Pathé Frères once again proves to the world that beautifully stencil-colored fairy-tale extravaganzas are not all they can do. "Moscow Clad in Snow" was made during the late 1900s, a time when travelogues such as these were big with the company. Directors such as Segundo de Chomòn worked considerably on producing films of this genre for Pathé, with beautiful views of foreign lands to show the Frenchies back in France. This film is quite probably the best travelogue I've seen from that period, due to its advanced panning shots and beautiful scenery. There are historically interesting scenes of different sites such as Petrovsky Park, the Kremlin Bridge, a cracked bell and some Russian soldiers marching. Others are just scenes of beauty and awe, such as the trail and birds-eye city views.
It is interesting that this was the only movie Joseph-Louis Mundwiller directed. He clearly had a talent for cinematography and the camerawork here is even better than the likes of Chomòn. There are no involuntary movements in the panning, everything is slow and smooth for a movie of the time. Almost every shot has a pan and each of them is done top-notch for 1908.
Some of the most interesting scenes are the ones with the peasants working in the mushroom market. Some of them, having never seen a camera, are of course a little curious at what Mundwiller was doing--particularly one man who just smiles stupidly at the camera. Others are a little less extroverted and try their best to ignore it. I particularly like the part where the fishmonger smiles proudly at the camera as if to show off his wares. These points of interest add extra touches of humor to an otherwise serious documentary.
And if you're wondering about the date, I can clear that up. Wikipedia informs me that this movie was indeed shot to portray the Moscow winter of 1908, but was apparently released 1909. This makes sense considering how late in the year it would have been before Mundwiller got back to France and set the editors to work adding titles.