The Big Man (Russian: Большой человек) is a 1908 Russian silent short film directed by Alexander Drankov. It is a lost film.
The film is a screen version of Kolyshko's play "The Big Man" performed by artists of the theatre of the St. Petersburg Nicholas II People's House.
The play
The play (1908) was a political satire. Critics and the public perceived that it was targeting Sergei Witte, recognizable in V.A. Ishimov (Russian: В.А. Ишимов), the protagonist of the play. Answering to the censorship, the author did admit that he did use Witte's "outstanding features as a major personality", however he denied the intention to ridicule Witte. The scandalous interpretation widely discussed in press created a promotion for the play and resulted in its commercial success, performed in Moscow, St. Petersburg, as well as in provincial cities.