How the popular comedy "Peculiarities of the National Hunt" was filmed: 25 years of popular love

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

There were almost no hunters among the film crew, but it was this noble occupation that became the impetus for the creation of a popular comedy: director Alexander Rogozhkin once went “on the beast”, and then, quickly sketching out his impressions, and, as usual, embellishing them, proceeded to the filming of the film. No one expected that Sergei Gerasimov's student, who had released several difficult, problematic films, would become the author of a "collection of jokes and toasts." This year, the cult comedy celebrated its 25th anniversary.

Features of the national weather

The film was shot quickly. In 1994, Alexander Rogozhkin wrote the script and immediately proceeded to select the actors. Most of the filming was done in the Priozersk District of the Leningrad Region, on the border with Karelia. While we were preparing and waiting for funding, the summer has already ended, so we see a mild autumn in the picture. True, for the actors this season was not easy. For example, a scene in a bathhouse was filmed “without heating”. The heat effect was achieved by using artificial smoke and smearing the participants with oil, which was supposed to simulate sweat. In fact, the temperature in the steam room was about 10 degrees, and then I had to dive into the water, pretending to be full of pleasure.

The entire film crew also froze to death, and a few months later, when it was necessary to shoot a "real Russian hunt" in the style of Leo Tolstoy, which a romantic Finnish guest dreamed of, in a severe frost. Here the snow was quite real, nature was winter, many animals, countless takes … As eyewitnesses say, the director and the beautiful girl in the Amazon, depicting a noble hunter, froze most of all. The poor woman sat in the saddle for several hours, and literally froze in this position - several people removed her from the horse.

Was the cow in the bomb bay injured?

Unfortunately, in this case, there were some casualties. Three cows were cast in the role of the brave cow. So that they could be mistaken for one, the make-up artists painted on spots on the animals with gouache. One of them was actually hung in a bomb bay on a hammock, and at one point the cow fell off and fell out of the cargo compartment. According to other sources, one of the brave "pilots" after the film calved safely.

The shepherd dog was not yet lucky on the set, which "played the role" of a wolf and ran away from a pack of greyhounds across the field. According to calculations, the dog had to have time to reach the car, but the greyhounds accidentally fell off ahead of time, so the shepherd did not go well. By the way, there was a real wolf in the frame too, he was filmed "close-up".

Another victim of wildlife was the actor Semyon Strugachev. He was disliked by the bear cub, who played an important role in the film. At the moment where the brave hunters are photographed with a sleepy bear, the furry actor was really put to sleep, but at one point he suddenly woke up and bit his “colleague on the set”. But it was this take, lively and vivid, it was decided to leave in the final editing of the picture.

Russian-Finnish friendship

In the initial version of the script, the young foreigner was supposed to be German, but then the management of the painting decided to cooperate with the Finns and sent a request abroad. The answer came, but only by the end of the filming process. But we all learned about Villa Haapasalo. This was the only actor of the required nationality, familiar to Rogozhkin, who spoke Russian well.

In fact, at least two Finnish actors were involved in the film: Ville's wife, Saara, played the role of the dark-haired milkmaid. Probably, the young wife did not dare to let her husband go to the Russian beauties.

After the premiere

The film caused mixed feelings in the audience. He was scolded about as often as he was praised. Positively-minded film critics found a gallery in it. Others were accused of promoting drunkenness and flatness, exploiting stereotypes about Russia: "bathhouse, vodka, bears." However, the wave of the audience's response, which has not subsided until now, is better than any "experts" to vote for "Features of the national …", not without reason that even this very phrase has become stable.

The director himself was always somewhat skeptical about his brainchild. Apparently, initially, in his thoughts, the picture was drawn a little differently, but then somehow it turned out what it did. Actor Viktor Bychkov recalled:

Even in an interview, the director admitted that he did not consider his film a comedy and called it. He explained the last cryptic statement as follows:

The fate of the actors who played in the film was different. Some of them, in the wake of the popularity of the film, have created a stable professional foundation for themselves, some of them, unfortunately, are no longer with us. Some former stars, having performed brightly in one successful project, later joined the ranks of actors, whose wild popularity has come to naught today.