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- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Elem Klimov was born on 9 July 1933 in Stalingrad, Nizhne-Volzhskiy kray, RSFSR, USSR [now Volgograd, Volgogradskaya oblast, Russia]. He was a director and actor, known for Come and See (1985), Rasputin (1981) and Pokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha (1965). He was married to Larisa Shepitko. He died on 26 October 2003 in Moscow, Russia.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
The son of an affluent architect, Eisenstein attended the Institute of
Civil Engineering in Petrograd as a young man. With the fall of the
tsar in 1917, he worked as an engineer for the Red Army. In the
following years, Eisenstein joined up with the Moscow Proletkult
Theater as a set designer and then director. The Proletkult's director,
Vsevolod Meyerhold, became a big influence on Eisenstein, introducing him to the
concept of biomechanics, or conditioned spontaneity. Eisenstein
furthered Meyerhold's theory with his own "montage of attractions"--a
sequence of pictures whose total emotion effect is greater than the sum
of its parts. He later theorized that this style of editing worked in a
similar fashion to Marx's dialectic. Though Eisenstein wanted to make
films for the common man, his intense use of symbolism and metaphor in
what he called "intellectual montage" sometimes lost his audience.
Though he made only seven films in his career, he and his theoretical
writings demonstrated how film could move beyond its nineteenth-century
predecessor--Victorian theatre-- to create abstract concepts with
concrete images.- The famous Russian actor was discovered by Andrei Tarkovsky.
He was looking for an actor to play the part of Andrei Rublev
for his second full-length film and accidentally found the completely unknown Solonitsyn in Chelyabinsk. He worked there as an amateur actor.
After Andrei Rublev, he played main parts in many of Russia's best movies. - Actor
- Writer
- Director
Sergei Bondarchuk was one of the most important Russian filmmakers,
best known for directing an Academy Award-winning film epic
War and Peace (1965), based on the book
by Lev Tolstoy, in which he also starred as
Pierre Bezukhov.
He was born Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk on September, 25, 1920, in the
village of Belozerka, Kherson province, Ukraine, Russian Federation
(now Belozerka, Ukraine). He was brought up in Southern Ukraine, then
in Azov and Taganrog, Southern Russia. Young Bondarchuk was fond of
theatre and books by such authors as
Anton Chekhov and
Lev Tolstoy. He made his stage debut in
1937, on the stage of the Chekhov Drama Theatre in the city of
Taganrog, then studied acting at Rostov Theatrical School. In 1942 his
studies were interrupted by the Nazi invasion during WWII. Bondarchuk
was recruited in the Red Army and served for four years until he was
discharged in 1946. From 1946 - 1948 he attended the State Institute of
Cinematography in Moscow (VGIK), graduating as an actor from the class
of Sergey Gerasimov. In 1948 he made
his film debut in
Povest o nastoyashchem cheloveke (1948)
then co-starred in
The Young Guard (1948).
For his portrayal of the title character in
Taras Shevchenko (1951) he was
awarded the State Stalin's Prize of the USSR, and was designated
People's Artist of the USSR, becoming the youngest actor ever to
receive such honor. Then he starred in the internationally renowned
adaptation of the Shakespeare's
Othello (1956), in the title role opposite
Irina Skobtseva as Desdemona. Bondarchuk
expressed his own experience as a soldier of WWII when he starred in
The Destiny of a Man (1959), a war
drama based on the eponymous story by
Mikhail Sholokhov, which was also
Bondarchuk's directorial debut that earned him the prestigious Lenin's
Prize of the USSR in 1960.
Bondarchuk shot to international fame with
War and Peace (1965), a powerful
adaptation of the eponymous masterpiece by
Lev Tolstoy. The 7-hour-long film epic won
the 1969 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and brought
Bondarchuk a reputation of one of the finest directors of his
generation. The most expensive project in film history,
War and Peace (1965) was produced over
seven years, from 1961 to 1968, at an estimated cost of $100,000,000
(over $800,000,000 adjusted for inflation in 2010). The film set
several records, such as involving over three hundred professional
actors from several countries and also tens of thousands extras from
the Red Army in filming of the 3rd two-hour-long episode about the
historic Battle of Borodino against the Napoleon's invasion, making it
the largest battle scene ever filmed. Bondarchuk also made history by
introducing several remote-controlled cameras that were moving on 300
meter long wires above the scene of the battlefield. Having earned
international acclaim for
War and Peace (1965), he starred in the
epic The Battle of Neretva (1969)
with fellow Russian, Yul Brynner, and
Orson Welles, whom he would direct the
following year.
By the late 1960s Bondarchuk was one of the most awarded actor and
director in the Soviet Union. However, he was still not a member of the
Soviet Communist Party, a fact that brought attention from the Soviet
leadership under Leonid Brezhnev. Soon
Bondarchuk received an official recommendation to join the Soviet
Communist Party, an offer that nobody in the Soviet Union could refuse
without risking a career. At that time he was humorously comparing his
situation with the historic Hollywood trials of filmmakers during the
50s. Bondarchuk was able to avoid the Communist Party in his earlier
career, but things changed in the Soviet Union under Brezhnev, so in
1970, he accepted the trade-off and joined the Soviet Communist Party
for the sake of protecting his film career. In 1971 he was elected
Chairman of the Union of Filmmakers, a semi-government post in the
Soviet system of politically controlled culture. Eventually he evolved
into a politically controlled figure and turned to making such
politically charged films as
Red Bells (1982)
and other such films. Later, during the liberalization of the Soviet
Union under Mikhail Gorbachev,
Bondarchuk was seen as a symbol of conservatism in Soviet cinema, so in
1986 he was voted out of the office.
Bondarchuk was the first Russian director to make a big budget
international co-production with the financial backing of Italian
producer Dino De Laurentiis,
such as Waterloo (1970), a
Russian-Italian co-production vividly reconstructing the final battle
of the Napoleonic Wars. This was his first English-language production,
but several Soviet actors were cast, e.g.
Sergo Zakariadze and
Oleg Vidov. In this film,
Orson Welles, his co-star in
The Battle of Neretva (1969) made a
cameo as the old King Louis XVII of France. But this time Bondarchuk
was unable to control the advances of
Rod Steiger, and the film was a commercial
flop in Europe and America, albeit it gained the favor of critics.
After his dismissal from the office of Chairman of the Union of
Cinematographers he started filming
Tikhiy Don (2006)
based on the eponymous novel by the Nobel Prize winner
Mikhail Sholokhov, with
Rupert Everett as the lead. At the end of
filming, just before post-production, Bondarchuk learned about some
unfavorable details in his contract, causing a bitter dispute with the
producers over the rights to the film and bringing much pain to the
last two years of his life. Amidst this legal battle the production was
stopped and the film was stored in a bank vault, and remained unedited
and undubbed for nearly fourteen years. The production was completed by
Russian television company "First Channel", and aired in November 2006.
In his career that spanned over five decades, Sergei Bondarchuk had
credits as actor, director, writer, and co-producer in a wide range of
films. He suffered a heart attack and died on October 20, 1994, and was
laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia, next to such
Russian luminaries as Anton Chekhov and
Mikhail A. Bulgakov. His death
caused a considerable mourning in Russia. Bondarchuk was survived by
his second wife, actress Irina Skobtseva
and their children, actress
Alyona Bondarchuk, and actor/director
Fedor Bondarchuk, and actress
Natalya Bondarchuk, his daughter with
his first wife, actress Inna Makarova.
As a tribute to Sergei Bondarchuk, his son,
Fedor Bondarchuk called him "a father
and my teacher," and dedicated his directorial debut,
9th Company (2005), set in war-torn
Afghanistan, whereas Sergei's directorial debut was set in WWII.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Alexandr Kajdanovsky, Russian actor, director and screenwriter, now
best remembered for his work in
Andrei Tarkovsky's films. Kajdanovsky
left Junior High School to enroll in technical college where he was
training to become a welder. Apparently a prospect of becoming a worker
did not appeal to him and in 1965 he started studying acting at The
Shchukhin Theatre School in Moscow. Before completing the course he
took his first part in the film
Tainstvennaya stena (1968) (A
Mysterious Wall), and upon graduation in 1969, he worked as stage
actor. Still unsatisfied with his work Kajdanovsky joined the army in
1973 spending some years in cavalry.
It was a famous film director
Nikita Mikhalkov who discovered
Kajdanovsky and gave him the lead in his civil war drama
At Home Among Strangers, a Stranger Among His Own (1974)
(At Home among Strangers, Stranger at Home). By the late 1970s
Kajdanovsky had had credits in some noted films, including adventure
stories
Propavshaya ekspeditsiya (1975)
(The Lost Expedition),
Zolotaya rechka (1977) (Golden
River), a fantasy
Pilot Pirx's Inquest (1979) (Pilot
Pirks Tested). The greatest twist in his career came with
Andrei Tarkovsky giving him the lead in
Stalker (1979). Kajdanovsky attended
Tarkovsky's writing seminar and under his teacher's influence he wrote
and directed Prostaya smert (1985)
(An Ordinary Death) - an adaptation of one of Leo Tolstoy's stories -
the film won honour at the Malaga film festival. Kajdanovsky's starring
role in Spanish film
El aliento del diablo (1993)
(The Devil's Breath) and in Hungarian
Büvös vadász (1994) (Magic Hunter)
made him an international celebrity and resulted in him having been
invited to become the juryman of the 1994 Cannes Film Festival.
Unfortunately alcohol ruined his life, he could hardly maintain his
career between the bouts of drinking, he died on December 3, 1995, 3
months short of 50.- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Vyacheslav Tikhonov was one of Russian cinema's best known faces, he
survived hardship during the Second World War, and became renown for
his portrayal of Russian aristocrats and intellectuals in several
award-winning films, such as
War and Peace (1965) and
White Bim Black Ear (1977).
He was born Vyacheslav Vasilevich Tikhonov on February 8, 1928, in a
small town of Pavlovsky Posad near Moscow, USSR (now Moscow, Russia).
His father, Vasili Romanovich Tikhonov, was a technician at a local
garment factory. His mother, Valentina Vyacheslavovna, was a
kindergarten teacher. Tikhonov's first profession was that of a
metal-worker during the Second World War. The war later became the main
theme in some of his most notable film works. Young Tikhonov was
obsessed with movies, his favorite actors were
Nikolay Cherkasov as Aleksandr Nevsky,
and Boris Babochkin as Chapaev. From
1945-1950 Tikhonov studied at the State Institute of Cinema (VGIK). He
made his film debut in
The Young Guard (1948) by
director Sergey Gerasimov. During the
filming of Molodaya Gvardiya Tikhonov met his first wife,
Nonna Mordyukova. Their son,
Vladimir Tikhonov, also became
an actor, however, he suffered from a drug dependency and died.
Vyacheslav Tikhonov met his second wife during the filming of
We'll Live Till Monday (1968).
In the course of his career Tikhonov worked with some of the best
Russian directors. He worked with director
Stanislav Rostotskiy in five films,
starting in Delo bylo v Penkove (1957). Their collaboration was
especially fruitful in Dozhivem do ponedelnika (1969) and
White Bim Black Ear (1977),
which received an Academy Award-nomination. Before that, Tikhonov
appeared in the leading role as Prince Bolkonsky in
War and Peace (1965), an eight-hour
epic film by actor-director
Sergey Bondarchuk. In 1969 the film
won the Academy Award as the best foreign-language film.
Tikhonov's most notable role on television was as Russian spy Stirlitz
(Col. Maxim Isayev) in
Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973),
a popular TV series about a Russian intelligence agent operating in
Berlin during WWII. The dual identity of Tikhonov's character is well
played, and the film has won him millions of loyal fans. Tikhonov's
consistent popularity made his character, Stirlitz, a hero in hundreds
of jokes. After the role as Stirlitz, Tikhonov became typecast as a
Soviet military character, and played heroic KGB officers and generals
in several Soviet films during the 70s and 80s. In 2002 Vyacheslav
Tikhonov suffered a heart attack. However, he soon recovered and
returned to acting. In 2004 he played a role in a film produced by his
daughter Anna Tikhonova. His last film-work was in
Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi (2006)
by director Eldar Ryazanov.
Vyacheslav Tikhonov was awarded the State Prize of the USSR and the
State Prize of Russian Federation. He received numerous government
awards and decorations and was designated People's Actor of the USSR
(1974). Vyacheslav Tikhonov was residing in his country house in the
prestigious village of Nikolina Gora, a suburb of Moscow. He died of a
heart failure on the 4th of December, 2009, and was laid to rest in
Novodevichy Cemetery, Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Director
Yankovsky was named best actor in a 1984 reader poll by Soviet Screen
for his role in "In Love Because He Wants to Be." He was awarded the
State Prize in 1987 for his role in "Flying Asleep and Awake." In 1989
he received the Vasiliev State Prize for his role in "The Kreutzer
Sonata." Yakovsky was given the lifetime achievement award at the 1983
All-Union Film Festival. He won the best actor NIKA in 1991, and in the
same year was named People's Artist of the Soviet Union. Yankovsky was
born in Kazakhstan and studied at the Slonov Theater Academy in
Saratov. In 1965 he joined the Saratov Drama Theater, moving to
Moscow's Lenkom Theater in 1973. He has presided over the Kinotavr
Russian Open Film Festival since 1993.- Director
- Cinematographer
- Writer
Mikhail Kalatozov was born on 28 December 1903 in Tiflis, Russian Empire [now Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia]. He was a director and cinematographer, known for The Cranes Are Flying (1957), True Friends (1954) and Zagovor obrechyonnykh (1950). He died on 27 March 1973 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Aleksei Vladimirovich Batalov was born on November 20, 1928, into the family of famous Russian theatrical actor Vladimir Batalov. He was born in the city of Vladimir, near Moscow, where his grandmother was the Doctor General at the Vladimir city hospital. His parents, Vladimir Petrovich Batalov and Nina Antonovna Olshevskaya, were both actors of the Moscow Art Theatre (MKhAT), under the directorship of Konstantin Stanislavski and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. His uncle, named Nikolay Batalov, was a distinguished film actor.
The Batalov family lived in the actor's apartments building at the Moscow Art Theatre. There young Aleksei got early exposure to the acting profession. He then moved with his mother to the home of her second husband writer Viktor Ardov, who was the neighbor of Osip Mandelstam. Young Batalov became a good friend of poet Anna Akhmatova who stayed in his room during her many visits to Moscow. Later, in the 1960's, Aleksei Batalov painted an oil portrait of Anna Akhmatova. Writers Mikhail A. Bulgakov, Mikhail Zoschenko, Boris Pasternak were among the closest friends of the Batalov's family, being also the colleagues of his stepfather Viktor Ardov.
In 1945, upon his return from evacuation in Tatarstan, Aleksei Batalov made his film debut as a cameo in 'Zoya'. He studied acting professionally at the Moscow Art Theatre's Acting Studio-School of Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko from which he graduated in 1950, as an actor. That same year he was drafted in the Red Army and worked as an actor with the Central Theatre of the Soviet Army from 1950-1953. He then returned to the Moscow Art Theatre and was a permanent member of the troupe through 1957.
