"Unexpected Joys": the world of exquisite fantasies of director Khamdamov, who began filming "Slave of Love"

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

Few people know that the laurels for the film "Slave of Love", which brought world recognition to the young director Nikita Mikhalkov, could have gone to a completely different person … His name is Rustam Khamdamov. Known to the entire film world, he is still practically unknown to viewers, since none of his films have yet reached the big screen.

It should be noted right away that not everyone will be able to understand and appreciate his films, for this it is necessary to have imaginative and artistic thinking. For him, the expressiveness of the frame is more important - the charm of female faces, silhouettes, the plasticity of the actors, the timbre of their voices, colors, reflections of light - and not at all the text they pronounce. From each frame, he creates a picture, including the most unexpected elements …

The famous graphic artist Yuri Cooper said this about him: The heroes of his films live in an unreal, ghostly, weightless and elusive world, which is beautiful because

"My heart is in the mountains" (1967)

The history of Khamdamov as a director began with the fact that his first student work - a short film "My heart is in the mountains" based on a story by William Saroyan, was a real discovery for both fellow students and VGIK professionals. It immediately became clear that he was already an accomplished director and a great master. The film, stylized as an American silent film of the 20th century, is the first and most beautiful example shot in our country in a retro style. But the film did not get into distribution - it disappeared from the film library in a strange way.

In all films directed by Khamdamov, the plot is not at all important, therefore it is impossible to retell them, he creates not plot films, but figurative ones. You just have to watch them … And enjoy …

"Unexpected Joys" or "Slave of Love"

In 1972, the management of Mosfilm entrusted the young director Khamdamov with the shooting of an expensive full-length film under the working title "Slave of Love" about the fate of the silent film legend Vera Kholodnaya. Khamdamov set to work with great enthusiasm, because silent cinema was his element. The working title of the picture was changed to a more poetic one - "Unexpected Joys". According to the script, the film was supposed to show the life of the actress at a turning point - against the background of the dawn of a new life and the decline of an old one. But, carried away by the creative process, Khamdamov practically forgot about the plot, about the dawn of a new life, and, creating his world, he completely plunged into the bygone nature and texture of the rolling and alluring past. It turned out that when the shooting was in full swing, a scandal erupted. The film was closed, Khamdamov was removed, the negative was destroyed …

But since a lot of money was invested in the shooting, the film had to be urgently released. And then Andrei Mikhalkov-Konchalovsky, being one of the scriptwriters of this film, proposed his brother, Nikita Mikhalkov, as a director.

The entire cast refused to appear with Mikhalkov, only Elena Solovey remained as a connecting link. And Mikhalkov shot this film in a short time, already in exact accordance with the plot. And sunrises and sunsets - everything was in place. And Elena Solovey filled the atmosphere of the film with her charm, plasticity and voice, honed by Khamdamov.

Anna Karamazoff

With the beginning of perestroika, Rustam Khamdamov is suddenly remembered - Helen Klimov, Sergei Soloviev, and they give him the opportunity to make a film at his own discretion, allocate money. And Khamdamov begins work on a film based on his own script called "Anna Karamazoff".

The film is also shot in his favorite retro style, starring the great French film star Jeanne Moreau. They say that after reading the script, which fell into her hands, she herself came to Khamdamov, and they got to work. But after a long break, it is not so easy for Khamdamov to get involved in the process, a difficult relationship develops with a film star, with whom it is difficult for him to communicate. In addition, Khamdamov is completely not adapted to the realities of life, he cannot cope with financial problems, he is wildly nervous. Filming is dragging on, money is sorely lacking. He finds financial support in the person of the French producer Serge Zilberman, which allows him to finish working on the film. But the conflicts that arose between Khamdamov and the producer, Khamdamov and Jeanne Moreau, lead to the fact that the film suffers the same fate as the previous ones - it does not reach the release and is kept in France to this day. To get it back, you need money, which Khamdamov does not have.

Vocal Parallels

In 2004, at the Kinotavr Film Festival, Khamdamov presented his new film, which he himself described as an "absurdist opera", and starred the real stars of the opera scene and the brilliant Renata Litvinova. The author believes that the most important thing in the picture is not the plot, but the images they have built.

“Diamonds. Theft "(2011)

The result is a light, airy film about ballet, the prima ballerina of the Mariinsky Theater Diana Vishneva and balloons.

“Yakhonts. Murder". A film with a fabulous plot. (2014)

The elusive watercolors of the genius Khamdamov are sophistication, subtlety, lightness

Sketches-pictures-worlds of Khamdamov, for those few who, without insult, but with despair can exclaim “Gentlemen! You beasts!”, And hiding in uselessly beautiful chiffon, obey the roar and rattle of a maddened tram rushing to Nowhere. This is the lot of an almost non-woman, an almost weightless creature, invented and embodied by Khamdamov - the Slave of Love. Khamdamov bewitches with weightless perfection, immerses in his fantasies … Amazing with purity, filling the air with a veil of perfume with a non-existent aroma …

We can safely say that the director Khamadov gave a start in life to the actress Elena Solovey, despite the failure with "Slave Love". About, how was the fate of Elena Solovey in emigration, we talked about in one of our previous reviews.