Mosfilm

Background

Mosfilm (Мосфильм) is a film studio, often described as the largest and oldest in Russia and in Europe. Its output includes most of the more widely acclaimed Soviet films. The company was founded in 1920 on the base of two nationalized pre-revolution film studios and gained the current name in 1935. The logo was introduced in 1946.

Contents

1st Logo (placeholder logo) (1946-1947)	2nd Logo (July 2, 1947-October 9, 2003, December 21, 2007- )	3rd Logo (June 27, 2003-September 17, 2015)	4th Logo (June 2, 2013- )

1st Logo (placeholder logo) (1946-1947)

Visuals: Just several lines of text with the bigger word "MOSFILM" below them, all in a bold white Russian Cyrillic font. The top line of text is separated by a white line, and a patterned line borders the bottom, with the year "1946" spaced out under it.

Technique: A still card produced on print.

Audio: Either none or the intro theme of the film.

Availability: This was a placeholder used for one year and was promptly changed when the dioramas for famous second logo was finished. It's preserved on a few films. ^[Examples?]

2nd Logo (July 2, 1947-October 9, 2003, December 21, 2007- )

Early version
Green-tinted spotlight
Sovscope
Off-center Sovscope
1950's standard
B&W 1950's standard
‘’My, Ruskiy Narod’’
The Mysterious Monk
1960's standard
1960's B&W
1960's dim spotlight
1960's warm spotlight
1960's brown-tinted spotlight
1970's standard
1970's open-matte (widescreen)
1970's open-matte (fullscreen)
1980's standard
1980's standard (fullscreen)
Assa
The Irony of Fate 2
2012 remake

Naya Sansar
Suomi-Filmi
Suomi-Filmi
Yleisradio
DEFA
Pro Dis Film A.G.
Kazakhfilm
Armenfilm
Suomi-Filmi
Toei
Toei
Mafilm
Korean Film Studio (boxed)
Korean Film Studio
Georgian Film Studio
Bavaria Film
Krug Filmstudio
Krug Filmstudio (1000 dollarov v odnu storonu)
Krug Filmstudio (Rasstanemsya - poka khoroshie)
Krug Filmstudio + Paritet Films
Krug Filmstudio + Inkombank
Krug Filmstudio + Domino 21 Limited
Krug Filmstudio + Mirabelle Film
CST Art
Yaltafilm
Fora Film
MMC Association
Inkombank
Drefa Atelier GmbH

Optimistic Tragedy
Time, Forward!
Royal Regatta
Arena
Run of a Pacer
Tchaikovsky
Director
Sluchay s Polyninym
The Flight
Attention, Turtle!/Telegram
The Stars Don't Fade
Our March
Rasplata
Sing Your Song, Poet
Solaris
Commander of the Lucky Pike
Vozvrashchenie k zhizni
Letniye sny
Much Ado About Nothing
They Fought for Their Country
Steppe
Osobykh primet net
Krakh operatsii Terror
The Story of the Voyages
Red Bells Part I: Mexico on Fire
Red Bells II
Boris Godunov/Lermontov
Kin-Dza-Dza!
Vybor
Istoriya odnoy bilyardnoy komandi
Wolf Cub Among People
Osen', Chertanovo
Cherniy monakh
Crash - Cop's Daughter
Peril at End House
Ya v polnom poryadke
Myshelovka
Desyat let bez prava perepiski
Zolotaya shpaga
Smert' v kino
Nuts
Wolfhound
’’The Migrants’’
The Russia We Lost
Zhenshchina v more
To See Paris and Die
Apnoe
Lichnaya zhizn korolevy
White Feast
Shirley Myrli
The Lonely Player
Under the Black Veil
The Return of the Battleship
Lady Into Lassie
Privet ot Charli-trubacha
Deti ponedelnika
На заре туманной юности
Cops and Robbers
Full Moon Day
Love is Wicked
Who if not Us
Nezrimyy puteshestvennik
The Star
Trio