Batalov shot to fame with his role in 'Bolshaya Semya' (The Big Family 1954) directed by 'Iosif Kheifets'. For that role he won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, which he shared with his partners Sergei Lukyanov, Boris Andreyev, Nikolai Gritsenko, Pavel Kadochnikov, and others; the whole ensemble of actors and actresses were awarded for that film at Cannes, in 1955.
Aleksei Batalov received more international acclaim for his memorable acting opposite Tatyana Samoylova in The Cranes Are Flying (1957) (aka.. The Cranes Are Flying) for which director Mikhail Kalatozov won the Golden Palm at Cannes, in 1958. Batalov won the Jussi Diploma of Merit (1962) for the supporting role in 'Dama s sobachkoi' (aka.. The Lady with the Dog), a story by Anton Chekhov directed by Iosif Kheifits. Batalov also worked with Kheifits in 'V gorode S.' (In the Town of S.), another story by Anton Chekhov. Alrksei Batalov himself directed three films; 'Shinel' (1960) on the story by Nikolay Gogol, 'Tri tolstyaka' (1966) by Yuriy Olesha, and 'Igrok' (1973) (aka.. The Gambler), an adaptation of the eponymous book by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Aleksei Batalov earned the State Prize of the USSR for a strong and difficult leading role in '9 dney odnogo goda' (1961), for which director Mikhail Romm won Crystal Globe. Batalov's performance in the leading role of a Russian intellectual in 'Beg' (1970) based on the play by Mikhail A. Bulgakov, was somewhat overshadowed by the brilliant duo of his film partners Mikhail Ulyanov and Evgeniy Evstigneev. However, after a few years of his hiatus, Batalov made a successful comeback in 'Moskva slezam ne verit' (1979), which won an Oscar for the Best Foreign Language Film (1981).
In addition to his numerous international awards Batalov was honored with the title of the People's Artist of the USSR (1976). He was decorated and received many Soviet and Russian awards from the state. Batalov was the Dean of the Actors Studio at the Moscow State Film Institute (VGIK) from 1975 to 2005. He taught over 20 acting seminars in the USA and Canada. He also made notable works for the Moscow Radio.
Aleksei Batalov resided and worked in Moscow, Russia, where he died on June 14, 2017.- Tatiana Samoilova (Tatyana Samojlova) is a Russian film actress known
for the leading roles in
The Cranes Are Flying (1957) and
Anna Karenina (1967).
She was born Tatiana Evgenievna Samoilova on May 4, 1934, in Leningrad
(St. Petersburg), Russia. Her father,
Evgeniy Samoylov, was a notable Russian
actor, Her mother, Zinaida Ilyinichna, was Jewish. Young Samojlova
studied music under the tutelage of her mother. During the Second World
War, she escaped from the siege of Leningrad with her parents, and
moved to Moscow. There she studied ballet and graduated from the Ballet
School of Stanislavsky Theatre. She was invited by
Maya Plisetskaya to join the ballet
school of Bolshoi Theatre, but she chose to be a dramatic actress. From
1953-1956 she studied at Shchukin Theatrical School, then at State
Institute of Theatrical Art (GITIS), graduating in 1962, as actress.
While a student, Samojlova made her film debut in Meksikanets (1955).
Samojlova shot to fame with the leading role as Veronika in Letyat
Zhuravli (The Cranes are Flying 1957) by director
Mikhail Kalatozov. In spite of the
initial cold reception by the Soviet officialdom, the film was loved by
public in Russia and internationally. It became the first and only
Russian film to be awarded the Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival
in 1958. Samojlova won a Special Mention at Cannes and was nominated
for Best Foreign Actress BAFTA Film Award in 1959. She received many
offers internationally, and was invited to work in Hollywood, but the
Soviet government forced her to decline any jobs outside the Soviet
Union.
During the 60s, her career stagnated due to overall stagnation in the
USSR under Leonid Brezhnev. In 1960
Samojlova lost her job with Mayakovsky Theatre in Moscow, and was
practically unemployed for several years. Her next success came with
the title role in Anna Karenina (1967), an adaptation of the eponymous
novel by Lev Tolstoy by director
Aleksandr Zarkhi. Samojlova starred as
Anna Karenina opposite her ex-husband
Vasiliy Lanovoy.
During the 80s and 90s, Tatiana Samojlova had a lengthy pause in her
film career. She made a comeback in several TV series in the 2000s. She
was married four times, and has one son. Samojlova was designated
People's Actress of Russia (1993). She is living in Moscow, Russia. - Actor
- Director
- Writer
Aleksandr Shirvindt was born on 19 July 1934 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and director, known for Twelve Chairs (1977), Chao! (1977) and Bezumnyy den ili zhenitba Figaro (1974). He was married to Natalya Nikolaevna Belousova . He died on 15 March 2024 in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Mikhail Gorbachev was the last leader of the Soviet Communist Party. He
initiated the changes known as "perestroika" and "glasnost".
He was born Mikhail Sergeevich Gorbachev into a peasant family on March
2, 1931, in the village of Privolnoe, Stavropol province, Southern
Russia. His father, named Sergei Gorbachev, was a tractor driver. His
mother, named Maria Panteleyeva, was a peasant. His grandparents were
deported and sentenced for nine years under the dictatorship of
Joseph Stalin, for their success in
becoming richer independent farmers known as kulaks. Young Gorbachev
witnessed the destruction of traditional farming and degradation of
villages, that caused massive exodus of people from their land and to
gloomy industrial Soviet cities, where they were doomed to become
brainwashed by propaganda and live in small flats under restricting
political and economic conditions for the rest of their lives. During
the Second World War Gorbachev survived the Nazi occupation of his land
in Stavropol province in 1942-1943. After the war, Gorbachev chose to
remain on his land, although it was now taken by the Communist
Government, the ranks of which he would penetrate later. Gorbachev
privately described his life and work on a Soviet collective farm as
serfdom.
In 1947 Gorbachev shot to fame at the age of 16, after helping his
father, a combine harvester operator, to harvest a record crop on a
collective farm. For this achievement he was awarded the Order of the
Red Banner of Labour and was promoted to the Communist Party at the age
of 21. From 1950 - 1955 he studied law on a State scholarship at Moscow
State University. There he met his future wife, Raisa Maksimovna
Gorbacheva (nee Titarenko), they married in September 1953, and their
daughter, Irina, was born in January 1957. After a brief stint as a
Government Lawyer in Stavropol, Gorbachev made a career as a ranking
leader of Komsomol (Union of Young Communists), then as a Communist
Party leader of Stavropol province, climbing to the ranks as Member of
the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. At
that time Gorbachev made his first travels outside of the Soviet Union.
While the Soviet leaders were manipulating their own people into
submission through fear and control, the West Europeans enjoyed freedom
and prosperity that attracted East Germans and other Soviet satellites.
Gorbachev learned his first lesson on his tour in East Germany,
witnessing their rapid recovery after the Second World War. At the same
time, in 1956, Yuri Andropov and
Georgi Zhukov led the attack on Hungarian
Revolution, and killed thousands of Hungarians who opposed the
Soviet-imposed regime. Then Soviet leadership made more aggressive
international actions by spreading military support to pro-communist
regimes across the world and also by building the Berlin Wall and
enforcing Soviet military and political domination in Eastern Europe.
These Soviet actions alienated Europeans.
Open political discussions in the Soviet Union were not allowed under
threat of prosecution, freedom of speech was never guaranteed, all
media was owned and controlled by the Soviet government and independent
activity was suppressed, and only some fragmented information was made
available to ranking provincial communists, such as Gorbachev. In 1961
he attended the important 22nd Congress of the Communist Party in
Moscow, where Nikita Khrushchev
announced his Utopian plan to surpass the USA per capita income in 20
years. At the same 22nd Congress, upon Khrushchev's instruction,
Gorbachev, among other top communists received a copy of
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's
anti-Stalin publication "One day of Ivan Denisovich" which criticized
the brutality of Gulag prison-camps and the Soviet regime in general.
That gave Gorbachev and some other young communists a hope that
Khrushchev may change the brutal Soviet regime. However, in 1964,
Nikita Khrushchev was arrested and
dismissed by pro-Stalin group led by
Leonid Brezhnev who eventually
established a remake of Stalinism for the next 18 years, albeit in a
more grotesque and senile version of Soviet regime. Then Brezhnev's
regime crushed the Prague Spring of 1968, fought the Chinese Army over
a border dispute in 1969, sent Soviet Tanks and Air Force to Egypt and
Syria against Israel in the 1970s, as well as in North Vietnam against
the French and Americans. At that time Gorbachev and his wife, Raisa
Maksimovna, were allowed to travel to the Western Europe and see the
difference between reality in European countries and its distorted
depiction by the Soviet propaganda. In 1972 he headed the Soviet
official delegation to Belgium, then, in 1974 was made Member of the
Supreme Soviet in charge of the Commission on Youth Affairs. During the
1970s Gorbachev enjoyed a highly privileged life of a ranking
communist, having many perks such as a villa in a suburb of Moscow, a
special limo with a chauffeur and guards, and regular luxurious
vacations in Italy and in the South of France, all at the expense of
the Communist Party. However, this allowed him to see the striking
difference between the quality of life in the Western Europe and gloomy
survival of masses in the Soviet Union.
Gorbachev witnessed that people were living hopeless lives having no
choice. Workers of collective farms lived without identification
documents up until the 1970s. Undocumented citizens at collective farms
were disposable. Migrants were used as industrial slaves, for symbolic
pay. Wages were set by the state and did not depend on productivity or
quality. The economy was governed by the state 5-year plan. This mostly
ignored the world and domestic market signals; and lacked the
incentives for innovation and efficiency. Teachers were forced to
indoctrinate children of all ages from kindergartens through schools
and universities. Total control and manipulation was demonstrated twice
a year at annual May Day parades and Great Revolution parades on
November 7. Military parades were accompanied by marching masses of
industrial workers and managers, doctors and scientists, as well as
teachers and students from all schools and universities. Exemplary
obedient people were rewarded with better food and perks. Taming
millions to obedience by fear and hunger led to a massive degradation
of human rights, poor spirituality, lack of initiative and creativity,
and the decay of public health and vitality. The country of almost
three hundred million people was stuck in stagnation, inefficiency, and
apathy. Brighter students were taken into the military-industrial
system, brainwashed and locked there for life with little choices.
Opponents were locked in the "Gulag" prison-camps, mostly in Siberia.
There, millions were working various hard labor jobs in grand-scale
economic projects; like the Baikal-Amur railroad (BAM). Since the
Communist Revolution of 1917, people had been continually stripped of
their land and property. Under Khrushchev and Brezhnev the destruction
of independent farming was finalized. By the 1960s and 1970s massive
poverty and anxiety pushed millions to migrate to cities.
Mass-construction of cheap panel buildings was lagging behind. Millions
of families shared poor housing, hostels, and dorms in cities. Villages
were deserted. Collective farms decayed. Agricultural output fell below
the levels of the Tsar's age. Tens of thousands of churches and
monasteries were destroyed across the Soviet Union, and many churches
were replaced by offices and halls of the Communist party. Spiritual
life was dominated by ugly propaganda. People were blinded by fear and
pushed to wrong values. Meaningful human virtues were replaced with
fake ideals of ruthless Soviet communism. Propaganda idolized members
of the Soviet Politburo, their portraits were decorating every school
and factory along with countless portraits and statues of the first
Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin.
In November 1979 Gorbachev was promoted Candidate Member of the
Politburo, then less than a year later, he was made Full Member of
Politbureau, the highest rank in the Communist Party which gave him
unlimited direct access to Brezhnev and Andropov. The latter also
promoted Gorbachev to sub for him at several Politburo meetings, and
gave him a huge power in decision-making. Gorbachev developed a
personal friendship with another Politburo member,
Eduard Shevardnadze, and the two
were vacationing together at the prestigious Black sea resort of
Pitsunda. At that time the invasion of Afghanistan, ordered by senile
Brezhnev in 1979, seriously undermined international credibility of the
Soviet Union. Andrei Sakharov wrote an
open letter to Brezhnev calling for a stop to the war. 50 nations
boycotted the 1980 Olympics in Moscow. Crackdown on intellectual
freedom and human rights included the use of psychiatric terror,
arrests, and the exile of dissidents. The head of the KGB
Yuri Andropov declared
Andrei Sakharov the "enemy No. 1."
Sakharov was forcefully exiled from Moscow to the militarized 'closed'
city of Gorky. He was placed under tight surveillance and restricted
from any contacts. His wife was also under tight surveillance. By his
70th birthday Brezhnev's health declined dramatically; but he made
himself a Generalissimus Marshal of the Soviet Union, similar to that
of Joseph Stalin. Brezhnev accepted over 200 decorations and awards,
including awards from all pro-Soviet governments, except China.
Brezhnev accepted countless expensive gifts and amassed a collection of
vintage cars and other bribes. His personal vanity and behavior was
replicated at all levels of the Communist Party and led to massive
corruption. The old Brezhnev lost his acting abilities and couldn't
even read the script. Massive disillusionment was reflected in cynical
jokes about the Soviet life. The ugly reality in the Soviet Union was
reflected in its senile leader. Gorbachev saw that outdated economic
and political system in the Soviet Union was doomed, but propaganda was
still brainwashing the minds of millions, because it was controlled by
the privileged few top communists who lived in denial of the big
reality.
The youngest Politburo Member, Mikhail Gorbachev, was contemplating
reforms. Leonid Brezhnev died on
November 10, 1982, and was succeeded by
Yuri Andropov who died just 16 months
later. He was replaced by
Konstantin Chernenko, who died in
just 13 months. In 1983 Politbureau member Rashidov committed suicide,
then, in 1984 the powerful Defence Minister Ustinov died. While the
Soviet Union was in a dying mode, the real world was rapidly growing
into computer age that reshaped global community. The rigid Soviet
System was incompatible with the constantly innovating world. USSR
failed to respond to rapidly changing reality and alienated
forward-thinking people even in the pro-Soviet countries. During the
early 1980s Soviet Politbureau was torn between two viciously fighting
groups of Communists, one was made of the old hard-liners led by
Andrei Gromyko, the apprentice of
Joseph Stalin. The other, pro-democracy
group, was made of the forward-thinking members of the Politbureau who
chose Gorbachev as their leader along with
Aleksandr Yakovlev who was
the brain behind Gorbachev's moves. With Gorbachev's support Yakovlev
managed to change all hard-liners in the Soviet media and propaganda
system. In March 1985 Gorbachev was made the Secretary General of the
Communist Party of the Soviet Union, becoming the first Soviet leader
to have been born after the disastrous Russian Revolution of 1917. He
announced reforms called 'perestroika' (aka.. restructuring) and
'glasnost' (aka.. opening up), and lifted the walls of propaganda and
denial. However, Gorbachev's first reform on regulations related to
manufacturing and trade of alcohol became an economic disaster, causing
a serious economic damage to the Soviet Union's State budget with
annual losses exceeding tens of billions of dollars. Although his
reforms were supported by public, many communist hard-liners openly
opposed Gorbachev. Eventually, by the late 1980s Gorbachev's push for
economic liberalization resulted in emergence of co-operatives and
other forms of independent businesses, making the movement to freedom
irreversible.
