Soviet filmmaker Yakov Protazanov was best known for his lavish historical epics and for adapting literature to the screen. A native of Moscow, he entered films as an actor in 1905, and became a director four years later, making over 40 features between then and 1917. In the early '20s, Protazanov worked for a while in France. In 1924, he made the first Soviet sci-fi film, Aelita. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide