Your Honor, Lady Luck ...
Work on the adventure film “White Sun of the Desert” began in 1967. In its original form, the script of the picture was called “Basmachi”, but the management of the experimental creative film studio (ETC) did not like the wording. As a result, Andrei Mikhalkov - Konchalovsky, the author of the script, was recommended to work in collaboration with Valentina Ezhova and Rustam Ibragimbekov. The idea for the movie was looking for a long time Once in a circle of authors sounded story about the escape of the Eastern robber who left his harem in the waterless desert. The story was presented by one of the former Red Army men and reflected real events. In developing the scenario, Konchalovsky refused to work on the project, as he received a lucrative proposal in another direction. In August, 1967 needed a director for a future movie. The specific scenario frightened famous people, most of them feared that the work would not pass through censorship. Finally, Vladimir Motyl agreed to take up the picture. The script was coordinated for a long time, refined and changed, filming began only in 1968.
The film studio leaders met Motylya’s candidacy negatively, as the director had a reputation of an unreliable citizen. Vladimir’s father turned out to be a repressed Jew who died in camps; his mother had long lived in exile in the Urals. Vladimir Yakovlevich grew up with his mother and developed his professional career by his own efforts, he had no patrons. In 1948, he graduated from the Sverdlovsk Theater Institute, and then continued his studies at the university. He began his career as a director, sometimes acting as an actor. From 1955, he served as chief director of the Theater for Young Spectators, and from 1957, he became director in the film studio of the city of Sverdlovsk. The film "White Sun of the Desert" was his third directorial work, but it turned out to be the most popular of all ten films made during the entire period of activity.
The shooting took place in a tense atmosphere. Often adjusted, well-captured footage had to be thrown away, because the officials did not like certain moments. Motyl turned out to be a demanding director, they even tried to accuse him of over-expenditure of materials and transfer the work to another specialist. Fortunately, the attempt to change director was not successful. Shooting stopped, changed most of the plot, and finally ended in 1969 in September. The work was carried out at the Lenfilm production base, but the film had to be finished at Mosfilm. On the first viewing, the director of the Mosfilm studio Surin did not accept the work. The fate of the film seemed resolved. He was destined to always gather dust on the shelves of the film archive. However, Motylya's work was seen by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev, who was accustomed to browsing kinonovinki. The “White Sun of the Desert” made a strong impression on the general secretary, thereby receiving a wide-spread road.
The role of the Red Army soldier Sukhova was to be played by George Yumatov, but after a week of filming a drunken actor got involved in a fight, as a result of which his appearance suffered greatly. Yumatov was forced to replace another artist, who turned out to be Anatoly Kuznetsov. For the new actor who appeared in the 21 film by this time, “White Sun of the Desert” became a swan song. His hero, Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov, became a national favorite throughout the USSR.
Anatoly Borisovich Kuznetsov, a native Muscovite who graduated from the Moscow Art Theater-Studio named after Nemirovich-Danchenko, began acting in films as a student. During his fruitful career, Kuznetsov played over ninety roles in Soviet and Russian films. In 1979, he was awarded the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR, and in 1998, the State Prize of Russia was awarded for the brilliant role of Sukhov. Among the highest awards: the Order of Friendship, the Order of Honor, the Order of "Merit for the Fatherland."
The role of Said was received by the outstanding People's Artist of the RSFSR Spartak Vasilyevich Mishulin - a man with a very difficult and tumultuous fate. He was born and brought up before the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in Moscow, then life threw him into the city of Dzerzhinsk. Together with friends, he tried many times to escape to the front. He spent several years in prison for theft, after which he worked in the houses of culture of the villages of the Tver region. Mishulin enrolled in GITIS, but was unable to successfully pass the exams. However, he did not refuse the dream and went to work in the Drama Theater of the city of Kalinin. Here he graduated from drama school, playing for 5 40 years of different roles. In 1960, invitations from metropolitan theaters appeared, in one of them, at the Satire Theater, Mishulin worked for 45 for years. The first popularity emerged after the release of the TV magazine “Zucchini 13 chairs”, in which Spartak Vasilyevich played Pan Director. Fame actor is growing rapidly. In addition to numerous roles in the theater, there were brilliant acting work back in 52-x films.
During the period of creative activity Mishulin awarded:
• the title of People's Artist of the RSFSR;
• the title of Honored Worker of Culture of Poland.
