The literary work of Viktor Vasilyevich Smirnov “The disturbing month of spring”, published in 1971, is characterized by rich ideological content, deep realism, a reliable reflection of the characteristics of the mentality and life of the characters. It is not oversaturated with propaganda; attention is focused on the assertion of universal values. The story is unusually beautiful from an artistic point of view. Therefore, it is not surprising that this work received two adaptations. The first was the 1976 feature film of the same name directed by Leonid Osyka, the second was his remake in the 2011 TV show "Drops of Blood on a Blooming Heather" in 2011. The mini-series consists of six episodes, its IMDb rating: 7.00.
Plot
The narrative of the film “Drops of Blood on a Blooming Heather” begins with the return to the small Polesie village of Glukhary for the rehabilitation of the seriously wounded young reconnaissance fighter Ivan Kapelyukha. The young man lives with his grandmother Seraphim and thinks only about an early return to the front. However, the medical commission of the district city does not allow him to return to war. At the same time, it offers serious and no less dangerous work in the rear. As part of the special squad, he must track down and neutralize Gorely’s gangs hiding in the forests. So the young disabled veteran becomes a “hawk” - a member of the fighter battalion.
Worthy movie adaptation
The project of director Dmitry Iosifov and screenwriter Viktor Smirnov has two names: “Summer of the Wolves” and “Drops of Blood on the Blooming Heather”. The filming process of the series took place on the territory of the Republic of Belarus: partially in Grodno, but mainly near Minsk.
From the first episode, the film captivates with its atmosphere created by the joint efforts of the cameraman Alexei Tyagichev and composer Ruslan Muratov, and keeps it unstoppable until the very end. Critics often blame the authors for the excessive length of the project, although it is impossible to throw out a single minute from the narrative: each of the mise-en-scenes is justified and interesting.
Advantages and disadvantages
The director's work is worthy of praise: the visualization of the film is excellent. The scenario of the project “Drops of blood on a flowering heather” can serve as a model for beginners playwrights. It lacks unnecessary scenes and unnecessary tedious dialogues - all just on the topic. The characters are drawn three-dimensionally. You sympathize and empathize with the positive, negative ones prompt you to reflect on their personal motives and choices. The off-screen text is read by Yuri Nazarov - in his performance such an author’s technique seems extremely successful.
The mini-series “Drops of Blood on a Blooming Heather” does not have any special drawbacks, as evidenced by its rating and reviews from the viewers. However, professional film critics and ordinary inhabitants were somewhat confused by the final of the project. The ending is unnaturally crumpled, as if the creators were running out of time or the budget was over and everything was shot in one day.
Acting Ensemble
A striking feature of the tape "Drops of Blood on a Blooming Heather" is deservedly considered to be original, colorful and charismatic characters. The merit of this performers involved in the production of the television movie. All actors in their images are organic and convincing, so the characters are alive, involving the viewer in a whirlpool of events. The mini-series starred Alexei Bardukov ("Saboteur", "Metro"), Igor Sklyar ("Take care of women", "We are from jazz"), Julia Peresild ("Battle for Sevastopol", "Bride"), Maria Kulikova (" First attempt ”,“ Desantura ”), Alexander Vorobyov (“ Crazy ”,“ Oligarch ”), Sergey Koltakov (“ Valentina ”,“ Mother Do not Cry ”), Mikhail Yevlanov (“ Brest Fortress ”,“ Own ”) and many others domestic artists who played with inspiration, organically and reliably.