Dzidra Ritenbergs is a popular Soviet and Latvian actress, film director. Fame came to her quite early, already after the very first film in her career - Vladimir Brown’s melodrama "Malva", in which she got the main role. In the life of the actress there were many vivid roles and a real love tragedy: her husband died literally a few months before the birth of her daughter Eugenia ..
Actress Biography
Dzidra Ritenbergs was born in 1928. She was born in the Dundag parish on the territory of modern Latvia. After graduating from an evening high school in Liepaja, Dzidra Ritenbergs entered the Upit Drama Theater for a course of teacher Vera Balyug. Later she graduated from the Jazep Vitola Latvian State Conservatory.
Creative career
Dzidra Ritenbergs began her creative career on the stage of the Drama Theater in Liepaja, where she worked from 1948 to 1957. Then she performed for five years at the Riga Russian Drama Theater.
A real breakthrough in the biography of Dzidra Ritenbergs was the move to Moscow. Since 1962, she continued her creative career as an actress of the Stanislavsky Drama Theater. She has been working in it until 1975.
After that, he returns to Riga, where she begins to make films as a director herself at a local film studio. Moreover, since 1958, Dzidra Ritenbergs, whose photo you have the opportunity to consider, is a member of the Union of Cinematographers of Latvia. In 1960 she received the title of Honored Artist in her republic.
In March 2003, after a long illness, she passed away at the age of 74. She was buried at the Forest Cemetery in Riga.
Theater work
It was on the stage that the first success came to Dzidra Ritenbergs. Photos of the actress show how amazing this woman was. At the Drama Theater in Liepaja, she was remembered by the local public, playing the role of Beatrice in the play based on the play by William Shakespeare "Much Ado About Nothing" and Elina in Rudolf Blaumanis 'Tailors' Days in Silmachi.
In the Riga Russian Drama Theater, her most visible images created on the stage are Jeanne Barbier in The Intervention by Lev Slavin, Anna Walter - The Last Choice, Remarque, Madame Alta - “Which Harbor?” Grigulis, Nadezhda Monakhova - “Barbarians” by Gorky, Rumyantsev - “The Torch” by Samuel Aleshin, Dagn - “The Unfinished Tale” by Masevich.
Star role
Surprisingly, the biography of Dzidra Ritenbergs has developed. She was lucky to play a star role in the very first film in which she was invited. It was Vladimir Brown’s melodrama "Malva", based on the story of the same name by Gorky and another work by the writer called "Two Tramps."
The heroine of our article plays the role of Mallow. This is a fatal beauty, in which the peasant Vasily, who left his wife and son Jacob, falls in love. With Malva he is forgotten in a carefree life.
When his son Yakov grows up, he, convinced of the futility of village life, comes to his father in the city. Soon after, the relationship between Vasily and Malva deteriorates, as a result, he leaves her with his son, and he returns to the village. Mallow is too proud, she rejects the young Jacob.
The film starred Pavel Usovnichenko (Vasily), Anatoly Ignatiev (Yakov). The picture was presented in 1957 at the Venice Festival, where the actress received a prize for best actress.
Popularity with directors
After the triumph in Venice, the actress began to regularly receive offers to star in new films. But mostly these were minor roles that did not bring her satisfaction. Among her works of that period, one can note the image of Stephanie in the historical and revolutionary drama Arthur Voitetsky and Yakov Bazelyan “Born of the Storm”, as well as Sophia in the drama “The Storm Over the Fields” by Nikolai Krasiy and Yuri Lysenko. She also appeared in little-known paintings: "Causes and Effects," "After the Storm," "Happiness Must Be Protected," "Echo," "Someone else's Misfortune," "Your Happiness," "Under One Roof."
A family
An important role was played by personal life in the biography of Dzidra Ritenbergs. Photos of the actress began to regularly appear on the pages of Soviet newspapers and magazines on film and culture. Soon she found her husband - actor Evgeny Urbansky. For him, this was the second marriage. Olga's first wife had a daughter from him. Eugene was one of the most promising Soviet actors of the early 60s. His roles were glorified: Vasily Gubanov in the socialist drama Julius Raizman's "Communist", Vasya the disabled in the military melodrama of Gregory Chukhrai "Ballad of a Soldier".
It is interesting that Dzidra herself did not immediately reciprocate with Urbansky, since at that moment she had an affair with Vyacheslav Tikhonov, which had been going on for four years. When Eugene began to look after her, the actress was sick, she was in hospital treatment. When Tikhonov found out that Urbansky was visiting her in the hospital room, he immediately broke off any relationship with her. Dzidra got married, barely leaving the hospital. Life together was not easy, after the wedding it turned out that Eugene regularly makes lovers who also call home themselves, and one of them has repeatedly stated to the heroine of our article that she gave birth to a child from her husband.
But to fully reveal his acting talent was not destined. In 1965, he died tragically at the age of only 33 years. On the biography, the personal life of Dzidra Ritenbergs, this left a strong imprint.
The tragedy on the set
The tragedy occurred on the set of the film "Director" by Alexei Saltykov. In this picture, he got the role of the founder of the ZIL plant Ivan Likhachev. As the heroine of our article later recalled, Eugene accepted this invitation without enthusiasm, but went to Bukhara, where they shot the scene of a motorcade driving through the sand. He was worried about his wife, who at that time was in her sixth month of pregnancy, and this was her first child at 37 years old.
According to the script of the film, the character of Urbansky was supposed to quickly drive through the dunes, overtake a motorcade, and then lead it. In this scene there was a complicated shot with a car jumping from one of the dunes. The first take was shot without any problems, but the second director, who was shooting, suggested taking another take so that the car would bounce even higher. During the second frame, the car, which was driving Urbansky, turned over. From injuries, the actor died on the spot.
