The Soviet film director is now better known as the founder of the Russian cinematic dynasty. Due to the early tragic death, there are only a few paintings in the filmography of Nikolai Vladimirovich Dostal. His most famous works are the detective "The Case of Motley" and the comedy "We Have Met Somewhere", in which Arkady Raikin starred. It was his movie debut.
short biography
Nikolai Vladimirovich Dostal was born on April 21, 1909 in Saratov, in the family of Russian mother Alexandra Semenovna Polushkina and Czech father Vladimir Dostal. In subsequent years, the family moved to the Soviet capital. After school, Nikolai entered the Moscow Electromechanical Institute, which he graduated in 1929. In 1934 he also graduated from the directing department of VGIK.
Until 1942, he worked as an assistant director at various republican film studios. Then he was drafted into the Red Army, after training he was awarded the rank of lieutenant. He commanded a company when, during heavy battles for Kiev, he was captured. Relatives then received a message that Nikolai Vladimirovich Dostal was missing. After the liberation, he returned to his house in 1945. He was awarded the medal "For Courage". The first post-war years he worked as a director at the Soyuzdetfilm film studio, then he switched to Mosfilm.
Creation
He began his work in cinema with Ivan Pyryev’s picture "Party Ticket", on the set of which he worked as an assistant to the famous director. The first serious work in the cinema was the two-part film "Battle of Stalingrad" in 1949, where he was already the second director.
In 1954, together with Alexander Tutyshkin, he directed the comedy "We Have Met Somewhere," with Arkady Raikin and Lyudmila Tselikovskaya in the lead roles. The first independent work was the film "The Motley Case" of 1958, the film adaptation of the eponymous work by Arkady Adamov, a famous Soviet writer who worked in the detective genre. The film starred many actors who later became famous, including Vsevolod Safonov, Natalya Fateeva, Evgeny Matveev, Oleg Tabakov. In 1959, together with Villen Azarov, he began work on the production drama "Everything Starts from the Road", on the set of which he died. His partner finished the picture already alone.
A family
The first wife of the Soviet film director Nikolai Vladimirovich Dostal was a purebred Persian from the Baha'i community, Jahantab Sarafi Ali-kizi (1918-1946). Her grandfather was the founder and one of the leaders of the religious movement of Persia, which aimed at uniting all existing religions. She was a soloist of the local philharmonic society, where she played the cello. Young people met in Ashgabat, in 1942 their first-born Vladimir was born.
In 1945, the couple moved to Moscow. And the next year, the second son Nikolai was born to a young family, and a few months later Jakhantab died. The eldest son was then four years old. Raising children to Nikolai Vladimirovich began to help his sister.
In the 50s, he married Natalya Nikolaevna Androsova, who came from the royal family of the Romanovs. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Emperor Nicholas I, the last of his descendants remaining in their homeland. Born Princess Natalya Alexandrovna Romanova-Iskander, later received her last name and patronymic from her stepfather. Natalya Nikolaevna adopted young children, and after the death of Nikolai Vladimirovich Dostal she did not marry again, devoting herself to the education of Nikolai and Vladimir.
The foundation of the cinematic dynasty
In 1959, Dostal left to shoot the production film "Everything Starts on the Road" and died as a result of a tragic accident. According to the recollections of his son Nikolai Dostal, Nikolai Vladimirovich received a head injury incompatible with life when he was sitting behind the camera on the hood of a large truck that crashed into a pole.
After the death of the director, the Mosfilm studio took patronage over his children. Soon Vladimir went to the assistant director to shoot the film "First Date" in Rostov-on-Don. He then studied in the 10th grade. Subsequently, Vladimir Nikolayevich will become the general director of Mosfilm, and then a well-known Russian producer. His younger brother Nicholas was recognized as a venerable director, the owner of numerous film awards. The next generation of Dostaleys also followed in their footsteps: granddaughter Daria is an actress, grandchildren Alexander is a producer, and Eugene is a director.