Day Stars
War and Peace
The Brothers Karamazov (1968)
Molodye
Poslushay, ne idyot li dozhd

1979 standard print logo
Homo Novus
Prizrak

Visuals: On a dark background, a miniature model of Vera Mukhina's "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" is shown facing the right, along with the Kremlin and its Spasskaya Tower to the right. Under the monument, the word "Мосфильм" is seen below in a simple font, made of glass standing on a trapezoidal base. The monument then turns towards the screen as an orange light, possibly meant to represent a sunrise, illuminates behind the statue. The text then turns white.

Standard Variants:

Sometimes, the logo is cut to its final seconds.
A later version, starting in 2001-2002, had the logo remade in CGI, with statue being more metallic looking, the sky more realistically, and the text being pitch-black but then shines brightly at the end.
Films shot in a letterbox format have the logo zoomed out dramatically, showing more of the Kremlin's wall on the right, and a massive empty space on the left. The Spasskaya Tower's pinpoint also glows red in this version.
A variant exists where the print version of the logo is displayed. Essentially, it is a stylized version of the standard logo with the Kremlin and Spasskaya Tower present and the text is 3D.
- An ultra-rare print logo is similar to the aforementioned variant but is more crudely drawn and there is a white spotlight behind everything, leaving the Kremlin and Spasskaya Towers as silhouettes.
- Another rare print variant has the symbol simply consist of a silhouette of the "Worker and Kolkhoz Woman" model.
On Мы, русский народ, a different position of the layout is shown with the model facing the left and the text on the bottom left revealing itself from the left. Additionally, the Kremlin is missing.
A similar variant of the top one was seen on The Mysterious Monk where the model is facing normally except the background consists of a sunset-like background and the text is in a serif-like font and within the ground.
A version with a dimmer skylight and snow coming down can be seen on the 2007 film The Irony of Fate 2.
A remake with a dimmer look to it appears on White Tiger in 2012.
On a Sovscope (70mm) print of the Russian films Ilya Muromets and Scarlet Sails, the monument is moved towards the left and the letters in "Мосфильм" are more spaced out.

Combo Variants: In several rare instances, the logo may share the screen with other co-producers, either within the standard or boxed formats.

On A Journey Beyond the Three Seas, within the same background, the logo is to the right of the Naya Sansar logo.
On Sveaborg, the logo is paired with the Yleisradio logo. Both logos have text next to each other as well as a larger block of words dividing the two, the latter of which reading "CO-PRODUCTION - 1972 -". Mosfilm's text notice reads "CREATIVE ASSOCIATION TV FILM" and its logo has a white border.
On Улыбнись, ровесник!, the logo, in a hand-drawn style, is to the top left of the DEFA logo. Three slides are shown, one reading "CO-PRODUCTION", the next translates to "Mosfilm Studios and DEFA Film Studios", and the last reading "FIRST CREATIVE ASSOCATION" for Mosfilm and "JOHANESTAL ASSOCATION" for DEFA.
On Velvet Season, a more stylized 2D style of the logo is shown within a gold box and is paired with the Pro Dig Film A.G. logo. The text underneath both logos read "SOVIET-SWISS PRODUCTION".
On Life is Beautiful, with the text "JOINT SOVIET-ITALIAN PRODUCTION" on the top of the screen, the print logo is positioned to the left with the text "First creative association" underneath it and the in-credit text "QUATTRO CAVALLI CINEMATOGRAPHY" next to it.
The logo is paired with the Kazakhfilm logo on Vkus khleba where both of them are on a green-like background and the text "CO-PRODUCTION" underneath them.
On Za spichkami, the print logo is paired with the S Filmi logo.
On The Resurrected Witch, while next to the Toei Company logo, Mosfilm has text underneath reading "Creative Association "OLYMPIAD-80"".
On Az élet muzsikája - Kálmán Imre, the logo is next to the Mafilm logo with the text underneath Mosfilm's logo reading