It is noteworthy that on that fateful day the actor should not have acted at all, the stuntman was supposed to sit in the car, but Eugene convinced the director that a close-up was needed in the car, so he would have to carry out the dangerous maneuver. After this tragedy, Goskino immediately ordered it to stop working on the film, the director was suspended from the profession for a year and a half. Only in 1967 he managed to return to the set, Saltykov shot the military drama "The Kingdom of the King", and two years later he still got permission to finish work on "Director". The role of Urbansky was ultimately played by Nikolai Gubenko.
The birth of a daughter
The heroine of our article never married again. A couple of months after the death of her husband, the daughter of Dzidra Ritenbergs was born, who was named Eugenia - in honor of her father.
She became a singer in the Latvian choir, gave birth to two children - Karl and Gustav. Photos of Dzidra Ritenbergs and her daughter can be found in our article. Some time later, the actress returned to her work.
Return to work
After the death of her husband, the actress Dzidra Ritenbergs did not immediately return to work, in addition, she needed to recover after the birth of her daughter. In 1967, she starred in the film "Larks arrive first", and then played in the film "Source".
Among her notable roles of that period, it should be noted: the senior female branch in the military drama Alois Brench “The Triple Check”, Louise Ivanovna in the film adaptation of Dostoevsky’s novel “Crime and Punishment” by Lev Kulidzhanov, Catherine I in the historical and biographical drama of Yuri Shvyrev “Ballad about Bering and his friends ", Dzidra Arturovna in the melodrama by Lidia Ishimbaeva and Vsevolod Shilovsky" Day after Day ", Sirena Markovna in the musical comedy Aloiz Brench" The Big Amber ", Nasonov’s wife in the detective Brench" Keys to Paradise ".
This may seem surprising, but practically no one offered the main roles to the actress at that time. The only exception was the comedy melodrama of Janis Streich of 1975 "My friend is a frivolous man." The main character of this picture is the principal Arvid Lasmanis, who, because of his inanimate nature, does not linger on any work. In this tape, the heroine of our article played the role of Mirdza.
At the end of an acting career
In the 70s, the heroine of our article finally returns to Latvia, is removed only at the Riga film studio. At the same time, it receives the main or at least noticeable roles.
Among the films of Dzidra Rytenbergs of that period, one can note the drama by Janis Streich "The Master", in which she played the client of Aunt Lida. In the picture of Andris Rosenbergs "Gleam in the Water" she appears in the role of secretary. Then in the comedy melodrama of Karlis Marsons "Be my mother-in-law!" plays the administrator of the hotel, in the drama Alois Branch, "The Long Road in the Dunes" - Ernu, in his own play "Remember or Forget" - the doctor. In the drama of Arunas Zhebrunas "The Rich Man, the Poor ..." - to Mrs. Lucia, in the picture of the Garden with a Ghost by Olgert Dunkers - Miss Robertson.
The last role of Dzidra was a professor in the melodrama Wii Beinert "Coincidence".
In the director’s chair
Since the mid-70s, the heroine of our article decided to try herself as a director. Her debut work was the youth drama "This Dangerous Door to the Balcony." Starring in it were Varis Vetra, Antra Liedskalnynya, Peteris Gaudins.
The main character of this film, Roland almost died, falling from the balcony when he was little. His parents, in order to protect the boy from future possible misfortunes, simply pounded the door to the balcony with nails. When he turns 18 years old, an amateur film is shown at the birthday celebration, in which a girl who comes on a date but does not wait for her young man is shot with a hidden camera. After some time, she finds herself in a hospital ward - the young lady’s leg is broken. Inga's nurse at the trauma unit decides to find out who is guilty of what happened at all costs.
In 1979, Dzidra removes the melodrama "Evening Option". This is a film adaptation of the work of Bronislava Parshevskaya, which in the director’s interpretation has a pronounced socio-pedagogical orientation. data-info = "phrase # 10, the required number of repetitions is 1"> In this picture, the main character Anna, played by Astrid Kairisha, falls into the evening school in a small provincial town by distribution. She tries to convey to students and colleagues a modern teaching methodology, but does not find support and understanding. Soon, she finds herself embroiled in a family showdown in the house of one of the students.
80s movies
In the 80s, Dzidra worked very fruitfully, producing four full-length films.
In 1982, she directed the drama "The Longest Straw", which tells about life in a provincial town in the first post-war year. A stranger appears among its inhabitants, who goes to the local underground, claiming that he arrived on behalf of Mrs. Mursky. Allegedly, on the eve of fleeing abroad, she hid family treasures. However, the leader of the underground does not trust him, noting that, moreover, he surprisingly looks like the son of a local doctor Wilks, whom the Nazis killed four years ago.
In 1985, the drama "Alien Case" was released - the story of the schoolgirl Stasi, who during the winter holidays comes to Riga to find her father. He left them with his mother two years ago. The girl finds herself in the house of lawyer Eric, who decides to help her, but when they find her father, he is not at all as wonderful as his daughter imagined.
In the 1986 detective film The Last Report, a West German journalist is instructed by his superiors to investigate the mysterious death of the popular journalist Jorgensen. Preoccupied with another topic, the protagonist reluctantly takes up this matter. However, having received access to the investigation materials, he finds out that a colleague died due to publications that he was preparing to print in the near future. But not for domestic reasons, according to the police.
"House without exit"
In 1988, the drama Home Without Exit was released. It tells about three criminals who escape from the colony and stop in the summer house of the artist. They make the owner help them hide from the persecution. A creative person, driven to a nervous breakdown, is trying to get rid of uninvited guests by any means.
The last directorial work of Dzidra - "Life-long Waltz" - went unnoticed.