the top right corner of the screen with the text "with the participation of KANAR LTD" underneath.
Drumroll' is similar to the top variant but with the logo in sepia tone and the bottom text reading ""Lenfilm" film association".
On Sumerki Nadezhd, the logo is on the bottom right section of the screen and shares it with The Little Prince logo.
On You Are My Only Love, the logo is sepia toned.
On Rains in the Ocean, the logo is grouped with the Ulysses Studio logo.
On A Golden Ring and Red, Red Roses, while inside a white bordered box, the logo is to the left of the Lentelefilm logo with the Russian State Committee for Cinematography's notice underneath.
On Peculiarities of the National Hunt, the logo is still and is in a box at the top of the screen. Underneath, the words “Lenfilm Filmstudio” and “Cinematographic Committee of the Russian Federation” in Russian fade in.
On American Bet, the logo is very small and to the left of the Slovo logo.
On In That Land, the logo is boxed and to the top right of the Narodniy Film logo.
On The Circus Burned Down, the Clowns are Gone, the NTV-Profit logo is next to Lenfilm's. "STUDIO 2-B-2" is seen underneath the latter.
On Boldino Fall, the logo is grouped alongside the Aquarium Studio logo with the text "FILM STUDIO "BARMALEY" GOSKINO RF PRESENTS" underneath.
On Dikarka, the logo is boxed and next to the Slovo logo while on a white background. "MINISTRY OF CULTURE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION" is seen above the two logos while separated by a thin gray line.
The logo was seen sharing the screen with Krupny Plan, on the remastered DVD releases by latter.
On Paper Soldier, the logo is smaller with the text "with the participation of the "Lenfilm" film studio" underneath.
On Angel's Aisle, the logo shares the screen with the EN Film Studio and Konvesky the Virgin Nativity Monestary logos.
On Backdoor, the logo is desaturated.

Technique: Live action.

Audio: None.

Availability: A lot of these films can be found through TV airings both old and new, home media releases, official channels of other Russian companies, among other options.

It debuted on Three Fat Men and last appeared on Voluntary Divorce. By the time of the latter's release, the company's output has slowed down possibly due to the reorganization of the company a decade prior.
Films that have the logo smaller include King Lear, Hail, Mary!, The Road to Ruebezahl, and Circle, the latter of which is preserved on Gostelradiofond's home media release. This variant returned in the 1990's with the releases of Slychainiy val's, Satana and The Royal Hunt. Paper Soldier and Angel's Aisle are the last films using this kind of variant.
The print logo variant was only used on a few movies: Smoke, My edem v Ameriku, and Ruskiy transit.
This logo does not appear on all of their movies as some start with just the opening credits.

5th Logo (Koleso lyubvi variant) (December 1, 1994)

Visuals: On a blue background, a seal containing "LENFILM" and "2PIK" on the top and bottom with two stars separating them spins and zooms out. Then, an old German shepherd dog fades in within the seal as it shines. It then sticks its tongue out.

Technique: CGI for the seal rotating and live action for the dog.

Audio: Rising string notes at the beginning and then a cheery and whimsical tuba jingle at the end.

Availability: Only seen on Koleso lyubvi.

6th Logo (March 17, 2016-)

Visuals: On a dark starry night background, several letters from the company name in a glass texture rotate with each letter showing different landmarks in St. Petersburg including the Bronze Horseman. After the third letter, it zooms in and shows the statue slowly being revealed and then "LENFILM" being lit, alongside two searchlights on the sides, pointing towards the statue.

Variants:

A print version exists.
On one film, "FILM STUDIO" is seen underneath the company name while separated by a thin white line.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A militaristic, horn fanfare, complete with light switching sounds.

Availability: It debuted on Contribution and was later seen on Peterburg. Tolko po lyubvi, Three Days until Spring, and A Russian Youth.

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