Film Studio
"Mosfilm" USSR
Creative association
of comedy
and musical films

On the Russian release of Eternal Comrades, a Soviet-North Korean film co-produced with Korean Film, a special variant was created. It has a black background with the Mosfilm logo still on the top left, and the Korean Film logo still (albeit mirrored) on the bottom right. The North Korean release of the film had a completely different variant (see the Korean Film page for more details).
On Bagrationi, the logo is to the right of the Georgia Film Studio logo with no text. Underneath both logos read "Co-production of film studios GEORGIA-FILM and MOSFILM". Mosfilm is labeled as the "First" creative association whereas Georgia Film is second.
On To Kill a Dragon, the logo is paired with the Bavaria Film logo. With the text "Co-production" above both logos, Mosfilm's text simply reads "Mosfilm (USSR)".
In multiple films from 1989 to the mid-1990's, the logo is paired with Krug Film Studio.
- Some films using this variant may also have a third co-producer's logo in the mix. For example, Encore, Once More Encore! has the Domino 21 Limited logo underneath both aforementioned logos.
- 1000 dollarov v odnu storonu not only features this combo, but also has the text "with the participation of JV "Lesinvest LTD"" next to the Mosfilm logo.
On His Nickname is Beast, the logo is to the right of the CST Art logo with the text underneath reading "MOSFILM CST ART co-production".
On Katafalk, the logo is next to the Yaltafilm logo. Underneath both logos is the text reading "Experimental youth creative association".
On Carrying Out the Body, the logo, inside a white border, is to the top left of the Fora Film logo.
On Sweet friend of long forgotten years, the logo is paired with the Inkombank logo with the bottom credit info reading "FILM STUDIO "RITM" ROSKOMKINO"

Boxed Variants: Sometimes, the logo is shrunken where it is now half its size and positioned at a certain position on the screen, usually on the top section. The logo is either animated or still. There is also text next to it detailing the type of genre of the film, usually starting with "CREATIVE ASSOCIATION" and also containing a third word, either reading "COMRADE", "SCREEN", "YOUTH", "RITM" (beginning 1988), or "SLOVO" (beginning 1989). "First" may also be added to the beginning of the text.

Early versions of this variant have the logo in a tube-shaped box.
In some rare instances, no text is present.
Particularly from the late 1980's up until the end of the logo's run as the company's primary logo, it would zoom out to the upper left corner of the screen to give room for either co-producers or additional credits/information.
On Time, Forward!, after an anniversary card celebrating the October Revolution, two duplicates of the logo are seen on the bottom left and top right.
On Royal Regatta, the logo is animated and against a gray background with the blue text in English "CREATIVE ASSOCIATION "COMRADE"" positioned on the bottom right.
- Both Run of a Pacer and Sing Your Song, Poet has this text underneath the logo. The former film has the latter word more spaced out and the latter movie has each word stacked.
On Arena, the logo is still and the text reads the same as before but with "SCREEN" in place of the last word with two dots next to it.
On Tchaikovsky, the image of the picture is cropped to where the ground isn't visible and the point where the hammer and sickle is at.
On Sluchay s Polyninym, the background has a grunge texture to it and the last word in the text translates to "YOUTH".
On Attention, Turtle! and Telegram, the background is mint green, and the text is blue, in a serif-font, and reads the same translation as the above variant.
The Flight has the text reading "creative association of writers and filmmakers".
On The Stars Don't Fade, the background is dark brown and the text in full reads "CREATIVE ASSOCATION WRITERS AND FILM WORKERS" with it aligned to the right.
On Solaris, the logo is positioned to the center of the screen and the same text as above is centered and underneath it.
On Vozvrashchenie k zhizni, the text from the above two variants are in an unfixed alignment.
Our March has the logo positioned to the bottom left corner. Shortly after, three close ups of the model pop up, reaching to the top right. From left to right: the formation consists of the logo itself, the head of the worker, the forefront of the Koilkhoz woman, and both the hammer and sickle.
On Rasplata, the background changes from gray to red with the same text from before but with the last word reading "TIME" fading in within its usual position.
Letniye sny has a similar variant has the above one except the background is fixed, the logo has an anamorphic widescreen format, and the size of each row in the text is different.
Commander of the Lucky Pike has the word "EXPERIMENTAL" above the rest of the text.
On Much Ado About Nothing, the text simply consists of "CREATIVE ASSOCIATION" in one row.
On They Fought for Their Country and Steppe, the word "FIRST" is added as the first word within the row of text. Both of their fonts are different with the latter in a serif-font.
Osobykh primet net and Krakh operatsii Terror adds "SECOND" to the line of text.
In some rare instances, multiple credits may appear next to the Mosfilm logo.
- The Story of the Voyages features not only Mosfilm's next to the left of the Mosfilm logo, but also filming sites Barrandov and Bucharest in former Czechoslovakia and Romania respectively and Sovinfilm's name underneath the picture of the model.
- Red Bells Part 1 features Canosite 2's name as well as producer Nello Santi and Vides International while the Mosfilm logo remains on the top left.
  - Red Bells 2 has the picture closer to the credits and adds Lenfilm to the mix as well as rewording Canosite 2 as "KANOSITE DOS".
- On Istoriya odnoy bilyardnoy komandi, the logo is positioned on the top right and the credits are on the bottom left, reading