In December of 1986, Gorbachev personally contacted
Andrei Sakharov in his exile. Gorbachev
ordered that the KGB should release Sakharov and return him to Moscow.
Back in Moscow Sakharov continued his work as a humanitarian. A few
months before his death, he was elected as a representative of the
Academy of Sciences to the Supreme Soviet in 1989. Sakharov showed to
the World what an independent thinker can do by going to the extremes
of science. He invented a bomb that could bring the most horrible
extermination of life, and then took a stand to ban his own invention
for the salvation of planet Earth. Gorbachev had important meetings
with Ronald Reagan culminating in
their summit in Reikjavik, Iceland, and leading to a more stable
political and military situation in the world, that resulted in
reunification of Germany and the fall of the Berlin Wall in November of
1989. At that time the Soviet hard-liners criticized Gorbachev's
international moves, saying that he was not a leader, but rather a
follower of Ronald Reagan's
instruction: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down that wall" when the state of
world affairs did not allow Gorbachev to disobey without a risk of
losing his face. He also followed recommendations by Margaret Thatcher
on opening the "Iron Curtain" to allow the Russian people to see the
world and learn about the diverse international reality and travel
freely on their own. A first, Gorbachev skillfully used hidden buttons
within the rigid structure of the Soviet power tainted by the long
tradition of obedience, fear and intimidation, which was installed by
dictator Joseph Stalin within the ranks of
Communist bureaucracy. That fear of the man in Kremlin served
Gorbachev's plans well, as he managed to overcome the resistance of
hard liners in ending the ruling powers of the Communist Party. Soon
Gorbachev began giving away many power buttons in Moscow, which allowed
his rivals to gain strength and independently form opposition groups.
Andrei Gromyko, the last living member of
Joseph Stalin's old Politbureau, had
criticized Gorbachev's methods as "weak leadership" and also said "He
(Gorbachev) is unfit for the Hat" (where the Hat means Kremlin, or an
allusion to the Tsar's crown of power). Such criticism was ignored by
most of the younger members of the Communist Politbureau and Central
Committee, because weak central leadership allowed provincial bosses to
privatize state property at a fraction of its real value.
Gorbachev replaced his hard-line critic
Andrei Gromyko with
Eduard Shevardnadze as the Minister
of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, and both Gorbachev and Shevardnadze
pushed for international détente and withdrawal of the Soviet troops
from Afghanistan. In another effort to add weight to his gradually
eroding power, in March of 1990 Gorbachev updated his official title by
adding a newly created post as President of the Soviet Union, albeit he
was not really a democratically elected president. He surrounded
himself with the political council of 15 top politicians, but he was
lacking the grass-roots connections with masses and mid-level
bureaucracy across the country. At that time Gorbachev began to
experience powerlessness in his efforts to change the gigantic Soviet
system, he was known for expressing his powerlessness by using
profanities and anger at his meetings with the ranks of Soviet
Government and industrial leaders. Gorbachev was facing an impossible
task of modernizing the brittle structure of the Soviet Communism,
especially the massive and inefficient Soviet military-industrial
complex where opposition to reforms was the most organized, and
inefficiency was dissembled as a military secret, like a catch-22, thus
making it unreformable. Gorbachev himself was still perceived as the
Secretary General of the Soviet Communist Party, and that stigma became
the weakest part of his image in the eyes of many open-minded and
quickly learning people in the Soviet Union. His effort to gain
political weight by adding a figure of Vice-President of the Soviet
Union had failed and soon backfired. Gorbachev's fatal mistake was
letting the Members of Politbureau to chose the Vice-President of the
Soviet Union behind closed doors in Kremlin; the "chosen" one was a
career communist Gennadi Yanayev who would very soon betray Gorbachev
during the coup.
Eventually Gorbachev became overshadowed by a much stronger figure of
Boris Yeltsin, who gained more popular
support by pushing further economic and political reforms, and also
criticized Gorbachev's manner of restructuring of the Soviet system as
slow, indecisive and inefficient. The rivalry between two former
Communist comrades ended in the August 1991 coup, when still powerful
KGB and Soviet Army leaders tried to take the power away from both
Gorbachev and Yeltsin. Their coup failed just a couple days later,
after the entire country watched Gennady Yanayev and his coup members
on TV. "Let me say that Mikhail Gorbachev is now on vacation. He is
undergoing treatment, himself, in our country. He is very tired after
all these years and he will need time to get better." said Gennadi
Yanayev before the cameras, and his hands were visibly trembling from
fear. Gorbachev's disappearance during the coup was also seen as his
grave weakness. Boris Yeltsin disposed his
Communist ID card in front of the cameras and publicly denounced
Gorbachev. Then all ranks of communists deserted the Communist Party in
a massive exodus, and that was the end of the Soviet Union. All
regional leaders were anxious to rule as presidents of their own
independent states, and Yeltsin was already elected the president of
Russia, the biggest part of the Soviet Union. Yeltsin met with the
leaders of Ukraine and Belarus and they made a treaty as independent
states. By the end of December 1991 the Soviet Union became obsolete
and Gorbachev retired after a formal signing of dissolution of the
USSR.
Mikhail Gorbachev is still regarded in the Western world for his input
in ending the Cold War and helping the reunification of Germany. He was
awarded the Nobel Peace Prize (1990) and received numerous
international awards, decorations and privileges, such as the Honorary
German Citizenship. However, in Russia Gorbachev's political standing
failed to gain any substantial public support. He received less than 1%
of popular vote in the 1996 presidential elections in Russia, when his
former rival Boris Yeltsin was elected for
his second presidential term. In 2001 Gorbachev founded the Social
Democratic Party of Russia, but later, in 2003, he had resigned from
the party leadership and stayed away from most of the current Russian
political forces and media. In contrast to Gorbachev's popularity all
over the world, he fell in obscurity in Russia, largely because in the
new era of the wild Russian capitalism his outdated views and
experience became obsolete. Instead he turned to business of giving
lecture tours and speeches internationally and selling photo-ops with
him for money that goes to humanitarian causes; he also sold his name
and image to commercials such as the Pizza Hut and other businesses. He
has been running the business of the Gorbachev Foundation, which
handles his international appearances, while keeping a low profile in
the current political life of Russia. In 2005 he was awarded the Point
Alpha Prize for his role in re-unification of Germany. In 2006
Gorbachev underwent a carotid artery surgery in Munich, Germany.- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Dziga Vertov was born on 2 January 1896 in Bialystok, Grodno Governorate, Russian Empire [now Podlaskie, Poland]. He was a director and writer, known for Man with a Movie Camera (1929), Three Songs About Lenin (1934) and The Sixth Part of the World (1926). He was married to Elizaveta Svilova. He died on 12 February 1954 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Actor
- Writer
Innokenti Smoktunovsky (birth name Smoktunovich) was born in Siberian
village of Tatianovka near Tomsk in 1925. There were some speculations that his ancestors were of Polish nobility or of Jewish ethnicity and that they were exiled to Siberia for participating in the January Uprising of 1863. But, according to Smoktunovsky's own words, his ancestors were Belarusian peasants who were sent to Siberia after his grand-grandfather - a guard in the Bialowieza Forest - shot a wisent without permission. His father was killed in WWII. Smoktunovsky was drafted in the Red Army during WWII and was seized by the Nazis as a POW. He was on the road to a concentration camp, but managed to escape from the Nazis. He joined the partisans and served until the end of WWII. After the war he was under suspicion as a former POW and his career was limited to Siberia.
He studied acting for one year at the drama-studio of the Krasnoyarsk
Drama Theater (1946). He found employment at the Norilsk Zapolyarny
Drama Theater, where his friend and partner was Georgi Zhzhyonov, among other
exiled actors. Both friends later starred in 'Beregis avtomobilya (1966)', directed by
Eldar Ryazanov. But his film career started with director Mikhail Romm in 'Ubiystvo
na ulitse Dante (1956), and in 'Soldaty (1956)' with director 'Aleksandr Ivanov'.
Smoktunovsky was praised by Laurence Olivier for the leading role in 'Hamlet
(1964)', a B&W screen version directed by Grigoriy Kozintsev. Leading roles in
Tchaikovsky (1969), 'Uncle Vanya (1970)', were among the highlights in film career
of this great Russian actor. He worked with Georgi Tovstonogov from
1957-72 on stage of the Bolshoi Drama Theater (BDT) in Leningrad. He
later moved to Moscow, where he worked at the Maly Theater and at the
Moscow Art Theater (MKHAT). Smoktunovsky wrote an autobiographical book
titled "They left me alive", in which he described his survival in
Siberia, in WWII, and back again in Siberia, where he started his
brilliant acting career.- Music Department
- Composer
- Writer
Dmitri Shostakovich, one of Russian culture's most acclaimed
intellectuals who was censored under the dictatorship of
Joseph Stalin, was an internationally
recognized composer whose music was in over 100 films.
He was born Dmitri Dmitrievich Shostakovich on September 25, 1906, in
St. Petersburg, Russia. He was the second of three children of Dmitri
Boleslavovich Shostakovich, a chemical engineer, and Sofia Kokaoulina,
a pianist. Young Shostakovich studied piano under his mother tutelage
and at a private school in St. Petersburg. His greatest influences were
Johann Sebastian Bach,
Ludwig van Beethoven and
Modest Mussorgsky. From 1919-1925 he
studied piano and composition at St. Petersburg (Leningrad)
Conservatory. He wrote his First "Classical" symphony as his graduation
piece. In 1927 he won an "honorable mention diploma" at the 1st
International Piano Competition in Warsaw. In 1929 he collaborated with
writer Vladimir Mayakovsky, artist
Alexander Rodchenko and director
Vsevolod Meyerhold.
In 1934 Shostakovich collaborated with
Aleksei Dikij on the legendary opera
Katerina Izmailova" (aka Lady Makbeth of Mtsensk). Dikij's production
of "Katerina Izmailova" had over 100 performances in Leningrad and
Moscow, and was considered a highlight in his directing career.
However, in 1936, the opera was severely criticized by some critics on the Pravda, the Communist Party's official newspaper, and accused of formalism and intellectualism.
In the summer of 1941 Nazi Germany and its allies invaded the Soviet
Union, and German and Finnish forces and encircled Leningrad (St.
Petersburg). Defenders and civilians in besieged Leningrad were doomed,
because the besieging forces cut supplies of food and energy to the
surrounded city. It wasn't long before the city's population of birds,
pets and even rats were eaten, and not long after there were reports of
cannibalism brought about by starvation. The siege of Leningrad was so
impenetrable that by December of that year an average of 4000 to 6000
residents a day were dying of starvation, disease, shellfire,
bombardment and a variety of other causes.
During the first months of the siege Shostakovich was in Leningrad. He
survived the first bombardments and joined the "night watch" patrol,
helping to put out fires during massive German air bombardments.
Shostakovich personally neutralized several incendiary bombs and was
actively involved in firefighting. After aerial and artillery
bombardments, during the rare quiet moments, Shostakovich was back to
his piano composing new music. He was evacuated from the besieged city
in the end of 1941.
The Seventh "Leningrad" Symphony, which Shostakovich started composing
during the Nazi aerial and artillery attacks during the siege, was the
masterpiece that won him national and international recognition.
His music helped lift the spirits of Leningrad citizens in
a time when they were struggling to survive.
On August 9, 1942, Karl Eliasberg gave a
premiere performance of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony in Leningrad.
That famous concert was made possible because Eliasberg specially
created an orchestra of survivors who were still able to perform in
spite of starvation and dystrophy.
Eliasberg, who was also extremely emaciated, spent some time in the
hospital in the Astoria hotel and came to the rehearsals straight from
the sick ward. On the score of one of the musicians of that legendary
orchestra you can still see a drawing showing hollow-cheeked Eliasberg
conducting his orchestra sitting on a chair. The legendary performance
was broadcast live from the Radio Hall in Leningrad, so millions of
civilians and defenders of the besieged city were able to hear the
powerful music. The symphony written in the conventional four movements
is Shostakovich's longest, and one of the longest in the repertoire,
with performances taking approximately one hour and fifteen minutes.
The scale and scope of the work is consistent with Shostakovich's other
symphonies as well as with those of composers considered to be his
strongest influences, including Bruckner,
Gustav Mahler and
Igor Stravinsky.
Before they tackled Shostakovich's work, Eliasberg had the players go
through pieces from the standard repertoire -
Ludwig van Beethoven,
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky,
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov - which
they also performed for broadcast. Because the city was still blockaded
at the time, the score was flown by night in early July for rehearsal.
The concert was given on 9 August 1942. Whether this date was chosen
intentionally, it was the day Hitler had chosen previously to celebrate
the fall of Leningrad with a lavish reception for the top Nazi
commanders. But instead of Hitler's plan, all loudspeakers delivered
the live broadcast of the symphony performance throughout the city as
well as to the German forces in a move of psychological warfare. The
Russian commander of the Leningrad front, General Govorov, ordered a
bombardment of German artillery positions in advance of the broadcast
to ensure their silence during the performance of the symphony; a
special operation, code-named "Squall," was executed for precisely this
purpose. Three thousand high-caliber shells were lobbed onto the enemy.
Then the music of Shostakovich came out of the speakers all over the
siege perimeter, so the Nazis had to face the music.
The music of Shostakovich brought the much needed support and catharsis
to survivors who loved the symphony and applauded to Eliasberg and his
orchestra. General Govorov with his staff came backstage to thank
Eliasberg and his musicians for their art and courage.
The news about Dmitry Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony premiere in
besieged Leningrad spread all over the world. It was an important
message to all nations that Hitler's attack on Leningrad failed.
Shostakovich who began to write his famous symphony before evacuation
from besieged Leningrad in 1941, could not go back to attend its
premier performance in 1942. The composer sent the conductor and the
musicians who performed his work in the besieged city a telegram with
words of gratitude.
After WWII Shostakovich was again accused of formalism in 1948. At that time, Shostakovich gained international recognition in
the free world, and received several invitations to participate in
music festivals and other cultural events. He was awarded the International Peace Prize (1954), State Prize five
times (in 1941-1952), State Prizes of Russia and the USSR, and was
designated People's Artist of the USSR. From 1957-1975 he was secretary
of the Union of Composers of Russia and the USSR. He taught and
promoted many talented musicians, such as
Andrey Petrov,
Georgi Sviridov,
Karen Khachaturyan, and
Boris Tishchenko among others.
Shostakovich and Yevgeniy Yevtushenko worked together on the
famous Symphony No. 13 titled "Babi Yar", a vocal setting of poems by
Yevtushenko. It was first performed in Moscow on December 18, 1962
under the baton of Kirill Kondrashin.
