Ivan Pyryev is a famous Soviet director who presented the people with a lot of emotional films. They are watching now. They look and admire. His talent is timeless.
Many remember and know who Ivan Pyryev was. The biography, personal life of this great figure of Soviet cinema is still the subject of discussion by film critics, historians and just lovers of Soviet films.
Childhood
Born 4.11.1901. Place of birth: the village of Kamen-on-Ob (Altai Territory). Like all peasants of that time, his parents disappeared all day in the fields. In addition, trying to provide the family with additional funds, the mother and father of little Vania were engaged in loading bread on huge barges. In 1904, his father died - he was killed in a fight. After that, the mother went to work, and Ivana left in the care of her father Osip Komogorov. So he lived in a large, friendly Old Believer family of his grandfather up to 10 years. When Vanya finished third grade, his mother came for him. She took him to Mariinsk, where she cohabited with Tatar Ishmukhamet Amirov. He was engaged in fruit trading in the market, was an aggressive and quick-tempered man, and when he drank, he threw himself into a fight. Mother and son suffered Amirov's antics for the time being. But once the matured Vanya could not stand it. During the next drunken brawl of his stepfather, he grabbed an ax and rushed at Amirov. And he turned out to be that coward and scoundrel: he ran away with shame and took refuge in a police station. After this, Ivan had no choice but to go “to the people”.
Youth
In 1915, Ivan Pyryev, together with one of the military echelons, went to the front. He fought in the 32nd Siberian Regiment, was wounded twice. For military merit he received the reward of St. George's Crosses of the 3rd and 4th degrees.
In May 1918, he became seriously ill with typhus. But a young strong body quickly coped with the disease. And immediately after his recovery, he enlisted in the Red Army and in the Bolshevik party. His desire to succeed allowed him to rise from an ordinary Red Army soldier first to a political instructor, and then to an agitator. It was then that Pyryev began his studies at the theater studio of the Provincial Council. There he had a fateful meeting with Grigory Alexandrov, who largely influenced the professional fate of Pyryev.
Ivan actively participated in the organization of the Ural Proletcult. In the city of Yekaterinburg, taking the stage name Altai, he was a member of a professional drama troupe for some time. And in the summer of 1921, the Third Moscow Art Theater Studio toured in Yekaterinburg. Grigory Alexandrov and Ivan Pyryev were so delighted and amazed at their activities that they soon decided to go to Moscow.
The conquest of Moscow
In the capital, the first works as an actor were the roles in the performance of Mexican by Sergei Eisenstein. And in the movie, he first appeared as a clown in the short film “Glumov's Diary”. Then Pyryev worked for Vsevolod Meyerhold. Many remembered his green wig when he played the role of Bulanov in "Forest". Along the way, the future director Ivan Pyryev leads several amateur groups in which he put on campaigns and oratorios on current, topical topics of the time.
In 1923, he successfully graduated from GEKTEMAS as a student in the acting department. And on the director's, he studied for some time. Finally he got into the world of cinema, in which he was so eager. First Pyryev worked as an assistant director. Professionalism and talent appeared almost immediately and they started talking about him as the “king of assistants”. On the sidelines of the pavilions it was whispered that, having Pyryev as an assistant, even the weakest director was successful.
First films
Of course, he sought to shoot on his own. Thanks to one accident that was happy for the young man, Soviet cinema found out who Ivan Pyryev was. His filmography began with the satirical comedy The Outsider. The script of this tape, written by N. Erdman and A. Mariengof, was designed for summer nature. And the summer of 1928 turned out to be rainy, shooting was constantly postponed. Ivan Alexandrovich redid the script and shot the film in a short three weeks. So on the screens appeared his first picture.
The first pancake was "not lumpy." However, a series of failures followed. The second satirical comedy "Government Official", filmed in 1931, was subjected to harsh criticism. As a result, it had to be redone, as a result of which the idea of the film somehow blurred, and success passed this picture.
In disgrace
And in the next film, “The Last Village”, the political and social situation of that time was touched upon, in particular the emergence of collective farms and the struggle against the kulaks. At the top, they considered that “the interests of the picture contradict the interests of the state”, and Ivan Pyryev (photo below) was removed from the production.
In 1933, I.A. Pyryev is finishing work on a drama about the life of three German girls, entitled "The conveyor of death." Actors Ada Wojcik, Tamara Makarova and Veronika Polonskaya, who perfectly coped with the creation of images of young workers, were involved in the main roles. It was during the work on this film that Ada Wojcik and Ivan Pyryev developed a close relationship. Later they got married, the son Eric was born.
Looking for yourself
After a break of several years, the director began to reproduce on the movie screen the work of the screenwriter Katerina Vinogradskaya, which had the working title “Anka”. Under the direction of I.A. The actors Pyryeva (the main role was played by Ada Wojcik) perfectly conveyed the true drama of history. The country's leadership appreciated the picture. The final title of this film is “Party Ticket”.
However, the film did not have much success with the viewer. It was not enough to strengthen the position of Ivan Alexandrovich at Mosfilm. Creative crisis, not quite successful joint work led to a breakdown in relations with his wife. Pyryev, also quarreling with representatives of the directorate, left for Kiev, where he began to work on the film adaptation of the script of the film playwright Evgeny Pomeshchikov. The reaction of the audience from watching the musical comedy "The Rich Bride" (1939) was enthusiastic. Rapid rhythm, beauty, enthusiasm and kind gaiety permeated every episode of the picture, and the music of Isaac Dunaevsky, written specifically for this film, made the story even more soulful, fun and realistic. The main role in the film was played by Marina Ladynina, who later became the second wife of Ivan Pyryev.
