Romantic secrets behind the scenes of the cult "Solaris": "The Same Sea of Fish" Andrey Tarkovsky and Natalia Bondarchuk

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

May 10 marks the 70th anniversary of the famous actress, screenwriter, director, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Natalya Bondarchuk. In her youth, they spoke of her only as the daughter of the famous actor and director Sergei Bondarchuk, but already at the age of 22 Natalia proved that she had the right to exist as a separate creative unit. In 1972 she played the main role in the film "Solaris" by Andrei Tarkovsky, which brought her all-Union popularity. This work was significant not only in her professional biography, because behind the scenes there were feelings that led her to a dead end and forever divided her life into "before" and "after" …

Probably, her path was predetermined from birth, because she was born into the acting family of Sergei Bondarchuk and Inna Makarova. The whole country knew the names of her parents and, of course, from the very childhood she felt on herself what “high expectations” are. However, as a child, Natalya experienced the first tragedy in her life: when she was 8 years old, her father left the family. These memories, even years later, were the most painful for her, because then their communication completely stopped. From an early age, Natalia considered her family ideal. "" - she said. The news that he had gone to another woman, actress Irina Skobtseva, was a big blow.

Then Natalya thought that her father had betrayed her and did not want to see her. And only years later, she learned that in fact he suffered as much as she did. It's just that her mother was against her daughter talking with her father, and until the age of 13 she did not see him at all. She went to watch his films in cinemas with the rest of the audience and was afraid of questions about her father and mother. Perhaps that is why Natalya married very early, to a cameraman who was 11 years older than her - she seemed to be trying to fill the void that arose inside after her father left.

While studying at the acting department of VGIK, Natalya Bondarchuk began acting in films, and when she was invited to Solaris, in 3 years of her film career, she managed to star in 7 films. For the first time, the science fiction novel by Stanislav Lem, on which this film was filmed, she read at the age of 13. When she came to give the book to her neighbor in the country, she asked her to give it to a young man who had not read it yet. It turned out to be Andrei Tarkovsky. And after 7 years they met on the set.

True, the director did not immediately approve her for the main role. He began work on the film when she was still a student at VGIK. Her friend Maria Chugunkina was Tarkovsky's assistant, and she invited him to watch their course. The director invited Natalia to audition, but did not approve - she was then 20, and her partner in the film Donatas Banionis - under 50, and Tarkovsky thought that the actress was too young for this role. Bondarchuk went to the shooting of another film - "You and Me" by Larisa Shepitko. Meanwhile, the director continued to search for his heroine, but this search was unsuccessful. Seeing her play in Shepitko's film, he changed his mind and still gave her the role.

She was 21 years old, he was 39. He was for her both a mentor, and an idol, and almost a celestial. "", - said Natalia Bondarchuk.

On the set, feelings flared up between the director and the actress, and this was also largely predetermined by that childhood trauma received after the parents divorced. Natalia talked about Tarkovsky: "".

Later, Natalya Bondarchuk admitted that meeting with Tarkovsky changed her whole life, and this concerned not only their joint work. But she was married, and he was also married. Tarkovsky had already gone through a divorce from his first wife, Irma Raush, with whom his son Arseny remained, and tried to build a family with his second wife, Larisa, who gave him a son, Andrei. Tarkovsky was not ready to destroy the family again - after all, he also experienced the same tragedy in childhood: when he was 3 years old, his father left the family. According to him, he could not "betray his son a second time."

She stayed close when Solaris received 32 comments at the State Film Agency, and for six months it was not released on screens. When the premiere finally took place, Sergei Bondarchuk came to the show. The highest assessment of her work for Natalia was the words of her father, when, after the very first scenes with her participation, he firmly squeezed her hand and quietly said: "" And after the end of the session he said: "".

Solaris brought Tarkovsky and Bondarchuk recognition not only in the USSR, but also abroad - the film was selected for participation in the competitive screening of the Cannes Film Festival, where it received the Grand Special Jury Prize. They went to Cannes together. Years later, Natalia said: "".

Tarkovsky understood how desperate Natalya was, and felt responsible for her. Even when the shooting was over, he took her everywhere with him - both to the editing room and to the recording studio, where the presence of the actress was not required. But the breakup was inevitable. Realizing this, Natalya tried to commit suicide - she cut her veins. Fortunately, there were friends nearby who took her to the hospital on time.

The marriage of Bondarchuk fell apart after that, and Tarkovsky remained in his family. Natalia was saved from despair by faith - after this love, which turned out to be fatal for her, she decided to undergo the rite of baptism. And after Solaris was released, actor Nikolai Burlyaev, who soon became her second husband, drew attention to the star of the film. At first, she perceived him only as "the spiritual son of Tarkovsky" - after all, the director was also his mentor and filmed in his films. But Burlyaev was able to win her love. "", - Natalia confessed.

Each of them went his own way further, but this feeling forever divided her life into "before" and "after". "", Says Natalia Bondarchuk years later.

In 1984, the legendary director did not return from filming in Italy to his homeland: What made Andrei Tarkovsky leave the USSR forever.