How the series "Gloom River" was filmed, and why it drew so much criticism from viewers

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

In March 2021, the TV series "Gloomy River" by Yuri Moroz was released, which tells about three generations of the Gromov family. The filmmakers invested a lot of money and effort into a new adaptation of the novel by Vyacheslav Shishkov, and the director presented his vision of the saga, known not only from a literary work, but also from the Soviet film by Yaropolk Lapshin, to the audience. The modern series caused a huge resonance and, of course, it was not without criticism from the audience.

Complex shooting

Unlike the film by Yaropolk Lapshin, who used only some of the storylines of the novel of the same name in his four-part film, the new series became the first full screen version of the work of Vyacheslav Shishkov. The creators of the tape tried to recreate all three volumes of the novel as accurately as possible on the screen and avoid stylistic mistakes.

The shooting was very large-scale and took place in several locations at once, in each of which its own scenery was erected: in Moscow and the Moscow region, in the Urals and in Suzdal, in Minsk and Kineshma.

According to the filmmakers, the most difficult thing for them was on an expedition to the Urals and Siberia, where filming was carried out in hard-to-reach places and far from settlements, which were often 100-150 kilometers away. On the Iset River, in one shooting day, it was possible to work out only two takes, a wooden boat six meters long was launched into the water 50 meters before the rapids that had to be overcome, and the shooting itself was carried out directly from the drone.

When watching the series, it seems as if Prokhor Gromov is constantly moving in one area, but the scenes on the estate were filmed in the Moscow region, the workers' barracks were actually in Minsk, and a factory and a sawmill were located in the Urals. And the car, in which the main character constantly moves from place to place, had to be transported to these places. By the way, specially for filming it was provided by the Yekaterinburg Museum.

The Prokhor Gromov Tower is a masterpiece of computer graphics, and the scenes filmed inside the tower were staged in the pavilion. With the help of computer graphics, the fall of the Tunguska meteorite was also recreated, which, according to the director's plan, became a symbol of the ruin of the life of the protagonist.

Hundreds of costumes were made especially for the filming of "Gloomy River", some of which were sewn by hand. The costume designers even needed the advice of a real shaman to create the most accurate image of the shaman on the show.

One of the most striking scenes with a feast in the house of Prokhor Gromov demanded that the requisitor study history. He specifically consulted with chefs who are engaged in Russian cuisine, studying the order and number of changes of dishes in merchant families. But the liqueurs appearing in the same scene were all fake.

Is the criticism justified

Filming of this magnitude was fraught with difficulties, but the filmmakers invested in their creation not only physically, but also emotionally. They understood that it would not be possible to avoid comparison with the picture of Yaropolk Lapshin, and tried to warn viewers that their series was not a remake, but they were representing their own interpretation of the famous work. But at the same time, criticism was not avoided, of course.

Many viewers spoke positively about the series, but there were also those who found many inaccuracies and discrepancies, both with the original and with the Soviet film. Some note the discrepancy in the characters and appearance of the heroes in comparison with the literary original. For example, the grandfather Danila Gromov was originally a robber and murderer, and in the new series he looks more like a "god's dandelion", Anfisa Kozyreva turned out to be allegedly not like a literary heroine, like Ibrahim-Cherkes.

Many questions arise about the characters of other characters, including Prokhor Gromov. Allegedly, the images embodied in Yuri Morozov's tape lack the strength that distinguishes Siberians, a certain inner core. Almost all critics agree that in Yaropolk Lapshin's film, the images and characters of the heroes are brighter and more textured, they practically do not differ from those that are described in detail in the novel by Vyacheslav Shishkov.

Viewers believe that the leading role, Yulia Peresild, least of all matches the image of a “femme fatale”, from whose glance men would be ready to go crazy. Her Anfisa Kozyreva is completely different, although, in fairness, it is worth noting: the actress simply created a completely different image. He is not bad, but simply very different from the Anfisa that Lyudmila Chursina played so brilliantly in her time.

It should be noted, however, that the new series is, by and large, not bad. Only now, each viewer has his own expectations from the adaptation of the classics. Especially in the case when at first there was an acquaintance with the literary original, and only then the "Gloomy River" by Yuri Moroz was viewed. This tape has many advantages, it has an original vision and an attempt to "modernize" the original a little, making it more understandable to modern viewers.

The film Gloomy River, released in the late 1960s, was incredibly popular. According to the plot, the rich legacy of the Thunder family entails misfortune for each of the heroes. The actors who played the main roles in it turned into stars of the all-Union scale. But, unfortunately, some of them fate was more dramatic than that of their movie characters, and their lives could be the basis for writing a book.