Alexander Drankov

Alexander Osipovich Drankov (; 1879–1949) was a Russian and Soviet photographer, cameraman, film director, and film producer. He is considered a pioneer of Russian pre-revolutionary cinematography.

Biography Drankov was born Abram Iosifovich Drankov (Абрам Иосифович Дранков). Despite having no formal education, Alexander Drankov and his brother Lev founded a photography studio in Saint Petersburg. Alexander worked as a foreign photography correspondent for the Illustrated London News and L'Illustration and was an official photographer for the Duma and Nicholas II. His announcement encouraged Pathé to create their first Russian documentary, Донские казаки в Москве , which was extremely successful.

Drankov's studio released 17 short documentaries in 1908, Drankov promoted his version of Stenka Razin as Russia's first feature film, ignoring his incomplete Boris Godunov. The film was an immediate success and helped establish the Russian film industry. However, on at least one occasion, Khanzhonkov beat Drankov to release. The two films were released simultaneously, but Khanzhonkov's was better received.

Reception and legacy

Despite his prolific output and popular success, Drankov's films were considered inartistic. They did not play at prestigious movie theaters, and Drankov was unable to recruit serious theater directors to his studio. His films were criticized for their sensationalism and for making light of crime.

While playing an important role in Russian cinema, Drankov developed a reputation for being ruthless and aggressive, and has been characterized as a "gangster."