It is impossible to remember him without remembering his wife. They are always together, always together. So, Anatoly Mukasey, a man with whose eyes we are reviewing the films beloved by several generations dozens and hundreds of times: “Watch out for the car”, “Attention, turtle!”, “For family reasons”, “Princess of the circus”, “Trap for a lonely man”, "Big change". He is the operator of absolutely all the directorial works of his second half - Svetlana Druzhinina. And their creative tandem has always been very fruitful.
Childhood
July 26, 1938 in the family of Michael and Elizabeth Mukasey, a son was born - Anatoly Mukasey. Their family was somewhat unusual when compared with the average Soviet families. Parents were illegal scouts. In total, children (the family still had a girl Ella) did not see their parents for about twenty years, despite the fact that they came to Moscow as soon as possible (though not for long, for seven days, for a maximum of ten), and when they were not was nearby, passed notes and parcels.
Tolya and Ella were aware that nothing could be said about their parents. Children carefully kept this secret. In the capital, children were patronized by the good "chefs" who became their friends.
Microbe of cinema art was picked up by little Mukasey back in Los Angeles, when dad worked there as a consul. Tolya perfectly remembered Uncle Charlie (Chaplin), played with Uncle Theodore (Dreiser). Until now, the family has boxes with a film that captures childhood memories.
Dad lived for 101 years, mother - 97. But even at such a venerable age, they felt that they had not yet begun to live.
The magical world of cinema
Anatoly Mukasey, being impressed by meetings with Hollywood stars in his childhood, even then made an important final decision for himself - to show the audience what would be interesting to them. The determining factor in choosing the profession of the operator was that a movie camera can save time for many, many years to come.
In 1961, Mukasei graduated from the camera department of VGIK. First, he worked for a year at the Leningrad newsreel studio, shooting a number of stories. And since 1962, he has been the director of photography for the Mosfilm film studio.
He is still convinced that the audience is watching the movie through the eyes of the operator, and on the screen they should be clear and visible. After all, every screen image is the same painting, only dynamic.
Therefore, all of his paintings are small masterpieces that I want to review again and again, despite how many years ago all this was filmed: “Hussar Matching”, “Give a Mournful Book”, “Nose”, “Vivat, Midshipmen!” . It should be noted that all six films of the series “Secrets of Palace Coups”.
My love
Future spouses met while still students of VGIK. Anatoly Mukasey, whose photo is not so often seen in various magazines, studied at the camera house, and Svetlana Druzhinina - at the acting.
The fateful meeting took place in the locker room of the volleyball court of the institute. Svetlana at that time was already a rising movie star and an amazing beauty. When a ball rolled up at her feet, she looked up and saw a young man who was the captain of the institute's male volleyball team. This was Anatoly Mukasey, whose biography from that day for almost 60 years has been inextricably linked with this woman. Many years later, he admitted that the ball was only an occasion for acquaintance.
Mukasey was a year younger than Druzhinina and did not like her fellow students at all. They could not understand what the recognized beauty of the course found in this long-armed and long-legged guy. But the couple was inseparable, everywhere they went together: to the cinema, to college, to volleyball competitions. Now everyone understood that it was nearing the wedding. Mukasey Anatoly recalled that Svetlana had one selfish purpose in concluding this marriage: to live with him for several decades.
Meeting parents
As we have already said, Mikhail and Elizabeth Mukasey, the parents of Anatoly and his sisters Ella, worked abroad for a quarter of a century as illegal intelligence agents. Fluent in several foreign languages, they spoke Russian with an accent.
Parents rarely visited Moscow, but everyone knew about the affairs of their children. Mom found out that Druzhinina would be her daughter-in-law even before her son met her. When they watched the picture “Behind the window of a department store” in Gagra, Anatoly asked whether his mother liked the main character (Druzhinina played the role of Sonya Bozhko). And he declared (either as a joke, or seriously) that he would marry her. Tolya was then only 17 years old and he soon forgot about his promise. Until the moment when I saw Svetlana at the institute.
When they went on a visit to meet their parents, Druzhinina remembered well how her knees were cowardly. She put on a modest black dress with a white collar, and Anatoly's parents, when they opened the door of the apartment, had gorgeous evening toilets - a luxurious dress and a three-piece suit. For the first time in her life, the girl felt a huge panic: would they like her and would they discourage her son from marrying her. Impressions and emotions were so strong that Svetlana was ill for several days on a nervous basis. And then Anatoly arrived with a gift from his mother: a white handbag with scarves, perfumes and chewing gum. And he said that their parents suggested they get married before graduation.
The wedding was very beautiful in a chic restaurant at that time. The very next day, the parents left for work from the capital, leaving Sveta a letter stating that everything that she finds out in the family should be kept secret, and that she would become restricted to travel abroad. But for the sake of her love, she was ready to sacrifice a lot. Moreover, all this time she quietly took lessons from her mother-in-law. Over time, Anatoly Mukasey said that Sveta was just a copy of his mother.
The younger generation of the family
It so happened that it was volleyball that determined the fate of their son, Mikhail. He, like dad, cameraman and volleyball player. Once Michael called his mother and said that he would come to the cottage to introduce his parents to his girlfriend. At first, Druzhinin was worried that there was practically nothing to put on the table, but when she saw her son's chosen one, then ... Her delight knew no bounds. After all, it was Ekaterina Gamova herself ! Yes, two-time world volleyball champion. From the first minute, the future daughter-in-law was adopted by Misha's parents as her own.
Now not a single match in which Katya takes part does not take place without the presence of a large family. The husband and his parents always support her.
These are their spouses and parents, Svetlana Druzhinina and Anatoly Mukasey. Children, photos of which celebrities usually take for public display, have always been loved in their family. And after the tragic death of their eldest son Anatoly in 1986, the family did not split up, as is often the case, on the contrary, they experienced a common grief together, managing to unite even more. And the youngest only increased love. Indeed, the most important lesson taught by the elder Mukaseis (Anatoly's parents) to the younger ones (Svetlana and her son) is to always remain together, no matter what surprises life presents to them.