13 famous roles that the actors played in completely different ways: Natasha Rostova, D'Artanyan and others

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

If we paraphrase a well-known proverb, it turns out that as many actors, there are so many different readings of the same role. You must agree: it is impossible to compare the famous Shakespearean Hamlet, played by Mel Gibson and Innokentiy Smoktunovsky. And the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, played by the modern actor Benedict Cumberbatch, was not at all immediately accepted by lovers of Soviet cinema - he was so different from the classical interpretations of this hero of English literature. So let's remember together our favorite characters, which were played so differently by our and foreign actors.

Hamlet

Shakespeare's tragedy always remains relevant, and each director sees his own meaning in it. World cinema has only about 150 film adaptations, not to mention the filming of performances of the play on the stage. For Innokenty Smoktunovsky, this role became significant: his contribution to art was appreciated even by the British Film Academy, which nominated the actor for the prestigious BAFTA award. But the critics did not appreciate Mel Gibson's game. The 1990 film from director Franco Zeffirelli was twice nominated for an Oscar, but for the design of the costumes and the contribution of the production designer. But the work of the famous actor was called, though emotional, but devoid of the versatility of the Shakespearean character.

Natasha Rostova

Russian classics from Leo Tolstoy in the USSR were filmed by Sergei Bondarchuk in 1966. The film was very warmly received by the audience, and at the end of the year by the readers of "Soviet Screen" actress Lyudmila Savelyeva was recognized as the best actress. Overseas, the historical novel was directed by Tom Harper and aired on BBC One in early January 2016. Natasha Rostova was played in it by the actress Lily James. This adaptation is as close as possible to the text and consists of 6 episodes. British tabloid The Telegraph named it one of the best miniseries of the day.

Count of Monte Cristo

The world saw the film of the same name in 1998. A French sailor with a difficult fate was played by Gerard Depardieu. But in Russia, a series about the misadventures of Edmond Dantes was filmed in 1988, calling the three-part film "Prisoner of If Castle." The main role in it was played by a unique actor with a burning gaze, Viktor Avilov.

D'Artanyan

Russian viewers know and love one D'Artanyan - an incendiary Gascon performed by Mikhail Boyarsky. He played the role of the brave musketeer four times, starring in the main movie of 1978, and then in the sequels of 1992, 1993 and finally 2009. But the foreign audience fell in love with D'Artanyan performed by the English actor Michael York. He also tried on the role of the king's gallant soldier four times.

Catherine II

The historical figure of the Russian empress is a popular image in cinema. She was presented in different ways. In 1934, she was played by Marlene Dietrich in The Slutty Empress, Svetlana Kryuchkova in 1990 in The Royal Hunt, and Marina Vlady in 1992 in the Japanese-Russian film Dreams of Russia. She was portrayed in different years by Catherine Deneuve, and Emily Bruni, and Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina, and Natalia Surkova, and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Severia Yanushauskaite. From the latest on-screen images, you can recall our Julia Snegir in the TV series "Great" in 2015 and Marina Aleksandrova in the TV series "Catherine" in 2014. But the foreign versions of the Empress were presented by Helen Mirren in the film "Catherine the Great" in 2019 and Elle Fanning from the movie "The Great".

George, Harris, Jay

Gentlemen who went on a journey along the Thames were played in Russian cinema by a trio of witty Soviet actors - Andrei Mironov, Mikhail Derzhavin and Alexander Shirvindt in 1979. Four years earlier, the popular characters in Jerome Klapka's novel “Three Men in a Boat, Not including a Dog” were portrayed by English actors Tim Curry, Stephen Moore and Michael Palin. Yes, and in the foreign version the terrier was black.

Joan of Arc

Agree, absolutely different Orleans maidens came out: Milla Jovovich and Inna Churikova. The first of them starred in the 1999 historical film of the same name. But our Zhanna d'Arc was played by Inna Mikhailovna in the tragicomedy film by Gleb Panfilov "Beginning". According to the plot of the nondescript aspiring actress, she will only have to play the warrior maiden in the new film. So it turns out an unusual picture in a picture.

Baron Munchausen

Mark Zakharov's 1979 film about the adventures of an eccentric baron and either a prophet, or an inventor and a braggart fell in love with the intellectual audience, who saw in it a satire of modernity. The main role was brilliantly played by Oleg Yankovsky. After 9 years, the popular character was played by the Englishman John Neville. It was also a very successful adaptation. The foreign film was not only recognized by British film academics, but also won three BAFTA awards.

Chris Kelvin

The science fiction novel by writer Stanislav Lem contains highly relevant ideas. In the Soviet film adaptation of 1972 by Andrei Tarkovsky, the main role was played by the Lithuanian actor Donatas Banionis. The film won a special Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Thirty years later, "Solaris" was re-shot by Hollywood director Stephen Soderbergh, inviting George Clooney to play the lead role.

Wicked stepmother

The colorful play of the villainous stepmother from the Soviet fairy tale film "Cinderella" was remembered by movie lovers even more than the image of her stepdaughter. And capacious phrases like "sorry, the kingdom is not enough - nowhere to roam" immediately became popular. The amazing actress of the past, Faina Ranevskaya, contributed to the picture. However, the image of the villain turned out to be modern for Hollywood actress Cate Blanchett. In 2015, the film with her participation was enthusiastically received by both critics and viewers.

Fairy godmother

In the same 1947 film, the fairytale fairy performed by Varvara Myasnikova turned out to be truly magical. The actress radiates pure light and goodness. But her foreign "sister" performed by Helena Bonham Carter is more realistic. She rather resembles a real cheerful and somewhat eccentric aunt than a ghost sorceress.

Queen Margo

And again, the work of Dumas does not give the directors rest. The historical drama Queen Margot was released in Russia in 1996. The role of the charming princess was played by Evgenia Dobrovolskaya. Two years earlier, in the foreign adaptation of the French novel, the main character was delightfully performed by Isabelle Adjani, who was awarded the Cesar Film Award for her work.

Oblomov

One of the brilliantly played roles of Oleg Tabakov is the embodiment of the screen image of the lazy landowner Oblomov in the 1980 film. 37 years later, the French drew attention to the novel by Ivan Goncharov. Guillaume Gallienne became both a director, a screenwriter, and a leading actor who played Ilya Ilyich in the film.