In 2015, Stanislav Govorukhin's film “The End of a Beautiful Era” was released. Actors and roles, the plot and the story of creation are presented in the article. The film was shot based on the works of one of the most popular Russian writers of the second half of the 20th century.
This prose writer, like most of his colleagues who lived in a rather difficult period in the history of our country, experienced many difficulties, did not have the opportunity to work freely at home, and spent the last years in a foreign land. This writer is a legendary person. It is worth reading this article to the end to find out the name of the author of the book, which Govorukhin transformed into a film work under the eloquent title “The End of a Beautiful Era”.
Actors
The main role was played by Ivan Kolesnikov. He played a journalist in the film "The End of a Beautiful Era." Actor Fedor Dobronravov played the role of a photojournalist. Sergey Garmash - a police officer.
Dmitry Astrakhan, Boris Karamzin, Alexander Robak played the editorial staff in the film “The End of a Beautiful Era”. The cast also included Julian Makarov, Dmitry Endaltsev, Elina Pyakhklimyagi, Dmitry Solomykin. The main female role was played by one of the most popular and sought-after Russian actresses. Namely, Svetlana Khodchenkova. Now that the names of the actors (“The End of a Beautiful Era”) are named, it’s worth moving on to the plot.
From Leningrad to Tallinn
Events take place in the 50s of the XX century. Novice writer Andrei Lentulov is the protagonist of the film “The End of a Beautiful Era” (actor I. Kolesnikov, as already mentioned, played this role), despite his youth, has already gained an ambiguous reputation on the simpler side of journalism. In his native land, he does not manage to realize his potential: he is a supporter of free journalism, and the Soviet system is built according to other laws.
Lentulov receives an offer to work in the Tallinn newspaper, and a resident of Leningrad immediately goes to the Estonian capital. Lentulov is a progressive journalist, a fighter against the system, not afraid of harsh phrases. Many appreciate him for this, but many condemn him. Not everyone dares to go against the political system and the mood of the majority. Party workers are categorically against freethinking, so they block any attempts to go beyond what is permitted.
"Soviet Estonia"
A new page begins in the life of a young but already experienced journalist. In the newspaper "Soviet Estonia", Andrei immediately begins to work. He does not want to follow censorship and strictly obey his superiors, but is forced to do so. However, the journalist nevertheless tries to correctly circumvent the prohibitions in order to convey the truth to people, show them the other side of the system, and destroy the rooted stereotypes.
Over the years of work in Tallinn, Andrei has a circle of like-minded people. At home, the journalist is working on writing his own novel. And here nobody limits it, complete creative independence.
The protagonist has long met with Marina (S. Khodchenkova), but this does not prevent him from starting one-time novels every now and then. He is not going to marry, not seeing the point. No stability in his personal life, but this absolutely does not bother Lentulov. He is obsessed with work, does not stop trying to carry the truth to the masses. The eternal struggle for freedom of speech is his conscious choice.
Conscience and meanness go hand in hand, and it is important to find a gap between them, as one of the characters in the film speaks of. But the scales are constantly leaning in one direction, and in the end it becomes impossible to balance. Over the years, Lentulov acquired the status of the most immoral and odious person, a rebel who constantly goes against the rules. Will he manage to destroy the wall of censorship?
"Compromise"
The film is based on the works of Sergei Dovlatov, united by the name “Compromise”. This book cannot be called an autobiography. Nevertheless, it is nothing more than a reflection of the life and experiences of the writer. The plot for the twelve short stories included in the collection was taken by Dovlatov from his journalistic experience while working in one of the Estonian newspapers.