Video: "Amphibian Man": how the highest-grossing film in the USSR was filmed
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
Fantastic movie "Amphibian Man", based on the novel of the same name by Alexander Belyaev, can rightfully be called revolutionary for its time. Before that, not a single film studio dared to shoot underwater, Hollywood abandoned this idea, but Lenfilm decided to take a risky step. The result exceeded all expectations: the saga of love between a beautiful Argentinean girl and Ichthyander gathered 65 million views at the box office, becoming the leader of the USSR film industry.
The action of the film about Ichthyander takes place in Buenos Aires, in order to recreate the atmosphere of an Argentine city, Baku was determined as the filming location. The clear waters of the Black Sea were chosen for the underwater scenes; the shooting took place in Laspi Bay in the Crimea. Interestingly, for this film, technicians had to design special isolation boxes in which the cameras could be lowered under water. Lighting was provided by headlights that are attached to jet aircraft, others simply could not withstand the pressure.
To show the beauty of the underwater world, the shooting was carried out in an original way: an aquarium with fish was displayed in the foreground. So we managed to achieve a colorful picture. The film crew was consulted by professional submariners, they also performed the roles of doubles in the most dangerous scenes. In fairness, it should be noted that the main actors - Vladimir Korenev and Anastasia Vertinskaya - performed many of the stunts on their own. To do this, before filming, they underwent extensive training in scuba diving.
In general, the idea of making a film about the underwater world drew criticism from skeptics: the Americans predicted the failure of the idea, critics of Lenfilm believed that even with successful filming, the picture would become morally obsolete very soon and would be written off. Negative forecasts were not destined to come true: the film replenished the golden collection of Soviet cinema and is still loved by the audience.
Perhaps the hardest thing during the filming process was Vladimir Korenev, the leading actor. It was only the second major role of the artist in the cinema, and he had to act in the most difficult conditions. His suit, which resembled scales, was hand-sewn from a dense elastic fabric and, when wet, adhered to his body, becoming icy under water. To avoid constant hypothermia, a special rubber shirt was sewn for Ichthyander, only thanks to which it was possible to protect the actor's body. The appearance on the screens of "Amphibian Man" became a real sensation: the film was watched by a record number of viewers, and Korenev's fame became all-Union.
Continuing the topic - our review "Interesting facts about the highest grossing films in the history of cinema".
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