The film by Vasily Shukshin "Kalina Red" was the last work of the director and immediately became the favorite picture of many Soviet viewers. The reason for this success lies in the vitality of this film, in the simplicity and sincerity with which the talented director endowed his heroes, and the wonderful play of the actors. The film was the first work of Shukshin, which was shot on color film.
The story of the film
Actors of the film "Kalina Red" were personally selected by Shukshin himself. Vasily Makarovich has long dreamed of making a movie about a national hero. He was attracted by the idea of creating a film about Stepan Razin, but officials from Goskino suggested that he first make a film about our contemporaries. The script of the picture was written on the story of the same name by Vasily Makarovich, published in the journal "Our Contemporary".
The premiere took place in 1974, and the picture was named the best film of the year, and Vasily Shukshin was recognized as the best actor. Kalina Krasnaya became the rental leader and collected 62.5 million viewers, record-breaking for Soviet cinemas. But, unfortunately, Vasily Shukshin did not manage to remove the planned film about Stepan Razin.
Fates and Roles
The main female role was played by Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshina, the wife of the great national director. It should be noted that Shukshin loved to shoot his wife in his films: in almost every film there was a character who was ideally suited to the type of actress.
Actors of the film "Kalina Red" recalled the time they worked on the film as a difficult, but still very interesting period of their life. Working with a talented director was not always simple: Vasily Makarovich was tough in character and was able to get from the actors the game that he needed to fully reveal the images.
The name of the film is not accidental: his wife Lydia sang the song with the same name when Shukshin was at a time when their relationship had just begun.
The plot of the picture
The recidivist and thief Yegor Prokudin, who was played by the director himself, after leaving the colony, decides to go to his pen-friend Lyuba (Lidia Fedoseeva-Shukshina). At first, the woman’s parents are very wary of such a guest. But the former felon wants to change his life, and gradually relations with the bride’s family are improving. And yet, the past does not want to leave Yegor. His fellow criminals find him there. They are trying in a good way to persuade Yegor Prokudin to return to the gang, and having received a categorical refusal, they decide to kill.
Actors of the film "Red Viburnum"
Maria Skvortsova, Alexey Vanin, Maria Vinogradova, Lev Durov, Zhanna Prokhorenko, Nikolai Grabbe - this is far from a complete cast of actors who took part in making the film. In the role of the leader of the thieves' gang, Guboshlepa, a good friend of Vasily Makarovich Shukshin, George Burkov, appeared.
At first, the actor did not really want to play the role of a criminal, but Vasily Makarovich managed to persuade a friend, and after a perfectly played role, he received invitations from other directors, and George's career went uphill. Then there were such films as “Garage”, “Cruel Romance”, “Irony of Fate, or Enjoy Your Bath!”. Burkov became so accustomed to the role of Guboshlep that after the picture was released on the screen, former criminals approached him, taking him for his own.
Supporting roles
The role of Lyuba's father was played by Ivan Ryzhov, who by that time was already a famous actor, but the mother of Yegor Prokudin was played by Efimia Bystrova, who was not an actress. The fate of this simple peasant woman from the village of Sadovoy strongly reminded the fate of the mother of the protagonist. She did not even play a role, but simply talked about her sons to the main character of the picture, Lyuba. This episode was shot with a hidden camera so as not to worry the old woman. It should be noted that Vasily Makarovich often attracted ordinary villagers to shoot in his paintings, and this added to his pictures of realism.
Lev Durov starred as a waiter, and Natalia Gvozdikova played a young telephone operator. But the deputy director of the picture acted in the role of the prison entertainer, Iya Arepina played the sister of Yegor Prokudin.
Film Awards
Nobody expected such recognition of the picture from ordinary citizens, including Shukshin himself. Kalina Red was a success in all cinemas in the country, and later, when it came to television screens, it became one of this director’s most beloved films. It is a pity that the last ...
The film has received international recognition. In 1973 he was awarded the Warsaw Siren Prize, which is presented by Polish film critics. The director himself was awarded the prize "For Identity and Director's Talent" at the festival in Baku. 16 years after the premiere screening, Kalina Krasnaya was included in the program of the International Berlin Film Festival in the Retrospective section.
A difficult film about ordinary people
In the process of working on the film, I had to make corrections both in the storyline and in the replicas of the heroes. The relevant authorities monitored the work process and all the time tried to adjust the work of the director. After numerous alterations, Vasily Makarovich went to hospital with a bout of an ulcer, his condition was so grave that cinema officials retreated, fearing that the director might not live up to the premiere.
The script, directing and the main role took away from Shukshin the last strength and health, because this person did not know how to work half-heartedly. The actors of the film "Kalina Red" were very worried about the director’s health and tried to follow all the instructions given by Vasily Makarovich on the set.
A talented director and actor died a year after the release of his film, on the set of "They Fought for their Homeland."