Eldar Ryazanov and Zoya Fomina: How to live in love for a quarter of a century and maintain a warm relationship when it is over

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

His films are popular and loved to this day, although more than 60 years have passed since the release of his first feature film "Carnival Night". Then he was young and strong, worked in documentaries and was very happy next to the girl, whom he noticed at the institute. His feelings were passionate and mutual, and certainly had to last a lifetime. Eldar Ryazanov and Zoya Fomina had no idea how they could live without each other. But life often puts people in a situation where they have to make choices.

Youthful feelings

He entered the course of Georgy Kozintsev at VGIK in 1944, when he was only 16 years old. And after the first year he was almost expelled because of his age: the manager decided that he was too young for directing. However, Eldar Ryazanov managed to convince the teacher that youth cannot be an obstacle to the profession.

Here, at VGIK, he met Zoya. She was three years older, but they were in the same year. They both chose documentary filmmaking as their specialization, they even filmed the diploma film together. The girl did not immediately accept the courtship of her youngest admirer, but he still managed to win her heart.

Eldar Ryazanov wrote his first letters to his beloved in 1947, when they were sent to practice at Lenfilm separately. They contained tenderness and passion, as well as detailed descriptions of those events that took place in his life away from his beloved. He created in letters vivid images of cities and towns, which he had a chance to visit and, of course, confessed his love to Zoya.

They became husband and wife six years after the first meeting, and a year later Olga was born, the only daughter of the Grand Master and his Zoe.

Wife, friend, colleague

They were constantly filming something, were on the road and on expeditions. And from everywhere their letters flew towards each other. He affectionately called him Foma or Fomich, and she called him Ryzhik.

He was glad that their feelings remain unchanged, and their life consists not only of love, but also of friendship and common work. Eldar Ryazanov considered his wife his best advisor and the most objective critic. Zoe was not inclined to simply praise or scold unnecessarily. She could scrupulously, frame by frame, analyze his next documentary, suggesting original directorial moves and decisions.

And having switched to the shooting of feature films, he did not stop turning to his wife for advice. The fact that he generally agreed to shoot "Carnival Night" was also Zoe's merit. It seemed to him that he would not succeed, but over time it was the feature films that made him a celebrity.

Zoya Fomina herself has been a documentary filmmaker all her life. In 1980, she became a laureate of the Lenin Prize, which she received as part of a film crew for the documentary Soviet-American series "The Great Patriotic War".

Life is longer than love

Eldar Ryazanov was a real strong family man. From abroad he brought his girls whole suitcases of new clothes and always guessed with the size, invariably brought many books that were published only abroad: Solzhenitsyn, Pasternak, Orwell, Zamyatin. The prohibited editions were kept in a special cabinet with opaque doors and a built-in lock. He also brought tape recorders and record players from abroad, because in the USSR it was impossible to buy all this.

The director always found time for his wife and daughter, while not allowing himself any moralizing, he just was there. Every year they all rested together in Pitsunda, and they also loved to travel together. He took his daughter to museums and taught her how to ski and skate. And he was happy when he managed to spend the evening together with his wife.

It seemed that their fates were connected forever. It was impossible even to imagine that someday their life together could end. But sometimes life is much longer than love. They barely lived to see their silver wedding.

Honest and open Eldar Ryazanov, having met his new love, could not and did not want to deceive a dear person. They made the decision to leave, and both suffered from persistent pain. Not his own, but the one who is nearby.

He wrote to his wife in one of his last letters: parting with her is like ripping off your skin. But their paths had already parted, and both understood the inevitability of this event. They made a difficult decision for both and divorced in the mid-1970s, managing to preserve the most important thing: mutual respect and friendship.

Zoya Fomina had the wisdom and strength not to hold grudges against her husband. She saved all his letters, which are now re-read by the daughter and grandson of the famous director. When her husband married a second time, she continued to lead an active life. And soon she herself met a man with whom she lived in love and harmony until her departure in 1999.

Eldar Ryazanov never broke off relations with either his ex-wife or his daughter, and then his grandson. And he said that he was very lucky in life with all three wives.

The Great Master had a multifaceted talent. He knew how to make films, write poetry and knew how to love. Fate bestowed in each of which he was happy.