How was the fate of the son of director Elem Klimov Anton, who at the age of 6 was left without a mother

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

Anton was only six years old when his mother died in a car accident. And nevertheless, all his life he did not leave the feeling of her presence. A portrait of Larisa Shepitko hung in the most conspicuous place in the house, and her films became an example of real cinema. It was difficult for Elem Klimov, he remained with his son in his arms. True, the mother of Larisa Efimovna provided invaluable assistance to him in the matter of upbringing. It seemed that Anton had to follow in the footsteps of his parents, but in fact he chose his own path.

Reflected in glory

Despite the fact that at the time of his mother's death, Anton was only six years old, he still remembers her very well today. Some episodes were forever preserved in his soul, some were told by dad and grandmother, Efrosinya Yanovna. For example, Anton knows: the doctors were categorically against Larisa Shepitko giving birth to a child. During pregnancy, she suffered a serious spinal injury and may not have survived the birth. But she still took a chance, and Anton was born.

He remembered his mother as a whole person, who knows how to find a balance between art and family. She sang songs to her son in English and, together with her husband, dreamed of how Anton would become, at least, the second Stanislav Richter. Larisa Shepitko and Elem Klimov believed that their son had all the data for a future pianist. Therefore, we purchased a huge and incredibly beautiful piano from a well-known manufacturer. He stood in the middle of the room and was supposed to inspire the boy to music lessons by his appearance alone.

True, Larisa Shepitko herself did not have time to take up her son's musical education, and already Elem Klimov sent his son to a music school. These classes, by the way, Anton did not like very much. Firstly, instead of walking with friends, he had to rush to the music school after regular school. And secondly, the very thought that it was necessary to play scales and etudes again plunged him into melancholy.

At the same time, he could not admit his torment to his father. Anton felt his father's desire to be proud of his son and was afraid to disappoint or upset him. However, they did not see each other too often. Elem Klimov was constantly on the road and on expeditions, but he greatly appreciated the time spent in the company of the heir.

They shared some fantasies with each other, invented fabulous countries, endowing the inhabitants of these countries with amazing qualities. Anton has a memory that his father was not at home. But the boy was not worried or upset about this, taking the situation for granted. There is him, there is a grandmother who took care of him, and there is a father who appears from time to time.

When Elem Klimov was at home, his many friends came to visit. At these evenings, Anton often had to sit down at the piano, which literally made the boy's hands cold. Anton remembered how Yuri Vizbor, Tatiana and Sergey Nikitin, Vladimir Vysotsky played and sang. Anton, by the way, did not like the songs of the latter too much, with the exception of "Ballad of Love".

Since childhood, Anton was clearly different from his peers. If only because he preferred the program "Time" to the program "Good night, kids" and loved to read newspapers. True, he got acquainted with them, for the most part, on the street, standing for hours near stands with pasted newspapers. At the same time, he did not read funny stories, but an analysis of the international situation.

Own way

When Anton was 12 years old, the film "Come and See" was screened with triumph, and real glory fell on his father. Before that, his paintings often faced a very sad fate: immediately after they were released, they were sent to the shelf. In 1986, Elem Germanovich was elected first secretary of the board of the Union of Cinematographers, he began to travel a lot.

This coincided with the difficult transitional age of his son. The teenager was finally able to leave such an unloved music school and … fall in love with music. As Anton will write later, then a love triangle appeared in his life between him, rock and roll and his father. It seems that then a special closeness arose between Elem Klimov and his son. They argued about different musical trends, dismantled new albums of their favorite musicians, looked for new items and just enjoyed the music.

Elem Germanovich brought a computer from another business trip, and Anton began to write his own music. Then he became a member of a music group created by his friend, and performed under the pseudonym of the hero from "Star Wars" Luke Skywalker. Anton Klimov now understands that his “works” were not anything outstanding, but his father always sincerely believed: his son has a great future, and he will definitely write music that will shock the world.

And then Anton came to him and simply said: he wants to become a journalist, will write serious articles about music. And again, Elem Klimov never doubted his son for a second. He immediately compared him with Anton Chekhov, who began with journalism, and after half an hour agreed to interview his son with Alexander Gradsky himself, which would not be published anywhere, but in Moskovsky Komsomolets.

Anton Klimov graduated from the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University and actually began writing articles about music and musicians. And after that interest in music grew into a desire to promote musicians, and Anton easily mastered a new field of activity for himself. As a PR specialist, Anton Elemovich has worked with Danko, Linda, Dolphin and Mikhail Shufutinsky over the years.

In the early 2000s, Anton Klimov was called one of the best PR people in show business, and he himself admitted without false modesty: he can make a star out of any person. True, he added that he prefers to work only with those performers who are humanly pleasant to him.

Father, of course, really wanted Anton to do something more serious, focusing on creativity. Klimov Jr. agreed, but believed that creativity would not go anywhere from him. After some time, Anton Klimov actually stopped doing PR, and now he is positioning himself as a writer. It is quite possible that a book by Anton Klimov will appear on the shelves of bookstores in the foreseeable future, which will certainly become a bestseller.

The most beautiful and most tragic love story in Soviet cinema ended on July 2, 1979. "Volga", in which a film crew headed by Larisa Shepitko was driving along the Leningradskoye Highway, crashed into an oncoming truck. Larisa's husband Elem Klimov did not accept the loss until the end of his life.