Yevtushenko and Shostakovich toured many countries with the
performances of "Babi Yar", and made several recordings of the Symphony
No. 13. Among Shostakovich's best known film
scores are 'Suite from The Gadfly' from
The Gadfly (1955), and the score for director
Grigoriy Kozintsev's acclaimed film
Hamlet (1964) starring
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy.
In 1965 Shostakovich raised his voice in defense of poet
Joseph Brodsky, who was
sentenced to five years of exile and hard labor. Shostakovich co-signed
protests together with such prominent figures as
Korney Ivanovich Chukovskiy,
Anna Akhmatova,
Samuil Marshak,
Yevgeniy Yevtushenko, and the French
philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre. After the
protests his sentence was commuted, and Brodsky returned to Leningrad. At that time, Shostakovich joined the group of 25
distinguished intellectuals in signing the letter to
Leonid Brezhnev asking not to
rehabilitate Joseph Stalin.
Dmitri Shostakovich was a towering figure in Russian music of the 20th
century along with
'Sergei Prokofiev (I)' and
Aram Khachaturyan. He wrote 15
symphonies, of which the Fifth (1937), the Sevenths "Leningrad" (1942),
and the Thurteenth "Baby Yar" (1968) are the best known. His other
compositions include cantatas and oratorios, seven operas and
operettas, four ballets, twelve musical comedies and other music for
stage plays, 36 original motion picture scores, fifteen quartets and
other chamber music for, piano, violin, and cello. Shostakovich, who
was an awarded pianist himself, had composed outstanding works for
piano, such as his Piano concertos No1 and No2. His 24 Preludes and
Fugues for piano received numerous awards and recognitions, and were
recorded in critically acclaimed performance by
Vladimir Ashkenazy.
Shostakovich died of a heart attack on august 9, 1975, in Moscow, and
was laid to rest in Novodevichi Convent Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. His
legacy is continued by his son, conductor Maxim Shostakovich, and his
grandson, pianist Dmitri Shostakovich Jr.- Additional Crew
Joseph Stalin (a code name meaning "Man of Steel") was born Iosif
(Joseph) Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili in 1878 in Gori, Georgia, the
Transcaucasian part of the Russian Empire. His father was a cobbler
named Vissarion Dzhugashvili, a drunkard who beat him badly and
frequently and left the family when Joseph was young. His mother,
Ekaterina Gheladze, supported herself and her son (her other three
children died young and Jopseph was effectively an only child) by
taking in washing. She managed, despite great hardship, to send Joseph
to school and then on to Tiflis Orthodox Theological Seminary in
Tbilisi, hoping he would become a priest. However, after three years of
studies he was expelled in 1899, for not attending an exam and for
propagating communist ideas and the books of
Karl Marx.
Since 1898, Stalin became active in the Communist underground as the
organizer of a powerful gang involved in a series of armed robberies.
After robbing several banks in southern Russia, Stalin delivered the
stolen money to Vladimir Lenin to finance the
Communist Party. Stalin's gang was also involved in the murders of its
political opponents; Stalin himself was arrested seven times,
repeatedly imprisoned, and twice exiled to Siberia between 1902 and
1913. During those years he changed his name twice and became more
closely identified with revolutionary Marxism. He escaped many times
from prison and was shuttling money between Lenin and other communists
in hiding, where his intimacy with Lenin and Bukharin grew, as did his
dissatisfaction with fellow Communist leader
Lev Trotskiy. In 1912 he was co-opted on to
the illegal Communist Central Committee. At that time he wrote
propaganda articles, and later edited the Communist paper, "Pravda"
(Truth). As Lenin's apprentice he joined the Communist majority
(Bolsheviks), and was responsible for the consolidation of several
secret communist cells into a larger ring. Stalin's Communist ring in
St. Petersburg and across Russia played the leading role in the Russian
Revolution of 1917. After the revolution the Bolsheviks Communists
grabbed the power, then Communists murdered the Tsar and the Russian
royal family. Stalin and Lenin took over the Tsar's palaces and used
the main one in Kremlin as their private residence.
Lenin appointed Stalin the People's Commissar for Nationalities in the
first Soviet government and a member of the Communist Politburo, thus
giving him unlimited power. Stalin led the "Reds" against
anti-Communist forces known as the "Whites" and also in the war with
Poland. He also organized "Red Terror" in Tsaritsin (later renamed
Stalingrad). With his appointment as General Secretary to the Party
Central Committee in 1922, a post he held for the next 30 years, until
his death, he consolidated the power that would ensure his control of
the country after Lenin's death in 1924. He also took, or gave himself,
other key positions that enabled him to amass total power in the Party
and Soviet government.
Stalin was known for his piercing eyes and terrifying stare, which he
used to cow his opponents into submission during private discussions.
In 1927 Stalin requested medical help for his insomnia, anger and
severe anxiety disorder. His doctors diagnosed him as having "typical
clinical paranoia" and recommended medical treatment. Instead, Stalin
became angry and summoned his secret service agents. The next day the
chief psychiatrist, Dr. Bekhterev, and his assistants died of
poisoning. In addition, before the doctors' diagnosis about Stalin's
mental condition could become known, he ordered the executions of
intellectuals, resulting in the murders of hundreds of thousands of
doctors, professors, writers, and others.
Stalin's policy of amassing dictatorial power under the guise of
building "socialism in the country" resulted in brutal extermination of
all real and perceived anti-Communist opposition. His purges of the
Soviet military brought about the execution of tens of thousands of
army officers, many of them experienced combat veterans of the
Revolution, the Civil War, the Polish campaigns and other military
operations (this decimation of the Russian officer corps would result
in the Soviet Union's initial defeats at the hands of Nazi invaders at
the beginning of World War II). He also isolated and disgraced his
political rivals, notably Trotsky. Stalin's economic policies of strict
centralized planning (i.e., the "five-year plans") resulted in the near
ruination of the Soviet economy and mass famines in many areas of the
Soviet Union, notably in Central Russia and the Ukraine. Popular
resistance to Stalin's policies, such as nationalization of private
lands and collective farming, by independent farmers ("kulaks"),
brought about brutal retaliation, in which millions of kulaks were
either forced off their land or executed outright. Altogether Stalin's
economic and political policies resulted in the deaths of up to 10
million peasants during 1926-1934. Between 1934 and 1939 he organized
and led massive purge (known as "The Great Terror") of the party,
government, armed forces and intelligentsia, in which millions of
so-called "enemies of the Soviet people" were imprisoned, exiled or
executed. In the late 1930s, Stalin sent some Red Army forces and
material to support the Spanish Republican government in its fight
against the rebels led by Gen.
Francisco Franco and aided by
troops and material from Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy.
Stalin made the Non-Aggression Pact with
Adolf Hitler in 1939, which bought the
Soviet Union two years' respite from involvement in World War 2. After
the German invasion in 1941, the USSR became a member of the Grand
Alliance and Stalin, as war leader, assumed the title of
Generalissimus. He had no formal military training and scorned the
advice of his senior officers, due to suspicion and his rising
paranoia, actions that resulted in horrific losses to the Russian
military in both men and material (not to mention civilian losses). He
rejected military plans made by such experienced officers as Marshal
Georgi Zhukov, and insisted they be
replaced by his own plans, which led to even more horrific losses.
Towards the end of WWII he took part in the conferences of Teheran,
Yalta and Potsdam with
Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Winston Churchill, Harry S. Truman and Clement Attlee. The agreements reached
in those conferences resulted in Soviet military and political control
over the liberated countries of postwar Castern and Central Europe.
From 1945 until his death Stalin resumed his repressive measures at
home, resulting in censorship of the arts, literature and cinema,
forced exiles of hundreds of thousands and the executions of
intellectuals and other potential "enemies of the state". At that time
he conducted foreign policies that contributed to the Cold War between
the Soviet Union and the West. Stalin had little interest in family
life, although he was married twice and had several mistresses. His
first wife (Ekaterina Svanidze, married c. 1904) died three years after
their marriage and left a son, Jacob (also known as Yacov), an officer
in the Russian army during World War II who was captured by the Nazis
and died in a POW camp (his father refused German offers to exchange
him for captured German officers). His second wife (Nadezhda
Alliluyeva, married 1919) attempted to moderate his politics, but she
died by suicide, leaving a daughter,
Svetlana Alliluyeva, and an
alcoholic son, Vasili Stalin, who later
died in exile. Increasingly paranoid, Stalin launched attacks on such
intellectuals as Osip Mandelstam,
Vsevolod Meyerhold,
Anna Akhmatova,
Dmitri Shostakovich,
Sergei Prokofiev,
Boris Pasternak,
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and many
other cultural luminaries. Stalin personally intervened in the fate of
"counterrevolutionary" Yiddish writers and changed their sentences from
exile to execution. Thirteen of them were executed by the Soviet secret
police; their leader, Perets Markish, was
executed in the typical KGB manner by a single gunshot to the head on
August 12, 1952, in Moscow.
Stalin died suddenly on March 5, 1953, under somewhat mysterious
circumstances, after announcing his intention to arrest Jewish doctors,
whom he believed were plotting to kill him. The "official" cause of
death was announced as brain hemorrhage. Stalin's apprentice,
Georgi Malenkov, took the power, but was
soon ousted by Nikita Khrushchev.
Three years after death, Stalin was posthumously denounced by
Nikita Khrushchev at the 20th Party
Congress in 1956 for crimes against the Party and for building a "cult
of personality." In 1961 Stalin's body was removed from Lenin's
Mausoleum, where it had been displayed since his death, and buried near
the Kremlin wall. In 1964
Leonid Brezhnev dismissed Khrushchev and
brought back some of Stalin's hard-line policies. After 1986
Mikhail Gorbachev initiated a series
of liberal political reforms known as "glasnost" and "perstroika", and
many of Stalin's victims were posthumously rehabilitated, and the whole
phenomenon of "Stalinism" was officially condemned by the Russian
authorities.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Vasiliy Utkin was born on 6 March 1972 in Balashikha, Moscow region, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for Poka noch ne razluchit (2012), Election Day (2007) and View (1987). He died on 19 March 2024 in Moscow, Russia.- Mikhail A. Bulgakov was a Russian writer and medical doctor known for
big screen adaptations of his books, such as
Beg (1971) and
Master i Margarita (2006).
He was born Mikhail Afanasievich Bulgakov on May 15, 1891, in Kiev,
Russia (now Kiev, Ukraine). He was the first of six children in the
family of a theology professor. His family belonged to the intellectual
elite of Kiev. Bulgakov with his brothers took part in the
demonstration commemorating the death of
Lev Tolstoy. Bulgakov graduated with honors
from the Medical School of Kiev University in 1915. He married his
classmate Tatiana Lippa, who became his assistant at surgeries and in
his Doctor's office. He practiced medicine, specializing in venereal
and other infectious diseases from 1915 to 1919.
Bulgakov wrote about his experiences as a doctor in his early works
"Notes of a Young Doctor." In 1917-1919, he suffered from an infection
that caused him an unbearable painful itch requiring him to take
morphine; which he became addicted to, but he managed to overcome the
dependency and quit. He joined the anti-communist White Army in the
Russian Civil War. After the Civil War, he tried to emigrate from
Russia, to reunite with his brother in Paris. But he became trapped in
Soviet Russia. Several times he was almost killed by opposing forces on
both sides of the Russian Civil War, but soldiers needed doctors, so
Bulgakov was left alive. He provided medical help to the Chehchens,
Caucasians, Cossacs, Russians, the Whites, the Reds... Bulgakov was the
Doctor to all the sick people.
In 1921, Bulgakov moved to Moscow. There he became a writer and made
friends with Valentin Kataev,
Yuriy Olesha,
Ilya Ilf,
Yevgeni Petrov, and
Konstantin Paustovsky. Later, he
met Mikhail Zoschenko,
Anna Akhmatova,
Viktor Ardov,
Sergey Mikhalkov, and
Korney Ivanovich Chukovskiy. Bulgakov's plays at
the Moscow Art Theatre were directed by
Konstantin Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.
"Days of the Turbins," about the demise of the White Army, was
performed more than 200 times at the Moscow Art Theatre, and also at
other Soviet theatres until it was banned.
The play was later restored to the repertoire and at least fifteen
performances of this play were attended by
Joseph Stalin. Stalin liked the play and
later, in his official speeches, he used some of the well-written lines
that were spoken from the stage by the Bulgakov's characters. In 1941,
after the Nazi invasion in Russia during the Second World War,
Joseph Stalin started his first radio
address to the people of the Soviet Union with Bulgakov's words from
the play, "Brothers and Sisters..."
Bulgakov's political independence was expressed in his article on the
death of the first Soviet dictator
Vladimir Lenin, "He killed a river of people..."
wrote Bulgakov in 1924.
Bugakov's own way of life and his witty criticism of the ugly realities
of life in the Soviet Union caused him much trouble. In 1925 he
released 'Heart of a Dog', a bitter satire about the loss of civilized
values in Russia under the Soviet system. Soon after, Bulgakov was
interrogated by the Soviet secret service, OGPU. After interrogations,
his personal diary and several unfinished works were confiscated by the
secret service.
His plays were banned in all theaters, which terminated his income.
Being financially broke, he wrote to his brother in Paris about his
terrible life and poverty in Moscow. Bulgakov distanced himself from
the Proletariat Writer's Union because he refused to write about the
peasants and proletariat. He made adaptation of the "Dead Souls" by
Nikolay Gogol for the stage; it became a
success but was abruptly banned.
He took a risk and wrote a letter to
Joseph Stalin with an ultimatum: "Let me
out of the Soviet Union, or restore my work at the theaters." On the
18th of April of 1930, Bulgakov received a telephone call from
Joseph Stalin. The dictator told the
writer to fill an employment application at the Moscow Art Theater.
Gradually, Bulgakov's plays were back in the repertoire of the Moscow
Art Theatre. But most other theatres were in fear and did not stage any
of the Bulgakov's plays for many years.
Joseph Stalin, who was increasingly
paranoid, ordered massive extermination of intellectuals during the
repressions known as the "Great Terror" (aka.. Great Purge). Many of
Bulgakov's friends and colleagues, like
Vladimir Mayakovsky, Osip
Mandelstam, Vsevolod Meyerhold,
Anna Akhmatova,
Mikhail Zoschenko and many others were
censored, banned, prosecuted, exiled, imprisoned, executed, found dead,
or just disappeared without a trace.
At that time Bulgakov started his masterpiece - "Master and Margarita."
It was slowly evolving from the series of chapters, initially titled
"The Black Magician" in 1929. That was changed to "The Prince of
Darkness" in 1930. Then it was changed again to "The Great Chancellor"
in 1934. Finally, the novel was titled as "Master and Margarita" in
1934 and was rewritten and updated constantly until the writer's death
in 1940.
While writing the novel, Bulgakov met Elena Sergeevna Shilovskaya, who
became his wife. She was, in part, the model for Margarita in the
novel. Secret service agents were spying on Bulgakov and learned about
his new novel. Bulgakov was interrogated again and was ordered to
destroy the manuscript under the threat from the government agents. He
had to be very cautious. Bulgakov split the manuscript in two parts and
destroyed one half in a fire.
