1 / 6
RUNTIME
Did you know
87 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
MoodPlayr · trivia#01
In the Service of the Tsar
1936 1h 27m FR
🤯
10.0
MASTERPIECE
★10.0TMDB · 1
DramaHistory
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
At the turn of the last century, a beautiful spy takes advantage of a handsome officer to get across the Russian border without her passport. They fall in love. But the Grand Duke also falls in love with the young woman, who has in fact been assigned to kill him. A jealous mistress kills the spy before she can commit the crime.
“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”
Cast
Pierre Richard-Willm
Count Michael Androvich Tomsky
Alfred Adam
Ossip
Pierre Alcover
General Platoff
Marcel André
Admiral
Junie Astor
Lucie Leroy
Léon Bary
Tomsky's friend
Marcel Herrand
Russian officer at the ball
Sylvain Itkine
Revolutionary
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Pierre Billon
- Languages
- French
- Countries
- France
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts 🍿
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Pierre Billon directs. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 187 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
- 290 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
- 3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
- 4Pierre Richard-Willm and Alfred Adam and Pierre Alcover carry the top of the cast.
- 5IMDB entry: tt0165095 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
- 6Only 1 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
The technical file
- Runtime
- 87 min · 1h 27m
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- FR
Also by
Pierre Billon
Production companies
Who made it
- DI
Diana Film
Key crew
Release history · US
When it landed
- Theatrical1937-11-28
