Video: Film provocations by Alexei Balabanov: Why the creator of "Brother" was accused of nationalism and cruelty
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
5 years ago, on May 18, 2013, at the age of 55, a famous Russian film director, screenwriter and producer passed away Alexey Balabanov … He was called one of the main provocateurs of Russian cinema: his films often shocked and caused an ambiguous reaction in society. The director was accused of everything - political incorrectness, nationalism, xenophobia, "gross" - but one thing was indisputable: he was an innovator, did not flirt with the audience and created a unique "Balaban" style, thanks to which his films won many awards at international film festivals.
Alexey Balabanov was born and raised in Sverdlovsk (Yekaterinburg), graduated from the Gorky Pedagogical Institute with a degree in translator, after which he was drafted into the army. During two years of service, he flew to countries in Asia and Africa and took part in the war in Afghanistan. This experience was later reflected in many of his films, first of all in the heaviest for perception "Load 200".
After the service, Balabanov worked as an assistant director at the Sverdlovsk Film Studio. It was at this time that underground culture flourished in Sverdlovsk, which had a great influence on the director. He was familiar with the members of the cult group "Nautilus Pompilius" and filmed them in his first film. Their music became an important component of Balabanov's aesthetics and created the unique atmosphere of his films.
In 1990, Balabanov moved to St. Petersburg, where two years later, together with producer Sergei Selyanov, he founded the STV film company. In 1997, the director gained worldwide recognition when his film Brother won the Grand Prix at the Kinotavr and prizes at the festivals in Turin, Cottbus and Trieste. The hero Sergei Bodrov was called the hero of the generation of the late 1990s, but the film deserved not only laudatory responses: because of the main character's hostility to foreigners, the director was accused of xenophobia and nationalism.
His films provoked scandals in society more than once and received outrageous reviews, but they all became cult in the post-Soviet space. "Brother" and "Brother-2" are called the monument of the era of the 1990s. And to the reproaches of nationalism, the director answered: "". Balabanov was categorically against migration, often repeating: "". But he considered himself not a nationalist, but a patriot.
After the release of the film "War", a scandal flared up again: Balabanov was accused of political incorrectness in repelling the war in Chechnya. The film "Cargo 200" was removed from the box office in many cities of the country due to the abundance of scenes of violence. The director was called "black man", and he explained his position in this way: "".
The director did not try to please the public and was not afraid to show the wrong side of society in all its ugliness. Because of this, he was called the "singer of everyday life." It is difficult to retell the plot of Balabanov's films - they need to be watched. The director said: "".
Balabanov had his own methods of working with actors and a special approach to filming. The main thing he asked them about on the set was “not to play” and “not to overheat”, that is, to remain in the frame as natural as possible and not to demonstrate false emotions. Often he invited non-professional or novice actors to get the most reliable reaction: "". Perhaps that is why Sergei Bodrov Jr. became Balabanov's favorite actor: "".
Viktor Sukhorukov recalled how on the set of the film "Happy Days" the director made him walk in boots half a size smaller: ". His favorite saying on the set was the phrase: ""
With some actors, Balabanov not only collaborated over the years, but also established close friendly contacts. Close friends for him were Viktor Sukhorukov, with whom the director and his wife lived for some time in the same apartment, and Sergei Bodrov Jr., who became his main discovery. The premature tragic death of the actor in 2002 was such a shock for Balabanov that for a long time he could not come to his senses and abused alcohol. His wife Nadezhda said: "".
In 2012, the director was diagnosed with cancer. He knew that he had little left, and, according to acquaintances, he tried to complete all the cases. On May 18, 2013, Alexey Balabanov died of acute heart failure. Director Vitaly Melnikov said about him: "".
Whatever feelings aroused by Balabanov's works, one thing is indisputable: they leave no one indifferent: What's left behind the scenes of "Brother" and "Brother-2".
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