Leonid Kvinikhidze is a well-known Soviet director who shot a lot of fascinating and beloved films. What four films of authorship of Kvinikhidze do each former Soviet citizen know?
Director Leonid Kvinikhidze and his Straw Hat
Not a single New Year in the USSR was complete without two films: Eldar Ryazanov’s melodrama “The Irony of Fate ...” and Kvinikhidze’s musical comedy “The Straw Hat”. Every Soviet viewer who turned on the television on December 31, must have seen on the screens a funny story about the womanizer Leonidas Fadinar, who was desperately trying to arrange his personal life.
Kvinikhidze Leonid Alexandrovich took off the Straw Hat in 1974. For the main role, he invited the charming Andrei Mironov. Supporting roles were played by Zinovy Gerdt, Lyudmila Gurchenko and Alisa Freindlich.
In the center of the plot of this musical film is the story of the fad of Fadinar, who one day decided to put an end to his free bachelor life. However, he does not intend to say goodbye to precious freedom free of charge, therefore, he chooses the heiress of a wealthy gardener as a bride. It would seem that everything is going well, but only in life, slobbing even such an important day as a wedding cannot go smoothly: shortly before the ceremony, Leonidas finds himself in a piquant situation and is forced to look for a straw hat throughout the city so as not to ruin the good name of one lady.
Leonid Kvinikhidze: films. “The collapse of engineer Garin”
Kvinikhidze released the tape “The Crash of Engineer Garin” a year before the Straw Hat. This picture has not received such great popularity, but it is well known in the circles of viewers who are fond of science fiction. This time Leonid Kvinikhidze turned to a dramatic plot, which is not without its fascination.
A certain Soviet scientist by the name of Garin uses the achievements of his friend Mantsev to create a supernova weapon: the engineer manages to design a heat ray that can burn any metals, stones, walls, etc. However, Garin is not even going to share his discovery with the world community . With the help of the latest weapons, he decides to become the master of almost the whole world. Garin goes to South America, where he begins to develop gold mines using the device. Then he contacts the American tycoon and carries out a series of criminal cases. And only his Soviet colleagues, scientists, can stop an engineer.
"Sky swallows"
Leonid Kvinikhidze was a master of musical films. One of the best works of the director in this genre is considered the tape "Sky Swallows". The film was shot in the Crimea near Alupka.
“Sky Swallows” is an easy entertaining comedy about a few days in the life of a young pupil of a monastery. Denise becomes a hostage to the strict rules of her era: she is forced to build a good guy out of herself, while secretly dreams of a career as an artist. However, the decision of Denise's parents to give their daughter in marriage shuffles all the cards in the deck: the girl has only one day left to become a variety show artist before an engagement is appointed with a certain respectable officer. In the finale of the picture, the girl gets everything she wants, and even falls in love with her own groom.
The picture is filled with wonderful songs by Victor Lebedev. And the leading stars of Soviet cinema were involved in the lead roles: Andrei Mironov, Lyudmila Gurchenko, Alexander Shirvindt and others.
"Mary Poppins, bye!"
Leonid Kvinikhidze made an unforgettable musical fairy tale for children and teenagers called Mary Poppins, Goodbye! This work was released on the screens in 1984 and almost immediately entered the Golden Fund of Soviet cinema.
The action of the tale takes place in England. The plot focuses on a simple English family in which a brother and sister grow up. Parents seek a nanny for them and hire a rather extravagant person who calls herself "lady perfection." The nanny Mary Poppins is making a difference not only for the growing Michael and Jane, but also for their parents, and at the same time for the residents of the entire London Vishneva Street.
As expected, the film was accompanied by a high-quality musical series, which composer Maxim Dunaevsky worked on. The main roles in the film were played by Natalya Andreichenko, Larisa Udovichenko, Oleg Tabakov and many other notorious artists.