Previously a photo journalist and official photographer for the Duma and Nicholas II,[2] Drankov opened the first Russian film studio in 1907 and began producing documentaries in February 1908.

Without seeking Goncharov's permission or crediting him, Drankov released his combined footage as a stand-alone film one day before the play's premiere.

[6] Stenka Razin starred Yevgeny Petrov-Krayevsky, an actor from the Petrograd People's House theater, who would later direct films for Drankov's studio.

[7] The historical figure Stenka Razin was a symbol of resistance against oppression, and his story appealed to an audience who had experienced the Russian Revolution of 1905.

[3]: 35  Denise Youngblood and Rimgaila Salys consider the film a politically conservative version of the song's story, both noting that Razin is portrayed as a violent drunk rather than a hero of the common people.

She suggests that the newly-added dance motif links the princess to Salome, whose story had recently been popularized in a play by Oscar Wilde (translated into Russian in 1904) and a 1905 opera by Richard Strauss.