Soon, he restored the missing part from memory and continued writing
the novel. He was writing the novel in secrecy, hiding its manuscript
for many years until his death in 1940. The main character in the
novel, Voland, alludes to Stalin, or Beria, or any dictator who plays a
semi-god. Voland was modeled after Satan in "Faust" by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The novel
has many parallels with the Bible and the "Divine Comedy" by
Dante Alighieri. The characters and
events in "Master and Margarita" are alluding to Bulgakov's experiences
in Moscow under the dictatorship of
Joseph Stalin.
Five days before his death, Bulgakov accepted an unusual promise from
his loving wife. She swore to live a humble life and wait as long as it
would take for Bulgakov's masterpiece to be published. The original
manuscript of "The Master and Margarita" was preserved by Bulgakov's
wife, Elena Sergeevna, until its first publication in 1966. It is a
Menippean satire, a cross-genre comedy, drama, and fantasy, regarded by
many as the best of the 20th century Russian novels.
Mikhail Bulgakov died of a kidney failure, on March 10, 1940, in
Moscow. He was laid to rest in the Novodevichy Monastery Cemetery, next
to other Russian cultural luminaries. - Lyubov Polishchuk was born on 21 May 1949 in Omsk, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. She was an actress, known for Tayna chyornykh drozdov (1983), Persiki i perchiki. Kurtuaznye istorii (2003) and Moya prekrasnaya nyanya (2004). She was married to Sergey Tsigal and Valeriy Makarov. She died on 28 November 2006 in Moscow, Russia.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Leonid Iovich Gaidai was born on January 30, 1923, in the town of
Svobodny, Amur region of Siberia, USSR. He was the third child in the
family of a railroad worker. His father, named Iov Isidorovich Gaidai,
was exiled to Siberia from Poltava, Ukraine. His mother, named Maria
Ivanovna Lubimova, came from the Russian city of Ryazan. In 1930 the
family moved to the Siberian city of Irkutsk. There Gaidai went to
school and graduated in June of 1941.
In 1941, during the Nazi occupation of Russia in the Second World War,
Gaidai was drafted in the Red Army. He was assigned to the front-line
Army intelligence at the Kalinin Front near Moscow. Because he spoke
German, he was involved in clandestine intelligence operations against
the Nazi invaders. In 1943 he was seriously wounded, when he stepped on
a land mine. He became physically handicapped and was decorated for his
courage. He was discharged with honors as a disabled veteran of WWII.
Gaidai went back to Siberian city of Irkutsk, There he studied acting
at the Drama Studio of the Irkutsk Drama Theatre. He graduated in 1947,
and was an actor of that theatre until 1949. From 1949-1955 he studied
as film director at State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) under
Grigoriy Aleksandrov, Mikhail Romm and Ivan Pyrev. From 1955 Gaidai was a film director at
the Mosfilm Studios under his mentor Mikhail Romm. Gaidai used literary
material by Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov, Mikhail A. Bulgakov, Mikhail Zoschenko, and O. Henry among
other writers.
His early films of the 1950's had little success. In the 1960's Gaidai
created the "goldmine" with comedians Yuriy Nikulin, Georgiy Vitsin, Evgeniy Morgunov, and
Aleksandr Demyanenko. Comedies with those actors were the highest-grossing box
office hits ever in the Soviet Union with the attendance of 222,800,000
in the first 15 months. Total admissions of the Gaidai's comedies
during the 1960's only in the USSR exceeded 600,000,000 without
counting the reruns and the international sales.
During the 1970s and 1980s Gaidai worked with the best comedians of the
Soviet cinema, such as Evgeniy Leonov, Leonid Kuravlyov, Archil Gomiashvili, Mikhail Pugovkin, Yuriy Yakovlev and
many other renown actors. Alhough the inevitable changes in society
during "perestroika" affected the film industry, Gaidai's films still
remained on the top. Gaidai's comedies on video even gained popularity
after the collapse of the Soviet Union. In a 1995 poll in Russia,
'Brilliantovaya ruka' (1968) was voted the best Russian comedy ever.
Financial success did not reach Gaidai personally, he lived in a co-op
flat and had the same one car, "Lada", driven by his wife, actress
Nina Grebeshkova for many years. She was the fortress behind his success by
being a quiet help and never demanding more than they had. She
described her husband, Gaidai, as being similar to the popular
character 'Shurik' in his films. Leonid Gaidai died of thrombo-embolic
disease and complications of his WWII wounds on November 19, 1993, in
Moscow. He was laid to rest in the Kuntsevsky Cemetery in Moscow,
Russia.- Actor
- Music Department
- Composer
Vladimir Vysotsky was an iconic Russian actor, singer-songwriter and
public figure, who wrote over 700 songs and gave over 2000 public and
private performances as an anti-establishment singer of the 60s and 70s
in the former Soviet Union. He was one of the Soviet Union's boldest
and most celebrated actors who promoted individual freedom and helped
lift Russian youth out of the state of apathy and fear under the Soviet
dictator Brezhnev. In the movies, Vysotsky was best known as nifty
detective Zheglov in
The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979)
by director Stanislav Govorukhin.
He was born Vladimir Semenovich Vysotsky on 25 January 1938, in Moscow,
then the capital of the Soviet Union. His father, Semen Volfovich
Vysotsky, was Jewish; he served in the Red Army during WWII, and was
decorated for his courage rising to the rank of a Colonel. His mother,
Nina Maximovna Seregina, was Russian; she worked as Russian-German
interpreter. During WWII, Vladimir Vysotsky with his mother escaped
from the advancing Nazis by evacuation from Moscow to Orenburg province
in Siberia. After the war, the parents divorced and he was living with
his father and stepmother in a Soviet Military garrison in East
Germany. There, from 1947 to 1949, Vladimir Vysotsky was taking piano
lessons; he also became an avid movie watcher.
Upon returning to Moscow in the fall of 1949, he settled on Bolshoi
Karetny, and went to the all-boys school No 186, from which he
graduated in 1955. While at school, he attended the drama class of V.
Bogomolov, an actor of the Moscow Art Theatre. From 1956 to 1960, he
studied acting under Pavel Massalsky and
Boris Vershilov at the Moscow Art Theatre Studio, graduating in 1960 as
actor. He briefly worked at Moscow Pushkin Drama, then joined the
troupe at the Taganka Theatre. Vysotsky made his film debut in
Sverstnitsy (1959).
In 1961, in Leningrad, during filming of
713 prosit posadku (1962)
Vladimir Vysotsky met actress
Lyudmila Abramova who became his wife
and mother of his two sons
Arkady Vysotsky (born 1962) and
Nikita Vysotskiy (born 1964). He was
later married to the French-Russian actress Marina Vlady. During the
70s, he toured all over the former USSR and also made stage appearances
in France, USA, Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Yugoslavia.
Breaking all traditions, Vysotsky appeared as Hamlet with the guitar in
the Shakespare's play directed by
Yuriy Lyubimov. Vysotsky's Hamlet, dressed
as a contemporary young man and playing his guitar, shook the Moscow
establishment by overthrowing the traditional interpretation of the
Shakespearean character. Vysotsky's shows was always sold out, and
tickets to his performances were the most demanded "currency" in
Moscow.
His opposition to Soviet authorities resulted in periodic bans of his
songs. In 1968 Vysotsky wrote an open letter to the leading Soviet
newspaper "Pravda" asking for fairness and equal rights; he requested
that the official ban on his songs shall be lifted. That same year the
first official recording of Vysotsky's songs from the film
Vertikal (1966) was released on Melodia
label and quickly became the best-selling record in the Soviet Union.
However, the Soviet authorities stubbornly suppressed Vysotsky's film
and music career, causing him much moral pain and suffering.
During the late 60s and 70s Vysotsky had problems with drugs and
alcohol and suffered of a severe heart disorder which sent him into
cardiac arrests on several occasions. In one case, his wife, Marina
Vlady, noticed that he collapsed at home and saved his life by calling
an ambulance, so he was hospitalized. He died while asleep at his home
in Moscow, on 25 July, 1980. His death caused a considerable mourning
in Russia. Thousands lined up to attend his funeral at Vagankovskoe
Cemetery in Moscow. His numerous fans across Russia and the world
continue the tradition of memorial concerts and gatherings on the 25th
of July every year. His flower-adorned grave is a site of pilgrimage
for his fans.
Vladimir Vysotsky's remarkable voice and style has been a lasting
influence on many of Russia's actors and musicians. Though he was
ostracized by the Soviet officialdom, he achieved remarkable fame
during his lifetime, and remains a towering figure in Russian popular
culture. Among his most notable followers and devotees are
Mikhail Boyarskiy and
Yuriy Shevchuk.- Georgiy Taratorkin was born on 11 January 1945 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR [now St. Petersburg, Russia]. He was an actor, known for Crime and Punishment (1970), Lyubov imperatora (2002) and Otklonenie - nol (1978). He was married to Ekaterina Markova. He died on 4 February 2017 in Moscow, Russia.
- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Eldar Aleksandrovich Ryazanov was born on November 18, 1927 in Samara,
Russia. He graduated with honors from the Soviet State Institute of
Cinematography (VGIK) in 1950, as a film director. He was making
documentaries for five years. In 1955 Ryazanov came to work at the
Mosfilm Studios under the direction of
Ivan Pyrev, who produced Ryazanov's first
feature film 'Karnavalnaya Noch' (Carnival in Moscow, 1956). It was an
instant box office hit starring
Lyudmila Gurchenko and
Igor Ilyinsky.
Ryazanov's early comedies 'Devushka bez adresa' (1957), 'Gusarskaya
ballada' (1962), 'Dayte zhalobnuyu knigu' (1963) were popular in the
time of the cultural "Thaw" which was initiated by
Nikita Khrushchev. However Ryazanov's
film 'Chelovek niotkuda' (1961) was banned by the Soviet censorship,
regardless of the fine acting by
Sergey Yurskiy and
Anatoliy Papanov. 'Beregis avtomobilya'
(Watch Out for the Automobile, 1966) is arguably the most popular of
Ryazanov's comedies. In that film Ryazanov worked with the stellar
cast, including such actors, as Innokenti Smoktunovsky , Oleg Yefremov,
Anatoli Papanov, Georgi Zhzhyonov, Yevgeni Yevstigneyev, Andrei Mironov
(I), Olga Aroseva, Donatas Banionis, and other Russian film stars.
The music
score for the film was written by the brilliant composer
Andrey Petrov.
Ryazanov created his own style of lyrical comedy with a soft satire on
the Soviet life. His 'Zigzag udachi', with
Evgeniy Leonov in the leading role, was a
nice fairy tale for the Soviet people. 'Stariki-razboyniki', starring
Yuriy Nikulin,
Evgeniy Evstigneev, and
Andrey Mironov was a
crime-parody. His extremely popular TV-movie 'Ironiya sidby, ili S
lyogkim parom!' (Irony of Fate, 1975 TV) was a big hit of the 70's and
later turned into a nostalgic cult. It is shown every New Year's Eve as
a tradition in the former Soviet Union.
Actors Andrey Myagkov,
Yuriy Yakovlev,
Barbara Brylska, and
Aleksandr Shirvindt are working
together as one acting ensemble. Two years later Ryazanov directed
another hit, 'Sluzhebny roman' (1977), where Andrei Myagkov made a nice
duet with 'Alisa Freindlikh'.
Eldar Ryazanov wrote and directed 'Garazh' (1979). Ryazanov delivers a
dazzling array of Soviet characters and situations in this film,
ranging from funny, bitter, and sarcastic, to greedy, manipulative, and
scary stupid. In somewhat a departure from comedy, Ryazanov brings
the theme of "Gulag" prison-camp in 'Vokzal dlya dvoikh' (1982). Still
the film is full of Ryazanov's warm humor and also benefits from the
performances of Lyudmila Gurchenko
and Oleg Basilashvili. 'Ruthless
Romance' (1984) is the Ryazanov's adaptation of the 19th century story
by 'Aleksandr Ostrovsky'. His latest film is
Andersen. Zhizn bez lyubvi (2006).- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
Jackson Gillis was the middle son of three boys born to Ridgway M.
Gillis (a civil engineer for the Washington State Highway Department)
and Marjorie Lyman. In the late 1920s the Gillis family moved to
California, settling first in Fresno then in Sacramento, where he grew
up before attending and graduating from Stanford University. In July
1941 he married stage actress Patricia Cassidy.
Assigned as intelligence officer with the 184th Infantry Regiment,
Gillis served in the Pacific during WWII; after leaving the Army as a
lieutenant colonel at the end of the war, he returned to writing for
radio, most prominently "Let George Do It." From there he moved into
television, writing many episodes of such series as
Perry Mason (1957) (for which he
was also associate producer),
Lassie (1954),
Racket Squad (1950) and
The Mickey Mouse Club (1955).
He was a regular writer on the "Columbo" series starring
Peter Falk and was nominated for an
Emmy for one of scripts for that series.
After more than 40 years of writing television scripts, Jackson Gillis
retired from the business in 1996 and he and his wife moved to a small
town in Idaho.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Vitali Solomin was a Russian film actor, best known for his portrayal
of Doctor Watson in the 1980s Soviet-Russian series about Sherlock
Holmes.
He was born Vitali Mefodievich Solomin on December 12, 1941, in Chita,
Siberian Russia, USSR. His father, Mefodi Viktorovich, was a
cellist and violinist, his mother, Zinaida Ananievna, was a
mezzo-soprano; both parents taught classical music at the House of
Pioneers in Chita. In 1959, after graduating from Chita high school,
young Vitali Solomin followed his elder brother,
Yuriy Solomin and moved to Moscow. From 1959
to 1964 he attended Shchepkin Theatrical School of Maly Theatre, and
studied acting under Nikolai Annenkov,
graduating in 1964 as an actor. That same year he became permanent
member of the troupe at the Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow. Over the
course of his career, Vitali Solomin played a variety of characters on
stage and in film and TV. His complex personality caused much tensions
in his relations with his brother, as well as with his two wives. On
one occasion, Vitalin Solomin had legal problems for breaking in
someone's home in Moscow and beating the homeowner in the face. From
1988 - 1990 Vitali Solomin was member of the troupe at Theatre
Mossoveta, but he eventually returned to Maly Theatre.
Vitali Solomin shot to fame in the role as Kirill in
Starshaya sestra (1967), then he
starred in such epic films as
Dauriya (1972) and
Siberiade (1979). He played an
autobiographical character in
Zimnyaya vishnya (1985) and the
sequel TV series titled Zimnyaya vishnya 2 and 3. Vitali Solomin was
designated People's Actor of Russia, and received numerous awards for
his work. He died of a stroke on May 27, 2002 in Moscow, Russia.- Additional Crew
- Writer
- Actor
Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (22 April 1870 - 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin, was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1924 and of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1924. Under his administration, Russia, and later the Soviet Union, became a one-party socialist state governed by the Communist Party. Ideologically a Marxist, his developments to the ideology are called Leninism.- Actor
- Producer
Aleksey Petrenko was born on 26 March 1938 in Chemer, Chernigov Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was an actor and producer, known for 12 (2007), Skaz pro to, kak tsar Pyotr arapa zhenil (1976) and Kollektsioner (2001). He was married to Azima Abdumaminova, Alla Petrenko and Galina Kozhukhova-Petrenko. He died on 22 February 2017 in Moscow, Russia.- Actress
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Lorina Kamburova worked in the US under commerce and granite, Lorina started her career in Sofia then went to new starts. She remained in that country until she starred in Death Race (2018).