In addition, the artist is:
• Laureate of the I. Smoktunovsky Prize;
• Laureate of the Lumiere Brothers Prize;
• Laureate of the State Prize of Russia for the film "White Sun of the Desert".
Beloved Spartak Vasilyevich died at the age of 78 years and was buried in Moscow at the Vagankovo cemetery.
The role of customs officer Pavel Vereshchagin went to the heroic man, Honored Artist of the RSFSR Pavel Borisovich Luspekaev. 15-year-old youth Pavel went to the front, where he actively participated in intelligence. Here he was seriously wounded and almost lost his arm. In 1944, Luspekaev was demobilized from the army. After the war, he entered the Schepkinsky Higher School, where he met his future wife, Inna Alexandrovna Kirillova. After graduating from college, Luspekaev moved with his family to Tbilisi, then to Kiev and a few years later to Leningrad. In the year 1962 unexpectedly there were complications of frontal injuries. In the war years, being in intelligence, Pavel Borisovich froze his feet badly, on this basis the chronic atherosclerosis of the vessels of the legs became aggravated. The treatment was unsuccessful, the second amputation operation deprived Luspekaev of several fingers. Further, in 1966, during the shooting of the next film, the disease manifested itself again, and the doctors issued a verdict on the amputation of both feet. The artist began to experience severe pain, which only the potent drug pantopon could cope with. After a while, Pavel Borisovich realized that he was a drug addict. By force of will, Luspekaev refused to take drugs, but the unbearable pains drove him to madness. Artist lay in a faint state, stopped eating. Upon learning that in this terrible state the actor was filming a movie, the Minister of Culture Furtseva wrote out medications for him from abroad. Furtseva also contributed to the manufacture of prosthetic legs for Luspekaev in France. Pavel Borisovich overcame drug addiction, but each step was given to him with difficulty. During the filming of the “White Sun of the Desert” in 1969, he again became worse. Forces were enough only for 20 steps, then the actor needed rest. His wife carried a small folding chair with her and constantly stayed with her husband. The brilliant role of Vereshchagin, played solely thanks to Luspekaev’s will power, became his feat.
17 March 1970 Pavel Borisovich Luspekaev died from aortic rupture in Moscow. The Bolshoi Drama Theater of Leningrad refused to bury the actor, unsubscribing that Luspekayev was not working for them. The Lenfilm film studio undertook the funeral. The country announced the celebration of the 100 anniversary of the birth of Lenin, so the body of Luspekaev was taken to Leningrad and buried in the Northern Cemetery. Officials were afraid to darken the death of a great actor, solemn events in the capital. On the grave of the actor, a monument of Petersburg customs officers is installed with the inscription: "With a bow from the customs officers of the North-West." St. Petersburg customs officers gather annually on a professional holiday at his grave. In the port of Vladivostok, in 2000, the flag patrol ceremony was held on the customs patrol vessel “Pavel Vereshchagin” in honor of the film’s hero. The monument to Pavel Vereshchagin and, at the same time, Luspekaev, will soon appear in Moscow by order of the customs service of the Russian Federation. This artist has played quite a few theatrical roles, he presented 27 TV viewers with colorful film characters. He did not have time to see his last role on the screen. The film “Such a Long, Long Road” was released after the artist’s death. The title of Laureate of the State Prize of Russia was awarded posthumously in 1997 for the film “White Sun of the Desert”.
Many actors tried to play the role of the young Red Army man Petrukhi: Savely Kramarov, Yury Chernov, but she was played by a man without acting education, who worked at that time as a mechanic. Godovikov, accidentally caught in the shooting of the film "Republic SHKID", starred in several more films. However, it was precisely the role of Petruha that gave him his way to the cinema. From the end of 1970, the people's favorite was convicted of parasitism, and after its conclusion, he was brought to criminal responsibility twice more for theft. In many films, he played successful cameo roles, was married three times, currently lives in St. Petersburg and works in Metrostroy.
There were a lot of non-professional actors in the film. The role of the Russian beauty Ekaterina Matveevna was played by Galina Luchay - the editor of the Ostankino studio. In some episodes, the roles of Abdullah’s wives were performed by the soldiers, as they did not manage to persuade Eastern women to cooperate. Part of the film was shot in Turkmenistan, and filming took place on the Caspian Sea coast and near Luga. The song “Your Honor, Mrs. Luck” was written by Isaac Schwartz especially for the film, she immediately gained fame and popular love.
Despite the fact that Motylya's masterpiece did not receive the State Prize immediately after the release of the screens, in the hearts of millions of people he remained forever.
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