Table of contents:
- Tamara Makarova and Greta Garbo
- Natalia Kustinskaya and Brigitte Bardot
- Natalia Fateeva and Elizabeth Taylor
Video: Soviet "doubles" of Western stars: Who were called ours Brigitte Bardot, Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
The stars of European and American cinema all over the world are considered universally recognized standards of beauty and style, but in Soviet cinema there were many actresses who were in no way inferior to their Western counterparts and made a splash at international festivals. And if they had the opportunity to film abroad, they would certainly be able to seriously compete with Brigitte Bardot, Greta Garbo and Elizabeth Taylor.
Tamara Makarova and Greta Garbo
She was called the first lady of Soviet cinema, and her husband, the legendary Sergei Gerasimov, was called the chief director of Soviet cinema. Together they raised more than one generation of actors at VGIK, and often the name of Tamara Makarova is mentioned primarily as a famous teacher, but she herself was an outstanding actress.
All-Union fame came to her after she began acting in the films of her husband, who was able to emphasize all the advantages of her restrained and cold beauty on the screens. Sergei Gerasimov said about her: "".
When Tamara Makarova was first seen abroad, she was called the most sensual actress of the Soviet screen and Russian Greta Garbo. Their resemblance was more likely not portrait, but psychophysical - the same external restraint and coldness with an internal heat of emotions, self-esteem, royal position and posture, impeccable taste and style, in a word, everything that is usually called the word "breed". They were actresses of the same temperament, creating an enchanting and unattainable image of a woman of mystery. Film critic Anna Pendrakovskaya said about Makarova: "".
Alexander Ptushko's film "Stone Flower", where Tamara Makarova played the main role - the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, won a prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1946. Foreign directors drew attention to the Soviet Greta Garbo, and the actress was offered to star in the role of Anna Karenina in the Hollywood film adaptation of Lev's novel Tolstoy. Who knows how her fate would have developed if these plans had come true, but the Soviet authorities did not give the actress permission to leave.
Natalia Kustinskaya and Brigitte Bardot
All the spectacular blondes of Soviet cinema were often compared with the most sensual and coveted French film star Brigitte Bardot, but most often such comparisons were made to Natalia Kustinskaya. In her youth, she was one of the most beautiful actresses and was reputed to be the first heartbreaker in the USSR - Kustinskaya was married 4 times and easily won the hearts of the most prominent men of her time. Her husbands were director Yuri Chulyukin, diplomat Oleg Volkov, cosmonaut Boris Egorov.
After the release of the film "Three plus two" Natalia Kustinskaya received not only all-Union, but also world fame. She was often released abroad as part of Soviet film delegations. The actress recalled: "".
Her colleagues and acquaintances said that in her youth she was easy-going, cheerful and incredibly charming. Her partner on the set in the comedy "Three plus two" Gennady Nilov recalled: "". Others argued that behind the angelic appearance was a very contradictory and complex character. Actress Tamara Semina called Kustinskaya a selfish, cruel and mercantile woman.
Scandalous fame accompanied Brigitte Bardot all her life. Reviews about her were just as controversial. Someone admired her sensual beauty and spontaneity, while others accused her of defiant behavior, absurd character and cruelty. Just like Kustinskaya, Bardo was the muse of the most talented artists of that time and got married 5 times. The second husband, actor Jacques Charrier, called her an eccentric beauty, a heartless mother and a mean wife. Both actresses shone on the screens in their youth and starred a lot in the 1960s, and both then suddenly disappeared from the screens. And in their declining years, both Kustinskaya and Bardo suffered from loneliness and often heard offensive statements about their greatly changed appearance.
Natalia Fateeva and Elizabeth Taylor
Soviet Elizabeth Taylor was often called Natalya Fateeva, although their similarity was conditional - rather, the actresses had one role of a femme fatale and one type: dark hair, blue eyes, a chiseled figure, a bewitching look, a languid voice. And both actresses constantly had to prove that they are not only attractive, but also talented - they both often heard in their address that their main trump card is bright beauty. It is interesting that Fateeva was personally acquainted with Elizabeth Taylor - they met during the visit of the Soviet actress to the United States. Then Natalya was amazed at how petite the Hollywood star was - she barely reached her chin.
Just like Natalya Kustinskaya, national fame came to Natalya Fateeva after filming in the comedy "Three plus two". While working on the film, Andrei Mironov lost his head from her, and the actress broke his heart. And he was far from the only one who drove Fateeva crazy - she always had a lot of fans. She was married to actor and director Vladimir Basov, cosmonaut Boris Egorov, who left her for Natalia Kustinskaya. Fateeva got married several times, but all her marriages lasted no longer than 5 years.
Her professional life was not very successful either. Unlike Elizabeth Taylor, Natalya Fateeva could not boast of the same number of successful major film roles. In the 1980s. she disappeared from the screens and admitted that for many years she suffered from depression due to the fact that she could not fit into the new times. Fateeva has repeatedly said that the second half of her life was a cruel retribution for success and happiness in her youth, since in her declining years she was left completely alone. Elizabeth Taylor also practically stopped acting in the 1980s, but this did not affect her popularity in any way - the press now and then discussed either her 8 marriages or charity work. She never had a reason to feel unclaimed and forgotten, and she did not lose her love for life.
Parallels between the first beauties of the USSR and Western stars were drawn quite often: Which Soviet actresses were called our Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn.
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