Rachel Messerer

Rachel Mikhailovna Messerer-Plisetskaya (Russian: Рахиль Михайловна Мессерер-Плисецкая; 4 March 1902 – 20 March 1993), also known by her stage name Ra Messerer, was a Russian silent film and theatre actress.

In this Eastern Slavic name, the patronymic is Mikhailovna and the family name is Messerer.
Rachel Messerer
Ra Messerer, 1924
Born
Rachel Mikhailovna Messerer

(1902-03-04)4 March 1902
Vilnius, Lithuania
Died20 March 1993(1993-03-20) (aged 91)
Moscow, Russia
Other namesRa Messerer
OccupationSilent film actress
Years active1925–1930
Spouse(s)
​
(died 1938)​
ChildrenMaya Plisetskaya
Alexander Plisetski
Azari Plisetski
RelativesAsaf Messerer (brother)
Sulamith Messerer (sister)
Boris Messerer (nephew)
Anna Plisetskaya (granddaughter)

Family

Rachel Messerer was born in Vilnius into the Lithuanian Jewish family of dentist Mikhail Messerer and his wife Sima Shabad,[1][2] and was one of nine children. Every child was given a biblical name: Pnina, Azariah, Mattany, Rachel, Asaf (or Assaf), Elisheva, Sulamith (or Shulamith), Emanuel, Abinadab and Erella.[1]

Rachel, her brother Azari Azarin (an actor), sister Sulamith Messerer (ballerina) and brother Asaf Messerer (ballet dancer, choreographer) became famous and started a dynasty of outstanding ballet dancers and ballet masters.

She married well-known Russian diplomat Mikhail Plisetski (1899–1938) and they had three children: famous ballerina Maya Plisetskaya (1925–2015), talented balletmaster Alexander Plisetski (1931–1985) and principal dancer Azari Plisetski (1937–). Her granddaughter Anna Plisetskaya (1971–) is also a ballerina.

Career and destiny

Messerer graduated from Institute of Cinematography in 1925 (class of Lev Kuleshov).

During the early years of Soviet system, Messerer starred at the "Bukhkino" and "The Star of the East" studios. Ra Messerer’s film career was rather short, because soon after the wedding she devoted herself to the family and her husband, who represented the Soviet Government in Spitsbergen, being the Consul General in Barentsburg and chief of coal mines.

On 30 April 1937, her husband Mikhail Plisetski was purged, charged with espionage and executed on 8 January 1938.[3]

In early March 1938, Messerer was arrested. The secret police agents demanded of Messerer to confirm that her husband was "a spy, a traitor, a saboteur, a criminal, and a participant of the conspiracy against Stalin." Rather bravely for those years, she refused and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.

Messerer's daughter Maya faced the threat of an orphanage; she was adopted by her aunt Sulamith. Her son Alexander was taken by the family of Rachel's brother Asaf Messerer. These events caused many troubles to Asaf and Sulamith. In summer 1939, Rachel was transferred to the "Camp for Wives of Traitors to the Motherland in Akmolinsk" (in Kazakhstan).

Messerer was released in 1941, only two months before the start of the Great Patriotic War. After her release, she never restarted her acting career. In those days, no director would have risked his career by inviting her.

Nevertheless, Messerer believed that her husband was alive and would come back someday. On 3 March 1956, she learned the truth: in the papers on rehabilitation of Mikhail Plisetski, the execution date of his execution was disclosed: 8 January 1938.

Filmography
  • 1927 — "The second wife" (Russian: "Вторая жена", "Uzbekgoskino", director - M.I. Doronin)[4]
  • 1928 — "Leper" ( "Uzbekgoskino") [5]
  • 1928 — "Valley of Tears" (Russian: "Долина слёз" ("Dolina slyoz") 1-st factory Goskino, director - Alexander Razumny).[6]
  • 1929 — "One hundred and twenty thousand a year" ("Mezhrabpomfilm")[7]

Documentary
  • In 2007, a documentary film The Star from outside[8] was made about Messerer.[9] For the production, the tapes of the Russian movie-archive "Gosfilmofond RF" were used. Produced by TC "Gamajun" – Director and screenwriter Firdavs Zaynutdinov. Cinematography by Eugene Kutuzkin. Narrator – Irina Apeksimova. Produced for REN TV. Broadcaster – the Russian TV channel "Culture".

References
  1. I'm Maya Plisetskaya. 490 p. Moscow: AST Moscow, 2008.
  2. Sulamif Messerer: "I want to live!" Archived 17 April 2009 at Archive.today
  3. stalin.memo.ru
  4. Film in 7 parts. Cinematography by V.P. Dobrzhanskii, starring: M.I. Grinyova, Ra Messerer, G.G. Chechelashvili, M.I. Doronin.
  5. Film adaptation of the novel "New moon" by F. Duchenne.
  6. Documentary films on history of Altai Archived 18 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  7. Gosfilmofond RF
  8. "Culture", "The Star from outside" Documentary Archived 19 September 2012 at Archive.today
  9. Documentary film The Star from outside 2007
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