Svetlana Druzhinina and Anatoly Mukasey: family traditions as the basis for a happy marriage

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

Svetlana Druzhinina and Anatoly Mukasey met in their youth in order to live a long and happy life together. The spouses themselves joke that they had no chance of parting, because real Soviet intelligence officers were responsible for the strength of the bonds of their marriage: after the wedding, the parents of Anatoly Mukasey taught the newlyweds the culture of family relations based on the traditions of their family.

Svetlana Druzhinina's happiness

Svetlana was born in December 1935. She went through a difficult childhood - military, hungry, anxious. The dad of the future actress died at the front. Little Svetochka and her mother, returning from the evacuation, found out that their apartment was occupied. Svetlana spent the night in the church, at the bell ringer of her grandfather, the priest, and her mother went to the authorities every day to get some kind of housing.

Then there was Maryina Roshcha, where they were given a room in a communal apartment. Happiness was even a small piece of bread that the saleswoman gave as an appendage, or a piece of sugar stolen from the school cafeteria. Unless you're caught red-handed, of course. And the sea was also happiness, where she was sent one summer, already during her studies at the school. She loves him to this day, feeling happy in the clear clear water, inhaling the indescribable scent of the depths.

In 1946, yesterday's schoolgirl entered the circus school, and a year later transferred to the choreographic school at the Moscow Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater. During her studies, she managed to star in the film almanac "Fitil", where she played a violinist who was hit by a drunk driver. The director's assistant found her right at the school and persistently invited her to audition.

But even after filming, Svetlana was not going to quit ballet. She loved her future profession and had already seen herself on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. But after the injury, she had to forget about the career of a ballerina. At the prom, she was the presenter, because she could no longer dance.

By a happy coincidence, director Samson Samsonov saw her in a live broadcast from the prom. And the very next day, the director sent her the script for "The Stone Heart" (which would later be renamed "Behind the Window of a Department Store") for review. Svetlana Druzhinina remembered how many difficulties there were during filming in the movie almanac, how much she was ill afterwards because she had a cold. But her neighbors in a communal apartment read the script and, with general advice, decided that she needed to film. At the end of filming, she entered VGIK. It was there that her whole future fate was decided.

Happiness of Anatoly Mukasey

His parents were illegal scouts - Mikhail and Elizaveta Mukasey. Mom showed great promise, was a student and a promising assistant to Academician Pavlov when she met her future spy husband. In 1934 their daughter Ella was born, and in 1938 - Anatoly. A year after the birth of his son, the security services family was sent to Los Angeles, where his father served as vice consul, and his mother became his secretary.

In America, the family talked to many celebrities who visited their home, including Charlie Chaplin, Walt Disney, Douglas Fairbanks, Sergei Rachmaninov, Mary Pickford.

After returning to the Soviet Union, the Mukasei couple with their children settled in Moscow. When the threat of arrest loomed over his father, he was transported to Poland with the help of scout Alexander Korotkov. After a while, my mother was offered to join him, she studied radio business and also became a scout.

For many years, Ella and Anatoly Mukasey saw their parents once every few years, when one of them came to visit the family. It was happiness to find a note or a letter from mom and dad at home. Mikhail Mukasey was in charge of communications, through him and Elizabeth, numerous agents transmitted their information to the Center.

Anatoly and Ella were already students of VGIK, when my mother arrived again. The three of them went to Gagra, where they rested at Stalin's dacha. There they saw the film "Behind the Window of a Department Store", where Svetlana Druzhinina was filmed. It was then, when he heard that his mother liked the main character of the film, he said that he would marry her.

The fateful role of volleyball

They were both captains of the VGIK volleyball teams, Svetlana - for women, and Anatoly - for men. When a volleyball flew into her on the court, the first thing she saw after the impact was huge imported sneakers. So she met the brother of her friend Ella. The girls were already friends, spent a lot of time together, and Svetlana began to visit the house of her friend and her brother.

He was a cinematographer, and she was an actress and constant model of all his tests. Despite the slight difference in age, they somehow very quickly felt the kinship of souls and began to meet. Friends began to call Anatoly's parents and tell them that he was dating a woman older than himself. But how could this have stopped the two lovers?

When Ella Mukasey was getting ready to get married, her parents came to Moscow. Then Anatoly introduced his parents to Svetlana. And Mikhail Isaakovich offered to play a double wedding, because the parents liked Svetlana. They immediately realized that Svetlana would become a good wife for their son. Svetlana, on reflection, agreed. A magnificent wedding was celebrated at the Prague restaurant.

Family traditions

At first, the newlyweds often quarreled over any little things. But the parents of the young husband immediately came to the rescue. Alexei's father came to their home, diligently disassembled and analyzed their problem until everyone came to a common denominator.

Anatoly's mother was an example for Svetlana in everything - she learned from her manners, style, behavior. According to her, the mother-in-law and father-in-law were amazing, wise and intelligent people.

Over time, Svetlana and Anatoly nevertheless learned to tolerate and respect each other's habits and needs. In 1958 their first son Anatoly was born, in 1966 - Mikhail.

The marriage of Svetlana and Anatoly went through many tests. Their eldest son died in 1978. The couple helped their grandson Daniel to get on his feet, who now helps his famous grandfather and grandmother to edit films. The youngest son, Mikhail, followed in the footsteps of his parents and became a cameraman and film producer.

When in the 90s they almost stopped making films, Anatoly Mukasey suffered from lack of demand. Svetlana came up with a project and very quickly wrote the script for "Secrets of Palace Revolutions" - her husband again had an interesting job.

For 59 years Svetlana and Anatoly have considered their family a real home front, a safe haven, a source of strength, inspiration and love.

Svetlana Druzhinina and Anatoly Mukasey were fortunate enough to meet in their youth and carry their feelings through their whole lives. And in life Eldara Ryazanova there were three women, like three seasons.