Lorina transformed multi languages including, English language, French, Sign and Dutch
Death Race (2018) is what is Lorina most known for.- Director
- Special Effects
- Writer
Aleksandr Ptushko was born on 19 April 1900 in Lugansk, Lugansk uyezd, Yekaterinoslav Governorate, Russian Empire [now Luhansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a director and writer, known for The Stone Flower (1946), Sadko (1953) and Ruslan i Lyudmila (1972). He died on 6 March 1973 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Actor
- Director
Yuri Solomin is an acclaimed Russian stage and film actor and director,
internationally best known for his work with director
Akira Kurosawa in the leading role as
Arseniev in Russian-Japanese film
Dersu Uzala (1975).
He was born Yuri Mefodievich Solomin on June 18, 1935, in Chita,
Siberian Russia, Soviet Union. His father, Mefodi Viktorovich, was a
cellist and violinist, his mother, Zinaida Ananievna, was a
mezzo-soprano; both parents taught classical music at the House of
Pioneers in Chita. In 1953, after graduating from Chita high school,
young Yuri Solomin moved to Moscow. There he attended Shchepkin
Theatrical School, studied acting under
Vera Pashennaya, graduating in 1957 as
an actor. That same year he became permanent member of the troupe at
the Academic Maly Theatre in Moscow. Since 1988, Solomin has been
Artistic Director of the Maly Theatre. He also was Russian Minister of
Culture from 1990 to 1992.
Yuri Solomin played over 50 roles in films and on television, and also
played about 60 roles in stage productions. He was elected president of
Association of Russian Theatres, was designated People's Actor of the
USSR, and received numerous awards and decorations from both the Soviet
and Russian governments. He is living in Moscow, Russia.- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Georgi Daneliya was born on August 25, 1930 in Tbilisi, Georgia. Since
1939 the family lived in Moscow, where Danelia's father was the chief
engineer for the Moscow Underground Metro System. Daneliya's father
became a decorated WWII General, specializing in construction of
underground bunkers for the Soviet Government. His mother was a good
chess-player and later worked as a second unit director at Mosfilm.
Daneliya's mother's sister Veriko Anjaparidze was married to Mikheil Chiaureli, who was a
personal friend of Joseph Stalin. Daneliya first earned his architect's
degree from the Moscow Architecture Institute. Then he studied at the
Higher Director's Courses at Mosfilm under Mikhail Romm, and graduated in
1959, becoming a film director at the Mosfilm Studios in Moscow.
During the cultural "Thaw" initiated by Nikita Khrushchev Daneliya was at the
start of the Soviet "New Wave" in films. He had his first success
shared with Igor Talankin. Their film 'Seryozha' (1960) was awarded the
Crystal Globe in Karlovy Vary. He then worked with Gennady Shpalikov on a
propaganda-free project about life in Moscow. Censorship caused a few
obstacles by demanding changes to the plot and the script of 'Walking
the Streets of Moscow' (1963). It became a popular lyrical comedy with
a title hit song by Andrey Petrov. But soon Nikita Khrushchev was dismissed by Leonid Brezhnev
and the "Thaw" ended. Daneliya's brilliant comedy '33' (1965) was
labeled as anti-Soviet by the head of KGB Vladimir Semichastny, who wrote in a
secret letter to the Central Committee: "anti-Soviet...film '33' is an
attempt to discredit everything including the cosmonaut's flight."
Daneliya had to wait for 4 long years until he got a chance to work on
his next film. It was titled "Don't Grieve" - 'Ne Goryuy' (1969),
starring Vakhtang Kikabidze. His more careful, but masterful comedies 'Gentlemen
of Luck' (1972), 'Afonya' (1975), 'Mimino' (1977) continued his
successful career. A step beyond the comedy genre was made in his film
'Osenny Marafon' (1979). It's a melodrama about a man in his mid-life
crisis, torn between two women, and all three are trapped in the game
of lies and personal demands, amidst the stagnant Soviet reality.
His innovative film 'Kin-Dza-Dza' (1986) stands out as a genre of it's
own. Everything is different, yet very familiar in this metaphoric
film. New type of script with renown stars, new environment for and old
tale, new language for ancient wisdom. Daneliya created a universe of
allusions; It grows with a passage of time, while getting closer to our
future. He presented a fresh view of the human nature, and played with
reflections on his own life, the fate of a genius in a rigid society
going through inevitable changes.
Danelia is blessed with good friends and highly professional
collaborators. His first wife was actress Lyubov Sokolova (1921-2001) who
played 370 film roles and is listed in the Guinnes book of Records.
Their son Nikolai Daneliya (1958-1985) was a film director before his tragic
death. Danelia lives in Moscow and works on his new project, an
animation sequel to 'Kin-Dza-Dza'.- Director
- Additional Crew
Konstantin Stanislavski was a wealthy Russian businessman turned
director who founded the Moscow Art Theatre, and originated the
Stanislavski's System of acting which was spread over the world by his
students, such as Michael Chekhov,
Aleksei Dikij,
Stella Adler,
Viktor Tourjansky, and
Richard Boleslawski among many
others.
He was born Konstantin Sergeevich Alekseev on January 5, 1863, in
Moscow, Russia. His father, Sergei Alekseev, was a wealthy Russian
merchant. His mother, Elisaveta Vasilevna (nee Yakovleva) was
French-Russian and his grandmother was a notable actress in Paris.
Young Stanislavski grew up in a bilingual environment. He was fond of
theatre and arts, studied piano and singing, and performed amateur
plays at home with his elder brother and two sisters. He studied
business and languages at Lasarevsky Institute, the most prestigious
private school in Moscow. He did not graduate, instead he continued
self-education while traveling in several European countries and
studying at libraries and museums. Eventually Stanislavski joined his
father's company, became a successful businessman, and the head of his
father's business, the Alekseev's factory and other assets. During the
1880s Stanislavski made a fortune in international business and trade,
he was awarded the Gold Medal at the World's Fair in Paris. At the same
time, he was an active patron of arts and theatre in Russia. In 1885 he
studied acting and directing at the Maly Theatre in Moscow, and took a
stage name Stanislavski. In 1888 he founded the "Society for Arts and
Literature" in Moscow.
In 1898 Stanislavski together with his partner,
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko,
founded the Moscow Art Theatre, which made a profound influence on
theatrical art all over the world. They opened with staging of "Tsar
Feodor" a play by
Aleksei Tolstoy, then staged
"The Seagull" written by Anton Chekhov
specially for the Moscow Art Theatre. In 1900 Stanislavski brought the
Moscow Art Theatre on tour in Sebastopol and Yalta in Crimea, where he
invited then ailing Anton Chekhov to see
several plays. Chekhov admired the company's stage production of his
plays, and respected the theatrical achievements of Stanislavski and
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko.
Chekhov's legendary collaboration with the Moscow Art Theatre was
fruitful for both sides: it resulted in creation of such classics as
'The Seagull', 'Uncle Vanya', 'The Three Sisters', and 'The Cherry
Orchard', the four big plays which remained in the repertoire ever
since.
Stanislavski's system was developed through his own cross-cultural
experience as actor, director, and businessman. He constantly updated
his method through inter-disciplinary studies, absorbing from a range
of sources and influences, such as the modernist
developments, yoga and Pavlovian behaviorist psychology. He introduced
group rehearsals and relaxation techniques to achieve better spiritual
connections between actors. Pavlovian approach worked well by
conditioning actors through discipline in longer, organized rehearsals,
and using a thorough analysis of characters. Stanislavski himself was
involved in a long and arduous practice making every actor better
prepared for stage performance and eventually producing a less rigid
acting style. In his own words, Stanislavski described his early
approach as "Spiritual Realism." His actors worked hard to deliver
perfectly believable performances, as none of his actors wanted to hear
his famous verdict, "I don't believe."
As an actor, Stanislavski starred in several classical plays. His most
notable stage performances, such as Othello in the Shakespeare's
'Othello', and as Gayev in Chekhov's 'The Cherry Orchard', were
acclaimed by critics and loved by public. His own students said that
Stanislavski was a very comfortable partner on stage, due to his highly
professional and truthful acting. At the same time, he
could be very demanding off stage, because of his high standards,
especially during his lengthy and rigorous rehearsals, requiring
nothing less but the full devotion from each actor of his company, the
Moscow Art Theatre.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, his factory and all other business property was
nationalized by the Soviet Communists, but he was allowed
to own his mansion in Moscow. Stanislavski wisely let go of all his
wealth and possessions and expressed himself in writing and directing.
He remained the principal director of Moscow Art Theatre for the rest
of his life. During the turbulent years before and after the Russian
Revolution, and later in the 1920s and 30s, he witnessed bitter rivalry
among his former students. Some actors emigrated from Russia, others
fought for their share of success, and the Moscow Art Theatre was
eventually divided into several companies.
In 1928 Stanislavski suffered from a heart attack. He then distanced
himself from disputes and competition between his former students
Michael Chekhov and
Aleksei Dikij, whose individual ambitions
resulted in further fragmentation of the original Moscow Art Theatre
company. At the same time, his younger apprentice,
Nikolay Khmelyov, remained loyal to the
teacher, and eventually later filled the position held by Stanislavski
at Moscow Art Theatre. However, his other students, such as
Vsevolod Meyerhold and
Yevgeni Vakhtangov founded their own
theatre companies and continued using their versions of the
Stanislavski's system. In the 1930s, Stanislavski together with
Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko
formed one more theatrical company in Moscow, the Musical Theatre of
Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko.
Stanislavski was a proponent of democratic ideas, such as equal
opportunity and equal value of every human being on the planet.
At that time Stanislavski's
nephew was arrested for political reasons, and died in the Gulag
prison-camp. Stanislavsky was also under permanent surveillance,
because his Moscow Art Theatre was frequently attended by
Joseph Stalin and other Soviet strongmen.
However, at that time Moscow Art Theatre became especially popular,
because Russian intellectuals needed a cultural oasis to escape from
the grim Soviet reality. Under Stanislavski the Moscow Art Theatre
produced several brilliant plays by
Mikhail A. Bulgakov, and also
continued running such classics as 'The Seagull', 'The Cherry Orchard',
'The Lower Bottom' and other original productions of plays by
Anton Chekhov and
Maxim Gorky.
In his later years, Stanislavsky wrote a book titled "An Actor
Prepares" which, in Charley Chaplin's words, ".. helps all people to
reach out for big dramatic art. It tells what an actor needs to rouse
the inspiration he requires for expressing profound emotions."
Stanislavsky explained how actors may use his System, "Create your own
method. Don't depend slavishly on mine. Make up something that will
work for you! But keep braking traditions, I beg you!" And that was
exactly what the best of his followers did. Stanislavski's ideas were
used by many acting teachers, such as Michael Chekhov, Stella Adler,
and Lee Strasberg, among others across the world.
During the 1930s Konstantin Stanislavski directed the original
productions of several classic Russian plays, such as "Na Dne" (aka..
The Lower Depths) by Maxim Gorky, "Tsar
Fedor Ioannovich" by A.K. Tolstoy, and other plays at the Moscow Art
Theatre. After Stanislavski's death his original theatrical productions
were adapted to black and white films, where Stanislavsky is credited
as the original theatrical director. He died of a heart failure on
August 7, 1938, in Moscow and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery
in Moscow, Russia.
Stanislavski's mansion in central Moscow is now a public museum and
research center displaying a collection of original stage sets and
theatrical costumes. Stanislavski's personal library is also part of
his museum. It has rare books that he collected in his numerous
travels, as well as original manuscripts and letters by Stanislavski.- Mikhail Derzhavin was born on 15 June 1936 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor, known for Troe v lodke, ne schitaya sobaki (1979), Nochnoy vizit (1998) and Oni byli pervymi (1956). He was married to Roksana Babayan, Nina Budyonnaya and Ekaterina Raykina. He died on 10 January 2018 in Odintsovo, Moscow Oblast, Russia.
- Vasili Lanovoy was a notable Russian actor best known as Captain Grey in
Alye parusa (1961) and as Anatol
Kuragin in War and Peace (1965).
He was born Vasili Semenovich Lanovoy on January 16, 1934, in Moscow,
Russia, USSR. His parents were Ukrainian peasants from Odessa region.
They escaped from death in the famine of 1931 and survived by moving to
Moscow. At the age of 7, Lanovoy went to visit his relatives near
Odessa, but there he was caught by the advancing Nazi Armies during the
Second World War. Young Lanovoy was abused by the Nazis who fired
machine guns above his head to scare him, so he stammered for several
years as a consequence. However, he had a dream of being an actor,
regardless of his stammer and his heavy Ukrainian accent. He attended
the acting class of Sergei Lvovich Stein at Moscow ZIL club, and made
his stage debut in a play by Lev Kassil.
Young Lanovoy was torn between two professions, acting and journalism,
and entered to study both. In 1953, at age 18, while a Journalism
student of Moscow University, he was cast in
Problem Child (1954),
making his film debut. From 1953 - 1957 he studied acting at Shchukin
Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow. There his classmate
was Tatyana Samoylova, and they
married in 1955, and later became co-stars in
Anna Karenina (1967) by director
Aleksandr Zarkhi. He also
appeared as Anatol Kuragin in
War and Peace (1965) by director
Sergey Bondarchuk.
Since 1957 Vasili Lanovoy has been member of Vakhtangov Theatre in
Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as
Mikhail Ulyanov,
Ruben Simonov,
Boris Zakhava,
Mikhail Astangov,
Varvara Popova,
Irina Kupchenko,
Natalya Tenyakova,
Yuliya Borisova,
Lyudmila Maksakova,
Lyudmila Tselikovskaya,
Marianna Vertinskaya,
Nina Ruslanova,
Nikolai Plotnikov,
Yuriy Yakovlev,
Vladimir Etush,
Vyacheslav Shalevich,
Andrei Abrikosov,
Grigori Abrikosov,
Boris Babochkin,
Nikolai Gritsenko,
Nikolai Timofeyev,
Aleksandr Grave,
Evgeniy Karelskikh,
Sergey Makovetskiy, and
Ruben Simonov, among others. His
most memorable stage performances were as Protasov in 'Deti Solntsa'
(1968), as Oktavian in 'Antony and Cleopatra' (1975), and the title
role in 'Kasanova' (1985). Since taking the role as Prince Calaf in
1963, Lanovoy has been delivering acclaimed performances in the
legendary Vakhtangov's production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy 'Princess
Turandot'.