The following studios took part in
the production of the film
V/O "SOVINFILM"
"TARTESSOS FILMS"
--------------(Spain)
CLENKART FILMS
--------------(Austria)

On Vybor, the text underneath reads "The production of the film took part in "SOVINFILM" and Firm "ADRIANA INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION" (USA)".
On Wolf Cub Among People, the logo has a very thin white border and the two blocks of text read "Creative association "YUNOST"" and "under the direction of ROLAN BYKOV".
On Myshelovka, the text now reads "Studio "Union""
Sometimes, in the 1990's, the text may read "Cinema Concern Mosfilm".
- The Migrants, with the logo on the top right, adds the text "with the participation of SPC "Talka"" underneath said name.
On Nuts, the logo is in the top center with the bottom credits reading "STUDIO "RITM" starring" and two company names underneath: Domino and RETUR.
On The Russia We Lost, the logo is very small and has a big white outlined box surrounding it. Also, the text reads "Producer VLADIMIR DOSTAL March 1992".
On Lichnaya zhizn korolevy, the logo, on the top center of the screen, is a lot smaller than usual and three different credits are shown with each of them reading "cinema concern "mosfilm"", "film studio "slovo"", and "city hall magnitogorsk".
On Shirley Myrli, the text in yellow reads "Film studio "GENRE" with the participation of ROSCOMKINO and TEPCOBANKA".
On The Lonely Player, the text reads "FILM STUDIO "MOOR"".
On Cops and Robbers, the logo is superimposed into the first shot, alongside the opening credits.
On Full Moon Day, the word "COURIER" is added.
On Nezrimyy puteshestvennik, the genre section is underneath the logo to make room for an extra block of text reading "STATE CINEMA RUSSIA".

Model-only Variants: From the late 1960's to the early 1970's, a variant has the model being the only one present albeit shrunken like the boxed variants. It follows the same varying movements/position as aforementioned variants except the logo is usually placed on the top left.

Two different logos were used on the War and Peace serials. On serials 1 and 2 of the series, the statue is on the right, seen from the side, and the name is written left to it in a more ordinary font. On serials 3 and 4, the regular logo is smaller, doesn't have the Kremlin next to it, and is positioned in the top left corner.
On The Brothers Karamazov, the model is on the bottom left.
On Rasplata, the model is positioned higher above the text.
On Poslushay, ne idyot li dozhd where the text is 3D.

