Behind the scenes of the movie fairy tale "Fire, Water and Copper Pipes": Why Mikhail Pugovkin was taken out to the shooting in his arms

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

On New Year's holidays, both adults and children enjoy watching old movie fairy tales - kind and naive, which give a feeling of real magic and make you believe in miracles. One of them was Alexander Row's film "Fire, Water and Copper Pipes", thanks to which the star of Alexei Katyshev, one of the most beautiful heroes of Soviet cinema fairy tales, was lit up. In this film, Roe starred for the first time not only debutants, but also recognized masters - for example, Mikhail Pugovkin, for whom the shooting became a real test …

"Fire, Water and Copper Pipes" is the 12th film tale by director Alexander Rowe. Unlike previous films, it has become not a transposition of a folk tale, but a completely original plot. Mikhail Volpin and Nikolai Erdman created the script for the film based on several Russian folk tales, adding signs of contemporary life, which provided a comic effect. The movie was traditionally released on New Year's Eve, at the end of December 1968, and enjoyed great success with viewers - then it was watched by more than 25 million people.

Director Alexander Rowe often invited debutants, who had never starred in films before, to star in his films. This time he risked even more, because Alexey Katyshev was not a graduate of a theater institute, and he was not going to become an actor at all. The young man worked as an assistant sound engineer at the Yalta film studio, where he once accidentally caught the eye of Alexander Rowe.

Years later, Alexei Katyshev recalled: "".

The debutant without professional acting education did not make any impression on the members of the artistic council, and his candidacy caused a lot of controversy. But the director stood his ground: either he was shooting Katyshev, or the shooting would not take place at all. Rowe was firmly convinced that this was exactly what the protagonist of a movie fairy tale should be - his natural charm, purity and spontaneity, according to the director, more than compensated for the lack of acting skills. And after Alexei had his hair dyed wheat and curled, no one doubted that he was the ideal contender for this role.

The role of Alyonushka in the film went to 19-year-old Natalya Sedykh, another favorite of Alexander Rowe, who had already gained all-Union popularity 3 years earlier after the release of the fairy tale "Frost". The director often invited to new films those actors with whom he already had experience of successful cooperation, and Natalia was no exception. True, among the applicants for the role of Alyonushka there was another actress, the beautiful Tatyana Klyueva. She did not get this role, which she later recalled: "". The director kept his word - the main role in the fairy tale "Barbarian Beauty, Long Braid" was played by Tatyana Klyueva, who also became a star discovered by Rowe.

Thanks to Alexander Row, Natalya Sedykh earned the fame of one of the most “fabulous” Soviet actresses. At the same time, initially the girl did not dream of a film career - she was engaged in figure skating and ballet.2 years after filming in Row's movie tales, Natalya Sedykh graduated from the choreographic school and became a ballet dancer of the Bolshoi Theater troupe - at first she performed in the corps de ballet, and then became a soloist and prima.

However, the main part of the acting ensemble consisted of those artists who starred at Rowe constantly and over the years of cooperation became not only colleagues, but also like-minded people and even friends: Tamara Nosova, Vera Altayskaya, Lev Potemkin, Alexander Khvylya, Anatoly Kubatsky, Arkady Tsinman, Georgy Millyar …

Georgy Millyar was one of the director's most beloved actors, and in this film, as in other Rowe's cinematic tales, he played several roles at once - Kashchei Bessmertny, Babu Yaga, a guest at a wedding and a deaf firefighter. But the actress Anastasia Zueva played the same role in several of Rowe's films - an old storyteller. It was in this image that she was remembered by most of the audience.

Mikhail Pugovkin starred with Rowe for the first time. In this tale, he got the role of the Tsar, which he performed brilliantly. According to the actor, after finishing work on the film, the director told him: "" And Alexander Rowe himself admitted: "". After that, the director invited the actor to his next film - "Barbara-beauty, long braid", where Pugovkin played Tsar Eremey.

True, on the set, Pugovkin was not at all laughing. In one of the episodes, he was to act on horseback, but the 44-year-old actor was twisted by a severe attack of sciatica. At the same time, Pugovkin did not refuse to shoot and, overcoming the pain, played all the scenes planned with his hero. True, he had to be carried to the set in his arms, and after the completion of the work, he was returned back to the hotel in the same way.

This film enjoyed a lot of audience love, but for some actors it had fatal consequences. Alexey Katyshev admitted: "". His early marriage and the difficulties associated with it hindered the development of his acting career, and it soon faded altogether.

Unfortunately, after the death of Alexander Rowe, Alexei Katyshev's film career ended abruptly: Why the hero of the famous movie fairy tales died in obscurity … Natalia Sedykh also starred a little: Why Nastenka from "Morozko" gave up a career in cinema.