Video: "Untold Results" by Eldar Ryazanov: why the director considered his comedies naive, and what he was ashamed of
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
November 18 to one of the most outstanding directors of the twentieth century. Eldar Ryazanov could have turned 89 years old, but a year ago he passed away. In memory of the author of the most beloved films, we publish excerpts from his book of memoirs "Unsummed Results", where the director talks about interesting moments of filming, the work of actors and the most intimate.
“Not so long ago, in connection with the anniversary of the release of Carnival Night on the screen, it was shown again after a long break on television. I was told that the tape is not outdated at all. I also looked at the picture after a long interval, and a lot of things just seemed to me naive and old-fashioned. But one thing, unfortunately, has not faded: the image of a fool who is peremptory and ignorantly trying to lead."
“I came to the newsreel in 1950. The documentary films of those years had nothing to do with life, or with the document, or with the truth. I was a product of my time. I also varnished life as best I could. While filming a film about the oil workers of the Kuban, I made the facade of the store be painted to make it look new and beautiful on the screen. One oilman had unimportant furniture in his apartment. But the neighbor's situation was excellent. But the neighbor was not considered a hero of labor and was not the hero of our film. Together with the operator, I moved the excellent furniture to the apartment we needed. I will not hide that the feeling of shame that was brought up in me at the institute made itself felt. Perhaps that is why I performed these manipulations under cover of night, so that others would not see."
“Sometimes an anecdotal incident in life can serve as a starting point for imagination. So, for example, the play "Enjoy Your Bath!" We were told a story about a man (let's call him N.) who, after a bath, ran to see his friends. And there was a party. Washed and clean, N. began to have fun and soon, as they say, "passed out." The joker B. was in the company. He persuaded the roaming friends to take N. who had come from the bathhouse to the station, load the sleeping man into a carriage and send him to Leningrad. And so they did … Braginsky and I began to fantasize about what could have happened to this idiot in a strange city, where he had no acquaintances and his wallet was empty. It seemed to us amusing to shove the unfortunate man into the same apartment as his in Moscow and see what happens."
“We gave our wife Galya the bride, and Nadya presented the bridegroom Hippolytus. That is, we put ourselves as playwrights in a difficult position: overnight we had to force the heroes to part with their former affections and fall in love with each other. At this stage, the main idea of the play, its idea, also became clear. I would like to talk about how in the bustle of days, their bustle and routine, people often do not notice that they do not live with genuine feelings, but are content with their surrogates, ersatz. With this play, we rebelled against the moral indifference and compromise with which many are reconciled in life."
“Burkov is a typical example of a“nugget”. Burkov was a talented storyteller. When he started his bikes, work gradually stopped on the set. Because he often played rustic artisans, uneducated people, it might seem to the viewer that he himself is like that in life. However, at the very first contact with Burkov, his high culture, education, tact, and genuine intelligence became noticeable."
“On the television screen, the actor, who was conscious of his irresistibility, sometimes resembling a veil, of a charming bon vivant, moved elegantly, danced easily, sang at ease. And some viewers identified this image with the essence of Mironov himself. And in life, Andrei was, perhaps, the complete opposite of his pop character. He was shy, insecure, dissatisfied with himself, incredibly delicate, vulnerable and very kind."
“The Office Romance film exists primarily because Alisa Freindlich exists. Her sincerity, sincerity, trepidation, together with high skill, give rise to an extraordinary empathy, sympathy, and finally love in the viewer. To achieve such a reaction from the audience is possible only if the actor on stage is both talented at the same time and gives all the best to the end, not sparing himself in anything."
“Myagkov has one rare quality. He is an amazing improviser. When he completely got into the skin of the character, he can give out something unexpected in the double, but absolutely corresponding to the character that is playing. I really love these "ad-libs" when they are really improvisational, not planned, spontaneous."
And on the set "Cruel Romance" Andrei Myagkov almost died, and the film received devastating reviews
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