Ilf and Petrov, the creators of Ostap Bender and the chroniclers of his adventures, were still romantics. On the pages of the novel "Golden Calf" appears a girl, a contemporary of that era - Zosya Sinitskaya. This, in contrast to the poster worker with a red scarf, is romantic and subtle.
Chernomorsk - the city where the events of the novel unfold, invented by the authors. But the reader will easily recognize Odessa. Many worthy poets and writers sang this city. About girls V. Vysotsky sang: "... everyone is modest, all poetess." And then he noted that if they are not smart, then they are beautiful.
All these qualities were combined in the heroine of the novel "Golden Calf".
Zosia Sinitskaya
The girl lives with her grandfather, who writes crosswords for newspapers. There is not enough money for life, and the family rents out rooms. They eat modestly but tasty. Paid dinners are given, which comes from the small clerk Koreiko. From such a life you can be sad. But Zosia is beautiful, modest and full of hope. She is confident that life is beautiful and that she is on the verge of tremendous life changes that will make her infinitely happy. Nevertheless, in a conversation with Koreiko, who invited her for a walk, she admits that she wants to go to the movies and still have soda with nuts and syrup.
She has favorite words: “funny”, “searching”. To the proposal to marry Koreiko, she replies that she still does not love him, "which, generally speaking, is very important."
After meeting Bender, who calls her “tender and amazing,” she falls in love with the Great Combinator. But, keen on business, he hurriedly leaves her during a meeting, without even having to drive home. This makes her sob alone.
At the next meeting of the heroes, it turns out that Zosya Sinitskaya got married and added one more to her surname - Themis. The young husband was named Pericles and was an artist. “They took the girl straight from the stall!” Ostap thought.
Book Illustrations
The Golden Calf was completed by the authors in 1931. Since then it has been reprinted more than once, even translated into other languages. And this despite the specific expressions of the Russian language found in the book, and the satirical direction of the text, not everyone understands.
In 1969, another publication of the novel with illustrations by the famous cartoonists Kukryniksy was published. These artists very accurately noticed the details of Ostap's character, his cunning facial expressions and rapid movements. But Zosia turned out to be a plump and calm girl.
Film incarnation
On the screen, Zosia Sinitskaya was played by Svetlana Starikova, Alika Smekhova and Olga Krasko. Three films and three times, three eras of the country. One was created in the period of the sixties (1968), the other in the period of post-perestroika timelessness (1993), and the third in the era of newly emerging capitalism (2006).
The vision of the concept of the novel and its characters varies from film to film. The image of Zosi is also changing. If in 1968 she was a naive girl, then in 1993 she was already a female vamp. And in 2006, it becomes clear that she survived the drama and remembers the best of times.
Zosia 1968
The most memorable was the image of Zosia by S. Starikova. A comparison with the “feminine,” as Panikovsky called it, is suitable for her. She is truly a "poet's dream."
True, the film "Golden Calf", in which Starikova plays, is black and white. Almost archaism by modern standards. But the viewer is even more impressed with this that he was in the thirties. The time when it was possible to meet I. Ilf and E. Petrov on the street.
Censorship changed the plot
According to the original plan, Zosia was supposed to marry Ostap. As it should be a decent girl, with a wedding in the church. Ostap, rushing between love and money, chose Zosia. But I had to remove the happy ending and punish the hero-individual. His beloved girl, for whom he sacrificed to the Ministry of Finance, quickly married a modest guy, the head of the team. This was true happiness in the novels of the thirties.
What is written after does not fit very well with the romantic Ostap. Somehow too quickly he became a cynic. Therefore, the creators of the 2006 film version of the novel were inspired by censored pages. Zosia Sinitskaya in it is played by Olga Krasko. The family’s life in the film is not as miserable as in the previous film adaptation. The intelligent origin of the girl is felt. By the way, not a word has been said about her father; Zosya lives with her grandfather. At the time of writing, repression was commonplace. Maybe that's why actress Krasko emphasizes the noble nature of Zosia.
Upside down in 1993: The Golden Calf version
Zosia Sinitskaya, actress Alika Smekhova, in the film “Dreams of an Idiot” is a brunette singing in a restaurant. Something reminiscent of a former schoolgirl from the romance “Chamberlain's Daughter”. I’ve thought of a parody cast from Russian reality, but everyone who remembers this time does not see parodies - that’s how it really was in the nineties.
As a tribute to the era, as an illustration of the director’s attempt to create a meaningful canvas, “Idiot Dreams” became a monument to the desire to earn money and at the same time express his attitude to reality.
Conclusion
Each era has its own films. Which actress Zosia Sinitskaya turned out to be believable, everyone decides for himself. I wonder what the authors of the novel written in the terrible for the country thirties would say?