In 1968, Yaropolk Lapshin's painting "The Gloomy River" appeared on Soviet screens. This film was played by actors who later became the legends of Russian cinema, as well as artists whose names are forgotten today. The tragic death of the leading actor is often associated with work in this picture. What happened to the fate of the actors of the movie "Sullen River"?
Background
The gold rush in Siberia (the second half of the XIX century) served as the basis for the plot of the novel by Vyacheslav Shishkov. The writer made several expeditions to this distant, rich and mysterious area. In 1928, Shishkov published the book The Gloomy River. Perhaps when writing this work, he used the story that he had once heard from the inhabitants of Siberia. But, most likely, the basis of the novel is fiction.
Film
Scriptwriters tried not to retreat from the literary source. About how the actors of the film "Sullen River" were selected, is unknown. It is noteworthy that the lead actor in some way repeated the fate of his hero. What is the picture "Sullen River?". The film, whose actors are presented below, tells about the events of the early twentieth century. The main character is a wealthy Siberian. In the center of the plot is the story of the Gromov family.
The actors of the film "Sullen River" - George Epifantsev, Victor Chekmarev, Athanasius Kochetkov. They played representatives of three generations of the Gromov family - a son, father, grandfather. The events of the beginning of the twentieth century and the end of the nineteenth are shown.
Once Danila Gromov (grandfather of the protagonist) became rich in robberies. Before his death, he told the origin of his fortune to his son. He increased his father’s wealth, but in an honest way. And he matured, matured the youngest of the Thunders - Prokhor. The main character is an honest, moral person. But his sins are forced to pay for the sins of Danil Gromov. In the life of Prokhor, one shock after another occurs. He works hard, but life's troubles lead him to suicide. Such a sad story tells the film "Sullen River."
Actors and roles
Prokhor Gromov was played by Herogy Epifantsev. His father is Viktor Chekmarev. The role of the grandfather-villain was played by Athanasius Kochetkov. Other actors in the movie "Sullen River":
- Valentina Vladimirova.
- Lyudmila Chursina.
- Pavel Mahotin.
- Vladimir Emelyanov.
- Givi Tohadze.
- Alexander Demyanenko.
- Valentina Telegin.
Actors of the film "Sullen River", who played minor characters: Evgeny Vesnik, Ivan Ryzhov, Anatoly Solovyov, Anatoly Toropov, Nikolai Badev.
Georgy Epifantsev
Actors of the film "Sullen River" are almost unfamiliar to the younger generation. And Georgi Epifantsev is increasingly remembered in connection with his son, a popular artist and director Vladimir Epifantsev. But in the picture of Lapshin wonderful, talented artists played, and they are unjustly forgotten.
George Epifantsev starred in films a little. He was primarily a theater actor. For many years he played at the Moscow Art Theater and Taganka Theater. In the sixties he began to be invited to the cinema. Epifantseva began to be recognized on the street, and now not only theatergoers, but also ordinary spectators. And after the premiere of the film "Gloom River" he became incredibly popular.
He was a talented actor. In addition, he had a rare masculine beauty. But for some reason in the seventies he was less and less invited to the cinema. After the release of the "Sullen River" the main roles he was no longer given. Epifantseva viewers gradually began to forget. But he did not despair: composed poems, painted pictures. In the late eighties, the financial situation in the family became so difficult that he left the theater and went to trade on the market.
The trouble is that Epifantsev, like many representatives of his profession, relieved stress by alcohol. Once, returning home, while intoxicated, he was hit by a freight train. This happened in 1991. And long before the tragic event, one of the characters of the “Sullen River” told Prokhor: “You will have a good beginning, a middle one, and a terrible end.”
Athanasius Kochetkov
This actor has played many roles in the movie. His most famous image is Turgenev's Gerasim. Kochetkov starred in the movie until the last days of his life. In 2005, a film was released in which he played the last role. But the actor was no longer alive. Afanasy Kochetkov passed away in 2004. The cause of death is a head injury whose origin is unknown. Eight days before the death of Kochetkov disappeared, relatives sounded the alarm. The actor was discovered in one of the hospitals, but what happened to him and where he disappeared for more than a week, he could not explain due to the serious condition. Three days after hospitalization, Kochetkov died.
Lyudmila Chursina
The actress, before the role in the film, which is discussed in this article, has already played several heroines in the movie. But they were mostly secondary. The role in the film "Sullen River" was for Chursina the first serious work in the cinema. Her fate was much more successful than the personal and professional life of Epifantsev. Lyudmila Chursina played a myriad of roles, in 1981 she received the title of People’s Artist, and she has acted in films to this day.
Alexander Demyanenko
You can not talk about this actor. His hero - Shurik - is one of the most famous characters in Soviet cinema. But, in addition to the well-known comedies, there are a lot of works in the filmography of Demyanenko. And there are not so many comedies among them. In the film "Sullen River", the actor played a clerk.
Other actors in the movie "Sullen River"
Photos of the main characters of this picture are presented in the article. There are many characters in the film - more than twenty. It is worth saying a few words about the actors who played minor heroes. Viktor Chekmarev starred a lot in the seventies. But the audience was remembered mainly for two films: "Sullen River", "Turbine Days".
Valentina Telegina, who played the cook Varvara in the film Lapshin, once said: "I always play only one role - the role of a simple Russian woman." And, indeed, on the account of this actress is a huge amount of work. But all her heroines have something in common, although at the same time they are bright and interesting. Her characters are warm, authentic.
One of the roles in the film was played by Eugene Vesnik. The actor performed eighty roles in the cinema and voiced more than a hundred heroes of foreign films. The voice of Vesnik also speaks of Filka Shkvoren - one of the characters of the "Sullen River". Anatoly Solovyov played this hero - the "star" of the legendary television film "Shadows disappear at noon" and other Soviet paintings.