Marina Ladynina: wife and muse
The next comedy "Tractors" in the story a bit repeated the previous one. However, here the main character, who was again embodied on the screen by M. Ladynina, was more willful and energetic. And again the success that made Pyryev and Ladynina one of the most popular cultural figures of that time.
It should be noted that falling in love with Marina Ladynina, Ivan Alexandrovich left his first wife Ada Voitsik, but the love for his son Eric did not allow him to leave completely. Then he returned several times to his first wife. But new love nevertheless prevailed. Ladynina was a real muse for Pyryev. She starred in nine of his films, most of which were a resounding success with the audience. Ada Wojcik suffered greatly. It was rumored that she even wanted to commit suicide. But then time dulled pain and resentment. She reconciled.
Ivan Pyryev developed a peculiar poetics of conflict-free lyrical comedy, which glorified work and life for the good of the Motherland. He successfully embodied it in “Rich Bride” and “Tractor Drivers”. It is this interpretation of the comedy genre that has become a kind of standard of Soviet comedy in the mid-20th century.
War years
Filming of one of the best comedies of Soviet cinema "Pig and Shepherd" began in February 1941, and in June the war began. Many members of the crew, including Ivan Alexandrovich himself, submitted an application to the front. However, the country's leadership ordered to finish work on the film. With Ladynina in the title role, the picture was a resounding success, becoming one of the symbols of fortitude and belief in the best in those difficult war years for the Russian people.
Another film, work on which was conducted during the Second World War, is "The Secretary of the District Committee" (1942). It tells about the activities of the partisans. The protagonist, the partisan commander Kochet (played by actor Vanin), with his fearless heroic deeds, inspired many to join the "people's squad of the avengers."
The war crippled the souls of millions of Soviet citizens. To raise the spirit of the people, I.A. Pyryev makes the film "At six in the evening after the war." Fortunately, the director’s creative predictions about the approach of victory were prophetic.
Then in the cinema the term “musical” has not yet been used. But it was in this genre that both At six o'clock in the evening after the war was shot, and Pyryev's next work, The Legend of the Siberian Land (1948). And in that and in another film in the leading role, the second wife of Ivan Alexandrovich Marina Ladynina is again involved. Soon they were both awarded the title of People's Artists of the USSR.
last love
This was followed by another tape "Kuban Cossacks", which became a cult. This lyrical comedy, in which M. Ladynina played one of her best roles, is now very popular among moviegoers.
This was one of their last collaboration. Ivan Pyryev, whose personal life until that time was the subject of discussion on all the sidelines, again struck everyone with his love of love.
Having begun work on the film “Test of Fidelity,” neither Pyryev nor Ladynina could have imagined that the plot of the picture would become prophetic for them. Marina Alekseevna played a woman, from whom her husband leaves. It was at this time that Ivan Alexandrovich met with the young actress Lyudmila Marchenko.
He, being a mature man, falls in love with a young beauty without memory, falls asleep with her gifts and new roles. However, Lyudmila, whom he suited as a father or even grandfather, did not respond to Pyryev’s claims neither “yes” nor “no”, fearing a categorical refusal to arouse the anger of a high-ranking boss. Then he returns to the family, then leaves again. And so it went on for several years, until Marina Alekseevna Ladynina filed for divorce. The reaction of Pyryev, who at that time realized that Marchenko was not going to associate his life with him, was extremely aggressive. He threatened that Ladynina would lose her job: he would make sure that not a single director invited her. However, she, having a strong character, still divorced. And Ivan Pyryev, a biography whose personal life was discussed at the top of the party, fulfilled his threats, and they almost forgot about Ladynina. He was called to the carpet so that he would stop the persecution of actress Lyudmila Marchenko, but he said that she became his last love and without Lyunechka (as he called Lyudmila), he simply could not work. It was then that Marchenko got married, which caused Pyrev’s uncontrollable anger. With her, he does the same as with Ladynina, in an orderly order, forbids directors to invite her to act in films and obstructs theatrical work.
Ivan Pyryev and Lionella Pyryeva: personal life and work in the 50s-60s
Having gone headlong into work, he successfully removes the film adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel The Idiot. However, his next work on the novel of the same Dostoevsky's “White Nights” failed.
During the last creative period, he was mainly engaged in social activities. Pyryev was elected to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and later worked as deputy chairman of the Great Art Council of the USSR Ministry of Cinematography. He was also the artistic director of Mosfilm and even its director.
He later married the actress, who became his last wife. This is Lionella Skirda. Ivan Pyryev and his women were a special topic in the conversations of the capital's bohemia. Lionella was 37 years younger than her husband. Moreover, as people close to Pyryev claimed, he did not stop loving Lyudmila Marchenko, who rejected him. The director was in a state of depression, which young Lionella took advantage of.
Last day of life
When the Union of Cinematographers, organized by Pyryev, received recognition, he gave up the leadership chair to another person, and he himself embarked on the realization of a long-held dream: the film adaptation of The Brothers Karamazov. The first episode was shot. In total, three parts were planned. He, as always, worked with full dedication. On February 7, 1968, he returned home, as usual, late and tired. I went to bed and did not wake up anymore.
Yes, he was a controversial person. But his contribution to the history of Soviet cinema is invaluable. He created paintings that emanate happiness and tenderness. Invincible, relentless, restless, such was Ivan Pyryev, whose biography proves his attitude to the world, to love. He wanted to take everything from life and every day lived as the last.