The romantic mystery of the "Stars of Captivating Happiness": How a Soviet Film Changed the Life of a Polish Actress

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

After "The White Sun of the Desert" no one expected the release of a historical film about the wives of the Decembrists from the director Vladimir Motyl, all the more surprising was his choice of actors for the main roles - no one at that time known Igor Kostolevsky and the young Polish actress Eva Shikulskaya. Many romantic secrets remained behind the scenes, both for the director and for the actors, this film became a landmark: for Motyl it was a kind of continuation of the history of his family, for Kostolevsky it was a successful start of his film career and a prophecy in his personal life, for Shikulskaya it was the beginning of an affair with Russia …

For the director Vladimir Motyl, this film became a kind of parallel with the history of his family. His father, a Polish political emigrant, was arrested when he was 3 years old. And the mother, together with her son, went to Medvezhyegorsk, which was a transit point for prisoners, in order to see her husband there at least for a minute. These events became the prototype of the failed meeting of Polina Gebl (married to Praskovya Annenkova) with her husband, Ivan Annenkov, before he was sent to hard labor. The director's father died in hard labor, and his mother was exiled to the Northern Urals, where Vladimir became interested in cinema - the only entertainment there were mobile cinemas.

Prior to this film, 27-year-old Igor Kostolevsky did not have any notable film roles, and the choice of Motyl was not approved by the management of the film studio. The young actor himself did not believe that he would cope with this role: "". Kostolevsky even thought about giving up the role.

Kostolevsky played well only at rehearsals, and during the filming he was lost and could not cope with the tasks. In addition, he did not know how to stay in the saddle at all, and the director sent him to an equestrian school for 2 months. The result amazed everyone. "", - said Motyl.

For a long time, the director could not decide on the choice of an actress for the role of Frenchwoman Pauline Gebl. He was looking for a girl with a European type of face. At first, Motyl offered this role to French actresses Annie Dupre and Dominique Sanda, but they were busy filming and could not fly to audition in Russia, and the director was not allowed to go to Paris. Then he decided that an actress from Eastern Europe could well cope with the role of a Frenchwoman. Pole Eva Shikulska seemed to him an ideal candidate.

Shikulska took it as a gamble: "".

The beautiful and tragic love story of the Decembrist Annenkov and Polina Gebl became one of the central plot lines of the film. The actors could not help but succumb to the influence of the romantic atmosphere that prevailed on the set. Later, Igor Kostolevsky said that it seemed to him that he was in love with Eva Shikulska even before he met her. The actor was captivated by the fearlessness, riskiness and dedication of the Polish actress, who agreed to everything, even the craziest scenes that the director suggested to her. She was not afraid of the cold, or freezing rain, or the squall wind.

They say that sparks flew between Kostolevsky and Shikulskaya on the set. They themselves were silent about their feelings, and even after a while their answers to questions about relationships were evasive. The Polish actress used to say: "". And when asked if she was in love with her partner, the Polish actress replies: "". Kostolevsky admitted years later: "". They say that Shikulska, even because of Kostolevsky, broke up with her first husband. She herself did not comment on the reasons why, after her return from Russia, the couple divorced.

After the incredible success of "Stars of Captivating Happiness" Eva Shikulska began to be invited by other Soviet directors, she made friends with many Russian actors. The actress starred in the films Declaration of Love and Twenty-Six Days in the Life of Dostoevsky. At the film festival, where Shikulska presented the film "The Star of Captivating Happiness", she met the Russian director Ilya Averbakh, and they had an affair. He was married, for several years they met in secret, Shikulska rushed between Poland and Russia. However, the director did not dare to leave his wife for her, and they parted. In 1985, the actress married a Polish engineer.

But even today Shikulska says: "".

And for Igor Kostolevsky, this film became a ticket to big cinema - after that he starred in a large number of works and became a real star. In addition, the "Star of Captivating Happiness" became prophetic for him - in his personal life, he largely repeated the fate of his hero. True love came to him in adulthood, when he met … a French woman! Actress Consuelo de Aviland loved Russian literature all her life and did not marry for a long time - she said that she could become the wife of a Russian Decembrist. When Kostolevsky heard this, he said: "" In February 2001, they got married, for which Consuelo, like Polina Gebl, converted to Orthodoxy and changed her name, becoming Evdokia. Since then, they have not parted. "" - says the actor.

Many women lost their heads from him, and for almost 20 years he has not noticed anyone around except Consuelo: How Igor Kostolevsky turned out to be a screen womanizer in real life.