The Blackguard is 1923 novel by Raymond Paton. It is a melodrama

Melodrama

The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...

 set during the Russian Revolution of 1917. A French violinist rescues a Russian princess from execution at the hands of revolutionaries led by his former mentor.

Adaptation

The film was adapted for the screen when an expensive silent film

Silent film

A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...

 The Blackguard

The Blackguard

The Blackguard is a British-German drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Jane Novak, Walter Rilla, and Frank Stanmore. Its German title is Die Prinzessin und der Geiger...

was made in 1925. It was a co-production between the British studio Gainsborough

Gainsborough Pictures

Gainsborough Pictures was a British film studio based on the south bank of the Regent's Canal, in Poole Street, Hoxton in the former Metropolitan Borough of Shoreditch, London. Gainsborough Studios were active between 1924 and 1951. Built as a power station for the Great Northern & City Railway it...

 and the German UFA. It was directed by Graham Cutts

Graham Cutts

Graham Cutts was a British film director who was one of the leading British directors in the 1920s. His fellow director A. V. Bramble believed that Gainsborough Pictures had been built on the back of his work. His daughter was actress Patricia Cutts...

.