Technique: Live-action model work. CGI for the 2012 version.

Audio: None, the opening theme, or an ominous series of piano notes.

Audio Variant: In The Irony of Fate 2, chimes are heard along with the sound of snow falling.

Availability:

Can be seen on numerous Russian movies spanning over 50 years. Thanks to the large output the studio has put out, amounting to hundreds of movies, as well as TV airings, home media releases, and restored prints preserving this logo, it is very easy to find in Russia. This includes old and newer prints of Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, The Irony of Fate, Love and Pigeons, and serials such as the three-part War and Peace film series.
The standard variant is the easiest to find and appears on most of the aforementioned movies as well as many more. Ilya Muromets and Scarlet Sails also uses it albeit the Sovscope variant whereas open-matte versions of this variant were seen on Mimino and Love and Pigeons.
The boxed variant, especially in the 1990's was used on several films such as Cops and Robbers, Shirley Myrli, Under the Black Veil, and The Star, the latter of which would be the logo's last appearance before its revival. Said variant was first used in 1963 with Optimistic tragedy where it consists of no text. Other films containing just the logo contained in a box and nothing else include Kin-Dza-Dza!, Peril at End House, the Tchaikovsky serials, among others.
The model-only variant was mostly used in the 1960's on films such as War and Peace, Day Stars, The Brothers Karamazov (1968), and Moldeye. A few more films albeit from the 1990's used this logo with Sweet friend of long forgotten years being the last one to use this variant.
The print variant made one of its earliest appearances on Life is Beautiful. The first print logo would later appear on Za spichkami and The Resurrected Witch.
The logo briefly returned with the release of The Irony of Fate 2 and was revived in 2012 on White Tiger. As of now, the 2012 remake variant is still being used albeit rarely as it is usually used on historical films set during the Soviet period. The most recent film containing this logo is Soldier Boy. Despite some films such as Road to Berlin being set during this period, they use the 4th logo rather than this one.
The logo was also seen within the restoration screen of their "Literary Classics on Screen" DVDs. This version was spotted on a 2009 DVD of The Brothers Karamazov as well as many other restored movies released on home media in the late 2000's to mid 2010's containing said branding. Moreover with DVDs, US prints of several of their movies such as the War of Peace serials has this logo intact with the Janus Films and The Criterion Collection logos preceding this one.

Legacy: This is perhaps the oldest logo on the database still in use today, having been used for over 75 years, aside from a halt in the mid 2000s.

3rd Logo (June 27, 2003-September 17, 2015)

Magnitnye buri
One Life
The Vanished Empire
Ward No. 6

Visuals: On a black background, light rays emerge from the monument, as it turns from the right and a cloudy sky fade in below. As it rotates, it zooms out and the word "Мосфильм" shines in the same font as before, with it continuing to shine as the Kremlin comes into view and the star glows brightly. The sky fades out, followed by the rest.

Variants:

On Goodbye, Mom (До свидания, мама), the logo appears in black and white.
Sometimes, like before, the logo zooms out to make room for in-credit text.
- On The Vanished Empire, the text reads:

with state financial support from the Federal
Agency for Culture and
Cinematography of the Russian Federation

Film Studio "Courier"

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None.

Availability: Can be seen on most of the Mosfilm movies of the period starting with One Life (Жизнь одна).

4th Logo (June 2, 2013- )

Visuals: The camera fades into an overhead shot of the monument in a shiny gold. The camera then rotates downwards and zooms out, with glowing rays, and lens flares shining off it. As it zooms out, it passes over the name "Мосфильм" in a different orange font and heads for a straight-on view of the entire logo. The also starts to glow white a bit, and that lingers even when the rest of the logo fades out.

Variant: On Weekend, the logo appears in black and white to match the style of the movie.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A humming soundtrack or none.

Availability: Seen on most of the recent Mosfilm productions starting with Weekend.

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