Vasili Lanovoy was designated People's Actor of the USSR, was awarded
Lenin's Prize (1980), and received numerous awards and decorations for
his works on stage and in film. Outside of his acting profession Lanovoy was fond of
classical music and Ukrainian songs together with his friends
and family. In his 70s and 80s, he was maintaining a good physical form
through sports and pesco-vegetarian diet. He was married three times, and had two sons with actress
Irina Kupchenko. Lanovoy was prominent member of the Communist Party of USSR and Russia, he also supported president Putin and Moscow mayor Sobyanin in their re-elections. He died of Covid-19 complications 12 days after his 87th birthday, on the 28th of January 2021
in Moscow, Russia. - Actor
- Writer
- Producer
Aleksandr Kuznetsov was born on 2 December 1959 in Petrovka, Primorskiy kray, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and writer, known for The Bourne Supremacy (2004), Space Cowboys (2000) and The Peacemaker (1997). He was married to Yuliya Rutberg, Christina and Lyudmila Sobko. He died on 6 June 2019 in Moscow, Russia.- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Inna Mikhailovna Churikova was born on October 5, 1943, in Belebey,
near Ufa, Bashkiria Republic, Russia (at that time USSR). Her parents
were from peasant families. Her father, Mikhail Kuzmich Churikov, was a
veteran of the Second World War, he worked at Academy of Agriculture.
Her mother, Elisaveta Zakharovna (nee Mantrova), was a Ph.D in
Biochemistry. Young Inna Churikova was brought up in Moscow by her
mother. During her school years she was fond of theatre and attended an
acting class at Stanislavsky Theatre in Moscow. From 1960 - 1965 she
attended Schepkin Theatrical School at Maly Theatre, graduating in 1965
as an actress.
In 1961 Churikova made her big screen debut in 'Tuchi nad Borskom',
then she played bit parts in 'Ya shagayu po Moskve' and in several
other films. She shot to fame with the leading role as Tanya Tetkina in
_V
ogne broda net (1968)_ by
director Gleb Panfilov. Churikova's next
role in The Beginning (1970), as Pasha
Stroganova, a provincial amateur actress who is invited to play Joan of
Arc in a big film, was arguably her best work in film. After having a
big success with 'Nachalo', Churikova and her husband, director Gleb
Panfilov, worked on development of an epic film about Joan of Arc, but
their work on the project was obstructed by the Soviet officials.
However, Churikova continued her successful film career. In 1984 she
won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for
the leading role as Vera in 'Voenno-polevoy roman', by director Petr
Todorovsky. She starred as Vera in 'God Sobaki', and as Asya in
Ryaba, My Chicken (1994), among her
other film works.
Since 1974 Inna Churikova has been a member of the troupe at Lenkom
Theatre in Moscow under directorship of
Mark Zakharov. There her stage partners
were such actors as
Nikolay Karachentsov, Gennadi
Khazanov, Oleg Yankovskiy, Leonid
Bronevoy, Aleksandr Abdulov, Armen
Dzhigarkhanian, Aleksandr Zbruev, and
other notable Russian actors. Among Churikova's most memorable stage
performances were such roles as Sara in 'Ivanov' and as Arkadina in
'Seagull', both plays by Anton Chekhov.
She also appeared as Ophelia in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', and as
Commissar in Vishnevsky's 'Optimisticheskaya tragedia', among her other
stage works.
Inna Churikova has been loved by the public and earned critical acclaim
for her range and effortless style. Churikova was designated Peoples
Artist of the USSR (1991) and People's Artist of Russia. She was
awarded the Golden Mask, and also received the State Prize of Russia
(1985) and the Stanislavsky Prize for her contribution to theatre and
film. She is residing in Moscow, Russia.- Actress
- Soundtrack
Zhanna Friske was born on 8 July 1974 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. She was an actress, known for Day Watch (2006), Night Watch (2004) and Odnoklassniki.ru: naCLICKay udachu (2013). She died on 15 June 2015 in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Mikhail Ulyanov was a notable Russian actor and director, who was also
an important Soviet political figure, Member of the Central Committe of
the Communist Party, Co-Chairman, with
Kirill Lavrov, of Theatrical Union of the
USSR, and the leader of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, Russia.
He was born Mikhail Aleksandrovich Ulyanov, on November 20, 1927, in
the village of Bergamak, Omsk province, Soviet Union. His father,
Aleksandr Andreevich Ulyanov, was Chairman of a Soviet collective farm,
then Mayor of the town of Tara, Russia. His mother, Elizaveta
Mikhailovna Ulyanova, was a homemaker. Young Mikhail Ulyanov enjoyed a
rather privileged life during his childhood and youth, because of his
father's position in the Soviet Communist Party. Eventually, Ulyanov
himself joined the Soviet Communist Party, a move that helped his
career. His name was similar to that of the founder of the Soviet
Communist Party, Ulyanov-Lenin, a fact that helped Ulyanov to get to
play the character of Lenin, the most lucrative stage and film
character in the former Soviet Union.
From 1946 - 1950 Ulyanov studied acting at Shchukin Theatrical School
of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow, under Boris Zakhava, graduating in
1950 as an actor. Since 1950 until his death in 2007, Ulyanov was a
permanent member of the troupe at Vakhtangov Drama Theatre. There his
stage partners were such actors as
Vasiliy Lanovoy,
Ruben Simonov,
Mikhail Astangov, Boris Zakhava,
Varvara Popova,
Yuliya Borisova,
Lyudmila Maksakova,
Lyudmila Tselikovskaya,
Marianna Vertinskaya,
Nina Ruslanova,
Irina Kupchenko,
Natalya Tenyakova,
Nikolai Plotnikov,
Yuriy Yakovlev,
Vladimir Etush,
Vyacheslav Shalevich,
Andrei Abrikosov,
Grigori Abrikosov,
Boris Babochkin,
Nikolai Gritsenko,
Nikolai Timofeyev,
Aleksandr Grave,
Evgeniy Karelskikh,
Sergey Makovetskiy, and other notable
Russian actors.
In 1987, Mikhail Ulyanov became artistic director of the Vakhtangov
Theatre in Moscow. During the course of his career, Ulyanov was closely
watched by the Communist Party and also by Ekaterina Furtseva, the most
powerful woman in the 1960s - 1970s Soviet Union as Minister of
Culture, she ordered Ulyanov to "keep playing Lenin and other
role-models" for the Soviet people. Eventually Ulyanov became known for
his portrayal of exemplary communists, Soviet-era heroes, and other
characters typical of the Soviet propaganda on stage and in film.
Ulyanov played the character of Marshal
Georgi Zhukov in several Soviet war films.
Although, he never met the legendary Marshal Zhukov, Ulyanov became the
officially approved impersonator of the famous Soviet military leader.
Ulyanov's facial expression closely resembled that of Marshal Georgi
Zhukov, so Ulyanov's face was used as a model for the monument to
Zhukov in Moscow.
With the official recognition in the roles as Lenin and Zhukov, Ulyanov
was granted more flexibility in his artistic choices, he enjoyed the
privilege of playing several roles that opened the true range of his
acting talent. In 1970 Ulyanov played one of his best roles ever as
General Charnota, a White Russian émigré, in
Beg (1971), an epic film by directors Alov
and Naumov. In 1979, a few years after the death of actor-director
Vasiliy Shukshin, Ulyanov directed a
stage production of Shukshin's unfinished project "Ya prishel dat vam
volyu" (aka.. I came to let you free). In that production, Ulyanov
played the leading role as Stepan Razin, Russian historic hero of the
17 century, who was the Cossac leader of a major popular uprising
against the Russian Tzar, and was brutally executed by the Russian
government at the Red Square in Moscow.
During the political changes in the 1980s Soviet Union, Ulyanov was
critical of dramatic social shifts caused by "perestroika" and
"glasnost" initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev. However, Ulyanov continued
playing the character of V. I. Lenin in numerous productions on stage
and on Soviet National television. After the collapse of the Soviet
Union, he expressed his disappointment with the drastic socio-economic
changes and cultural chaos in the post-Soviet Russia. He played a
number of patriotic, violent and controversial characters in several
films made during the post-Soviet era. During the 2000s, Ulyanov used
his star power to help his less fortunate colleagues in Russian
Theatrical Union. He also supported the politics of Russian President.
From 1976 - 1990, Ulyanov served as Permanent Member of the Central
Committee of the Communist Party of the USSR. In the course of his
acting career spanning over 50 years, Ulyanov received numerous Soviet
and Russian awards and decorations, such as the Order of Lenin (twice),
Order of October Revolution, and was awarded Lenin's Prize and State
Prize of the USSR. He died of a heart failure on March 26, 2007, in
Moscow, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Writer
- Director
- Editor
Aleksandr Dovzhenko was born on 10 September 1894 in Vyunishche, Sosnitsa Ueyzd, Chernigov Governorate, Russian Empire [now Sosnitsa, Sosnitsa Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine]. He was a writer and director, known for Earth (1930), Shors (1939) and Life in Bloom (1949). He was married to Yuliya Solntseva. He died on 25 November 1956 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia].- Leonid Kuravlyov made his first appearance in a movie while he was still a student. In 1959 he played in the film There Will Be No Leave Today (1959) by his classmate Andrei Tarkovsky. In 1960, he played the role of a sailor Kamushkin in a historical movie Michman Panin (1960) directed by Mikhail Shvejtser. Simultaneously, Kuravlyov acted in Vasiliy Shukshin's degree work Iz Lebyazhego soobshchayut (1960). That same year, Kuravlyov graduated from VGIK and joined the Theater Studio of Film Actors. From that moment on, Leonid Kuravlyov played a few leading parts and incidental characters in a few movies. In 1961, Kuravlyov starred in a famous Soviet melodrama When the Trees Were Tall (1962) with Yuriy Nikulin playing the leading part. Actor and film director Vasiliy Shukshin is considered to have been the one to widely introduce Leonid Kuravlyov to the general public. In 1964, he shot two films - Zhivyot takoy paren (1964) and Vash syn i brat (1966) - both starring Leonid Kuravlyov. Vasiliy Shukshin liked Kuravlyov's acting in these two movies so much that he would constantly offer him different roles in many of his projects. Kuravlyov, however, turned down each one of them because he did not wish to play clichéd characters.
The role of Shura Balaganov in Mikhail Shvejtser's comedy The Golden Calf (1968) based on Ilya Ilf and Yevgeni Petrov's eponymous book was the next step in Leonid Kuravlyov's acting career, in which he managed to create an unforgettable sparkling image of a naive petty thief. Kuravlyov's other notable films of this period include one of the first Soviet horror movies Viy (1967) adaptation of Nikolay Gogol's novell directed by Georgiy Kropachyov, where he played young seminarist Khoma Brutus, and a psychological melodrama Nepodsuden (1969) directed by Vladimir Krasnopolskiy and Valeriy Uskov, where he played the negative character Sorokin.
In the early 1970s, Leonid Kuravlyov would star in three to four films a year. He managed to play completely opposite characters like Robinson Crusoe in Stanislav Govorukhin's Robinson Crusoe (1973), Nazi officer Kurt Eismann in Seventeen Moments of Spring (1973), and Lavr Mironych in Pyotr Todorovskiy's Poslednyaya zhertva (1976).
Even though Kuravlyov is very good at playing serious dramatic roles, he is still best known and mostly loved for his comic appearances in movies like Leonid Gaidai's Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973), where Kuravlyov played a thief named George Miloslavsky, who accidentally got teleported to the times of Ivan the Terrible. Interestingly enough, Andrey Mironov also tried out for this role, but Leonid Gaidai decided in Kuravlyov's favor.
In 1975, Leonid Kuravlyov starred in one his most famous comedies Afonya (1975), directed by Georgiy Daneliya. Kuravlyov played a very atypical character - a plumber named Afonya Borshchyov, who takes bribes, often gets into trouble, abuses alcohol, quarrels with his superiors at work, and doesn't really know what to do with his life. And then suddenly, one of his neighborhood "female clients" falls in love with him... About 62,2 mln. people went to see Afonya during its first year on cinema screens, making it an unconditional Soviet box-office leader of 1975.
In 1979, Leonid Kuravlyov played a very short role of a thief named Kopchyoniy in Stanislav Govorukhin's cult series The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed (1979). The actor masterfully created an accomplished and amazingly credible image of an experienced criminal in just a matter of minutes.
During the 1980s, Leonid Kuravlyov starred in a number of memorable movies, such as Damy priglashayut kavalerov (1981), Ishchite zhenshchinu (1983), Demidovy (1983), TASS upolnomochen zayavit... (1984), Samaya obayatelnaya i privlekatelnaya (1985), Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson: The Twentieth Century Approaches (1987) and many others.
The 1990s were not the best times for the Russian cinema in general and most of the released movies were mediocre and low-grade. During this period, many actors were forced to star in low-quality films just to make ends meet, and Leonid Kuravlyov was not an exception. Perhaps, his role in a movie called Lady Into Lassie (1995) is the only one worth mentioning.
In 2002 he starred in Russian mini-TV series Law of the Lawless (2002) as an MVD general. In 2009 he played the Nobleman in Disney's first Russian-only release, Kniga masterov (2009). - Valentina Malyavina was born on 18 June 1941 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. She was an actress, known for Ivan's Childhood (1962), Osennie soblazny (1993) and Portret Doriana Greya (1968). She was married to Aleksandr Zbruev. She died on 30 October 2021 in Moscow, Russia.
- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Aleksandr Abdulov, one of Russian cinema's best known sex symbols and
was one of the most celebrated Russian film stars.
He was born Aleksandr Gavrilovich Abdulov on May 29, 1953, in Tobolsk,
Siberian Russia, into the family of a theatre director from Fergana,
Uzbekistan. His father, named Gavriil Abdulov was a wounded veteran of
the Second World War decorated for his courage at the front-line tank
battles against the Nazis. Abdulov's mother was a make-up artist at
several Russian theatres. Young Abdulov grew up in Uzbekistan, where he
finished high school and also became the Master of Sports in fencing.
He was admitted to a local college where he had the chance of becoming
a sports coach.
His dream of becoming an actor was almost ruined when he failed the
admission tests at the Moscow State Institute of Theatrical Arts
(GITIS). He could not go back to Uzbekistan so he stayed in various
gloomy dorms in Moscow, working hard labor jobs at railway stations
just to survive. He then studied acting at GITIS, made very little
money working as an extra, and still was a hard laborer in order to pay
for his living in Moscow. In 1975 he graduated from GITIS and was hired
by the Lenkom Theatre director
Mark Zakharov.
Abdulov revealed the full range of his talent in popular films
An Ordinary Miracle (1979)
and
S lyubimymi ne rasstavaytes (1980).
The public adored Abdulov and he became the first big sex-symbol in the former USSR. Millions of his pictures has
been decorating homes and student dorms in every big and small town of
the former Soviet Union. The public loved Abdulov - the
actor and the man - for his sincere talent and for his devotion to his
ideas.
