Behind the scenes of the film "I walk around Moscow": Why the shooting was on the verge of failure several times

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

Today is the famous film by George Danelia "I walk around Moscow" called the first lyrical comedy and a symbol of the "thaw" era and the generation of the sixties, but at the beginning of filming the director faced many problems: the script was not approved due to "lack of meaning" and excessive optimism, and the actors approved for the main roles refused to act.

The history of the film began when the poet and screenwriter Gennady Shpalikov once came to the director Georgy Danelia and said that he had a new plot and urgently needed to start filming. In fact, at that moment, only one episode was born in his imagination: "".

Soon the script was finished, but there were problems with its approval: at that time Shpalikov was also working on the film "Ilyich's Outpost", and he was accused of portraying three idlers who do not know how to live and what to strive for. Khrushchev called this film ideologically harmful. And here, in the new scenario, the “unprincipled” heroes again “walked across Moscow” without a goal and without a job. There were a lot of complaints: "". In order to clarify the meaning of the film to the audience, they demanded to introduce an additional episode.

The film seemed to the commission to be conflict-free, too optimistic, showing only the positive aspects of life. Then the director and screenwriter introduced a new character into the script - a floor polisher, posing as a writer, critical and dissatisfied with everything. He reads Volodya's script and tells him what Danelia and Shpalikov heard from their censors. And Volodya tells him in response what they said in response to criticism. At first, Rudolf Rudin was invited to this role, but he could not take part in the filming, and Vladimir Basov was filmed instead - this was his acting debut. As a result, the film was approved.

The audience could see other actors in the main roles: Vitaly Solomin auditioned for the role of Volodya, but he was not approved by the artistic council. Alexey Loktev auditioned and started filming, but he was recalled from filming due to being busy on tour. After the director looked at other applicants, he nevertheless decided to wait for Loktev from the tour. Natalya Selezneva was supposed to play the record saleswoman, several scenes have already been filmed with her, but the artistic council as a result voted for Galina Polskikh. A few years later Selezneva became famous thanks to the role of Lida in "The Adventures of Shurik". Another actor was also approved for the role of Sasha, but at the last moment they decided to shoot Yevgeny Steblov.

Only Nikita Mikhalkov was approved immediately - due to the fact that Shpalikov was a friend of Andron Konchalovsky. But even here the shooting was in jeopardy due to the fact that Mikhalkov demanded to increase his rate. Then the director went for a trick: despite the fact that many episodes with his participation had already been filmed, Danelia announced that they would continue to work with another actor. Mikhalkov had to give in. Problems arose with Rolan Bykov, who at that time was completing the editing of his own film and was constantly late for shooting. Once the schedule had to be redrawn because of Yevgeny Steblov - he, along with other students of the Shchukin school, was sent to work at a vegetable warehouse, and there he was loaded with potatoes in his face. The lip was so swollen that the actor could return to filming only after 10 days.

Initially, the words of the famous song sounded like this: "", but the director rejected this option, and Shpalikov immediately, during preparations for the shooting, suggested a new one. We hear it in the final version.

Georgy Danelia became the first director to shoot a film in the genre of lyrical comedy. He told: "".

The film premiered in January 1964, and since then it has been considered one of Danelia's best films and a classic of Soviet cinema. The director remembers this work years later with special warmth: "".

For the poet and screenwriter, this was his most vivid and memorable work, and at 37 he took his own life: The unpredictable Gennady Shpalikov.