Among Soviet military paintings are those that, unfortunately, are almost unknown to modern viewers. For example, the film "Descended from Heaven" (1986). The actors who performed the main roles are known by the whole country. Artists who played minor characters are also known. Touching plot, unexpected denouement, quality music. Nevertheless, the film "Descended from Heaven" is not included in the collection of the best domestic films about the war. There are very few reviews about it.
How was the movie made?
In the fifties, Alexei Kapler wrote the novel "Two of Twenty Million." Perhaps this soulful work was once familiar to many readers. Today, only a few know about its existence. A quarter of a century after the publication of Kapler’s book, director Natalya Troshchenko decided to make a film.
The plot of "Descended from Heaven" is slightly different from the literary source. Screenwriter V. Kunin only reduced the number of characters and the number of years allotted to the main characters. The author’s idea has remained untouched. Why is Kapler's story forgotten? What is the reason for the unpopularity of Descending from Heaven (1986)?
The actors arrived on the set three days after the explosion in Pripyat. In those dramatic days, life went on. In Kiev, preparations were underway for the parade. In Crimea, they shot a picture of the war called "Descended from Heaven" (1986).
Actor Alexander Abdulov played the main role, which already spoke about the success of the audience. But no excitement happened. The premiere was quiet; there were no queues at the box office to the box office. It's not about the Chernobyl tragedy. The creators of the picture were a little late. They removed it in the midst of "perestroika," and during the years of the change of ideals, the military theme lost its popularity.
In Adzhimushkay catacombs
There are not many characters in the film. And even those that exist serve as a kind of background for the difficult but happy life of the main characters. They met during the war. In 1942, Sergei and Masha were in Adzhimushkaysky catacombs, surrounded by Germans. People here were dying of thirst and wounds. No one dared to leave the catacombs - the Germans shot everyone who was approaching the well.
The rescue
They left together, weakened, exhausted, but full of determination. They approached the well, took water and slowly went back to the catacombs. The German soldiers aimed at them for a long time, as if thinking whether to shoot or not to shoot. But a miracle happened. None fired. Sergey and Masha survived.
Most of the picture is devoted to post-war time. But the life of the heroes is an illusion, a dream, a fiction. The actors of the film "Descended from Heaven" (1986) played two of the 20 million dead in World War II.
Actors of the film "Descended from Heaven" (1986)
The main roles were played by A. Abdulov and V. Glagolev. Yu. Belyaev is an actor whom viewers are accustomed to seeing in the image of a military man, and here he played a front-line soldier. N. Ivanov played a negative role. E. Popova, O. Melenevsky, V. Kostetsky, S. Ivanov also played in the film.
Alexander Abdulov
The actor played in the movie about 80 roles. His career began in the early seventies. In 1978, Abdulov played the Bear in Ordinary Miracle. This role brought him widespread fame. The best paintings with his participation include “Formula of Love”, “Ten Little Indians”, “Secrets of Madame Wong”, “Carnival”, “Sorcerers”, “Look for a Woman”, “Bitch Children”.
In 2009, Alexander Abdulov played Oblonsky in the film adaptation of the novel "Anna Karenina." But this film was released after his death. The actor died in 2008 after a long illness.
Vera Glagoleva
The leading woman in the drama "Descended from Heaven" is known not only as an actress, but also as a wonderful director. She played in 49 films and created six paintings. One of her films is dedicated to the Second World War. Vera Glagoleva played in the films “Marry the Captain”, “Broken Light”, “Sofya Petrovna”, “Waiting Room”, “Poor Sasha” and others. The actress died in August 2017.