He played his best roles under the
direction of Mark Zakharov in such films
as 'Obyknovennoe Chudo (1978), 'Tot samyi Munchgausen (1979), 'Formula
Lyubvi' (1984), and
Ubit drakona (1988). His best film
partners were Oleg Yankovskiy,
Evgeniy Leonov,
Vyacheslav Tikhonov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Leonid Bronevoy,
Andrey Mironov,
Irina Kupchenko,
Leonid Yarmolnik,
Semyon Farada,
Aleksandr Zbruev,
Sergey Nikonenko,
Irina Alfyorova and others. This
ensemble of fine actors and directors evolved into a special and
uniquely Russian milieu, where Abdulov's multifaceted talent was
supported by other actors.
His range and nuanced acting reached a new level in the films made in
the late 1980s and 1990s. Abdulov created powerful roles in a tandem
with the masterful
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy in the
innovative film 'Geniy' (1991) by director
Viktor Sergeev. At that time, Abdulov
also received a Nika Award nomination for supporting role in
Sukiny deti (1991) by director
Leonid Filatov. Abdulov made two
equally interesting works in collaboration with director
Sergey Solovyov in 'Chyornaya roza -
emblema pechali, krasnaya roza - emblema lyubvi' (1989) and in 'Dom pod
zvyozdnym nebom' (1991). Both works were awarded, acclaimed by critics,
and loved by the public.
Abdulov showed his gift for transformation in the devilish character
Korov'ev in 'Master i Margarita' (2005), a TV-series from director
Vladimir Bortko based on the eponymous
book by Mikhail A. Bulgakov.
Abdulov's energy helped the film making him the most lively nerve in
the group of 'super stars' (some say super old stars). His acting
became more classic and restrained in the traditionally Russian
period-film 'Anna Karenina' (2005) based on the eponymous novel by
Lev Tolstoy from director
Sergey Solovyov. Later Abdulov worked
with director Aleksandr Buravskiy in
the epic film Leningrad (2009), about
the historic siege during the Second World War; where his acting
partners were Gabriel Byrne,
Mira Sorvino,
Kirill Lavrov,
Mikhail Efremov,
Donatas Banionis and other notable
actors.
Aleksandr Abdulov was designated People's Artist of Russia. He received
numerous awards and nominations for his performances in film and on
stage. He was a permanent member of the troupe at Lenkom Theatre in
Moscow. He also directed several films as well as stage productions.
Aleksandr Abdulov died of lung cancer, on January 3, 2008, and was laid
to rest in Vagankovskoe cemetery in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Additional Crew
Yuri Yakovlev is a popular Russian actor best known for his roles in
Soviet comedies 'Ironiya sydby', Ivan Vasilevich', and
Kin-dza-dza! (1986).
He was born Yuri Vasilevich Yakovlev on April 25, 1928, in Moscow,
Soviet Union. His father, Vasili Vasilevich Yakovlev, was a layer, and
his mother, Olga Mikhailovna Ivanova, was a homemaker. Young Yakovlev
was fond of acting and theatre. From 1948 - 1952 he studied acting at
Shchukin Theatrical School of Vakhtangov Theatre in Moscow.
Since 1952 Yuri Yakovlev has been member of the troupe at Vakhtangov
Theatre in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as
Mikhail Ulyanov,
Ruben Simonov,
Boris Zakhava,
Mikhail Astangov,
Varvara Popova,
Irina Kupchenko,
Natalya Tenyakova,
Yuliya Borisova,
Lyudmila Maksakova,
Lyudmila Tselikovskaya,
Marianna Vertinskaya,
Nina Ruslanova,
Nikolai Plotnikov,
Vasiliy Lanovoy,
Vladimir Etush,
Vyacheslav Shalevich,
Andrei Abrikosov,
Grigori Abrikosov,
Boris Babochkin,
Nikolai Gritsenko,
Nikolai Timofeyev,
Aleksandr Grave,
Evgeniy Karelskikh,
Sergey Makovetskiy, and
Ruben Simonov, among others. His
most memorable stage performances were such roles as Triletsky in 'Play
without a title', a play by Anton Chekhov
(1968), as Karenin in 'Anna Karenina' (1983) by director Roman Viktyuk,
and the title role in 'Kasanova' (1985). Since taking the role as
Pantalone in 1963, Yakovlev has been delivering acclaimed performances
in the legendary Vakhtangov's production of Carlo Gozzi's comedy
'Princess Turandot'.
He shot to fame with the leading role as Prince Myshkin in _The Idiot
(1958)_ by director Ivan Pyrev. During the
1960s - 1980s Yakovlev was among the most popular actors in the Soviet
Union. He was best known for such roles as Ivan Vasilyevich Bunsha in
Ivan Vasilyevich Changes His Profession (1973)
by director Leonid Gaidai, and as Ippolit
in
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976)
by director Eldar Ryazanov.
Yuri Yakovlev was designated People's Actor of the USSR, was awarded
the State Prizes of the USSR and Russia. He received the Order of Lenin
(1988), the Order of the Red Banne of Labour (1978), and numerous
awards and decorations for his works on stage and in film. He is
married to Irina Leonidovna Sergeeva, and the couple has two sons and a
daughter. Outside of his acting profession Yakovlev is fond of reading
classical Russian literature and listening to classical music together
with his friends and family.
In 1997 Yakovlev published his book titled 'Albom sudby moyey' (aka..
The album of my destiny). He is living with his family in Moscow,
Russia.- Actor
- Director
- Writer
Rolan Bykov was born on 12 November 1929 in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Ukraine]. He was an actor and director, known for Chuchelo (1984), Aybolit-66 (1967) and Andrei Rublev (1966). He was married to Elena Sanaeva. He died on 6 October 1998 in Moscow, Russia.- Andrey Myagkov, one of Russia's most familiar faces and a leading actor
of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT) who starred in the 1970's comedy
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976),
made a comeback in the sequel
The Irony of Fate 2 (2007).
He was born Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov on July 8, 1938, in Leningrad,
Russia, USSR (now St. Petersburg, Russia). His father, Vasiliy Myagkov,
was a professor at the Polytechnical Academy. Young Andrey was fond of
theatre and was involved in the drama club at his high school. However,
he focused on the study of chemistry and attended the Leningrad
Institute of Technology, graduating in 1960 as a chemical engineer. His
first job was as a research engineer at the Leningrad State Institute
of Plastics, although at the same time he continued playing on stage as
an amateur actor.
In 1961 he was admitted to the acting school of the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT) in Leningrad. Then he moved to Moscow and studied at the
Theatrical School of the Moscow Art Theatre (MXAT), graduating in 1965
as an actor. At that time he married actress
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya. From
1965 to 1977 he was a member of the troupe at the Sovremennik Theatre
in Moscow. There his stage partners were such actors as
Oleg Efremov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Galina Volchek,
Stanislav Lyubshin,
Anatoliy Romashin,
Alla Pokrovskaya,
Oleg Tabakov,
Oleg Dal,
Igor Kvasha,
Valentin Gaft, and other notable Russian
actors.
In 1977 he became a member of the troupe at the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT). There he made his stage debut in the leading role as Zilov in
"Utinaya okhota" ("Duck Hunting") by
Aleksandr Vampilov, and eventually
established himself as a leading actor in other stage productions at
the MXAT. His stage partners there were such actors as
Innokentiy Smoktunovskiy,
Yekaterina Vasilyeva,
Tatyana Doronina,
Oleg Efremov,
Evgeniy Evstigneev,
Oleg Tabakov,
Aleksandr Kalyagin,
Andrei Popov, and other notable
Russian actors. Since the split of the troupe in 1987, he has been a
member of the Chekhov Moscow Art Theatre (Chekhov MXAT), named after
Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. His
stage partners there have been such notable Russian actors as
Alla Pokrovskaya,
Natalya Rogozhkina,
Anastasiya Voznesenskaya,
Irina Miroshnichenko,
Iya Savvina,
Stanislav Lyubshin,
Vyacheslav Nevinnyy,
Evgeniy Kindinov,
Viktor Sergachyov, and
Vladimir Kashpur, among others.
He made his film debut in the leading role as a dentist in
Pokhozhdeniya zubnogo vracha (1965),
by director Elem Klimov. He established
himself with such roles as the monk Alyosha in
The Brothers Karamazov (1969), then
as Khlebnikov, an obsessed chess grandmaster, in
Grossmeyster (1973) where he had several scenes with Lyudmila Kasatkina, Anatoly Solonitsyn, Mikhail Kozakov, Petr Shelokhonov, and other notable Russian actors.. He shot to fame
in the Soviet Union with the leading role as Zhenya in
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976),
by director Eldar Ryazanov. His fruitful
collaboration with Ryazanov continued in
Office Romance (1977),
The Garage (1980), and
A Cruel Romance (1984). Andrey
has played over 50 roles in film and on television. He declined offers
to play in such modern Russian films as
Night Watch (2004) and
The Turkish Gambit (2005).
However, he made a comeback reprising his most famous role as Zhenya
opposite Barbara Brylska in
The Irony of Fate 2 (2007),
a sequel to the Soviet comedy
The Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath! (1976).
In 1989, he made his directorial debut with a stage production of
"Spokoynoy nochi, Mama" ("Good Night, Mama") at the Moscow Art Theatre
(MXAT). In 2002 he directed the MXAT production of "Retro", a nostalgic
play about three middle-aged women courting one man; the play earned
him wide public acclaim, although evoking sharp criticism from some
contemporary Moscow critics. His last directorial work for the Moscow
Art Theatre was a 2006 production of "Osenniy charlston" ("Autumn
Charleston") based on the play "The Cemetery Club" by American
playwright Ivan Menchell.
He was awarded the State Prize of the USSR in 1977, the Brothers Vasiliev State Prize
in 1979, was designated a People's Artist of Russia in 1986, and also received several other significant awards and
nominations. Outside of his acting profession, Andrey Myagkov painted portraits,
and his paintings are owned by
Mikhail Gorbachev and
Galina Volchek, among others.
Andrey Vasilevich Myagkov died on 18 February 2021 in Moscow and was laid to rest in Troekurovskoe Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. - Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Vladimir Menshov was a Russian director and actor, noted for his depiction of the Russian everyman and working class life in his films. Born on September, 17, 1937 in Baku (then USSR, now the territory of Azerbaijan), like many Russian directors and actors Menshov studied at the state film school VGIK. Although his filmography as an actor is superior to that as director (actually confined to only five movies), he will be remembered most of all for his second film as director, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears (1980), one of the most popular and beloved films in Russia, starring his wife Vera Alentova. The film brought him international recognition and the Oscar for the Best Foreign Film. Menshov did not attend the Academy Awards ceremony personally because he could not leave the country due to some problems of political nature, and the prize statuette was accepted by the USSR Commissioner to the U.S. The film itself is a moving story of three girlfriends who arrive in Moscow in search for a better life. A great melodrama in the first place, on a close analysis, the film can be seen as a biography of a whole generation since in the late 1970s, young people who abandoned their provincial towns with no opportunities for good jobs and strove to settle in the Russian capital.
In 1999, the 20th anniversary of the film's original release was celebrated at a series of events around Russia. Another film, an immensely popular comedy of manners Love and Doves (1985), was about a rural farmer peasant falling in love with a glamor urban lady. It ensured that his career continued to glitter. In the decade that followed he refrained from directing and in his rare interviews was very critical of the cinema industry. In 1995 he made Shirli-myrli (1995) - a very long extravaganza satirizing practically every aspect of cultural and political life in Russia. The film showed that these "off the job" years had not affected his talent. Zavist bogov (2000) - a nostalgic drama - demonstrated his longing for the Soviet era life style. Although criticized by some for "being too simple", Menshov was affectionately loved by ordinary cinema-goers who saw him as one of a very few directors capable of creating a perfect comedy or drama out of a down-to-earth situation.- Actress
- Writer
- Composer
Lyudmila Gurchenko was a popular actress in the Soviet Union during the
1950s - 1980s, she was best known for
Carnival Night (1956), Five
Evenings (1979) and Siberiade (1979).
She was born Lyudmila Markovna Gurchenko on 12 November 1935, in
Kharkov, Ukrainian Soviet Republic of the USSR. She studied acting at
the VGIK (Soviet State Institute for CInema), graduating from the class
of Sergey Gerasimov in 1956. That same
year she shot to fame in the Soviet Union, aftr delivering a stellar
performance as singer Lenochka Krylova in
Carnival Night (1956), by
director Eldar Ryazanov.
Gurchenko's film partners were such Russian stars, as
Oleg Borisov, Sergei Shakurov,
Aleksandr Abdulov, Oleg Basilashvili,
Mikhail Boyarskiy, Igor Ilyinsky,
Yuriy Nikulin, Armen Jigarhanian,
Oleg Tabakov, Stanislav Lubshin,
Andrey Mironov and
Aleksandr Mikhaylov among others.
Lyudmila Gurchenko was married five times and had one daughter with her
first husband, Boris Andronikashvili. She died of a pulmonary failure
on 30 March 2011, at age 75, and was laid to rest in Moscow, Russia.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Armen Dzhigarkhanyan was awarded the Armenian Republican State Prize in 1975 for "Triangle" and again in 1979 for "Snow in Mourning." He was named People's Artist of the Soviet Union in 1985. Dzhigarkhanyan began his acting career in 1955 at the Russian Stanislavsky Theatre in Yerevan, and in 1967 moved to the Lenkom Theatre in Moscow. In 1969 he joined the Mayakovsky Academic Theatre. Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Dzhigarkhanyan worked as assistant cameraman at Armenfilm studios in 1953-1954.- Born on August 28, 1925 in Batumi, Georgian SSR, Transcaucasian SFSR, USSR (now in Georgia), Arkadiy Natanovich Strugatskiy was a Soviet/Russian sci-fi writer, often writing in collaboration with his younger brother Boris Strugatskiy. Strugatskiys' father Natan Strugatskiy was a Jewish art critic and their mother was a Russian Orthodox teacher. When Arkadiy was a child, the family moved to Leningrad. He was evacuated from the city during the siege of Leningrad in 1942 along with his father, who didn't survive the journey. The following year he was drafted into the Soviet army and went to study at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk. In 1949 he graduated the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow as Japanese and English interpreter. He worked for the military until 1955, when he became a writer instead. In 1958 the Strugatskiy brothers begun their artistic collaboration, which lasted until Arkadiy's death. In 1979, the brothers' best-known novel, "Piknik na obochine" ("Roadside Picnic") was loosely adapted for the screen by Andrei Tarkovsky as Stalker (1979). Arkadiy died on October 12, 1991 in Moscow, USSR (now in Russia). Writings of the Strugatskiys continue to inspire creators of movies (such as Dark Planet (2008)) and video games (such as S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl (2007) and its sequels).
- Actor
- Director
Pyotr Mamonov was born on 14 April 1951 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He was an actor and director, known for The Island (2006), Shapito-shou: Lyubov i druzhba (2011) and Taxi Blues (1990). He was married to Olga Ivanovna Mamonova and ???. He died on 15 July 2021 in Kommunarka, Moscow, Russia.