There are dramas that have a particularly strong impact on the viewer. Such is the film “Driver for Vera”: the actors are so attentive to the work on their characters that it is simply impossible to empathize with their tragedies. Who played the main roles in this film and how was the picture met by the public?
Filmmakers
The director of the drama was Pavel Chukhrai, who also wrote the script for the film. Actors were carefully selected by Pavel Grigoryevich in the picture “Driver for Vera”, since for such a movie the cast is a matter of principle.
Chukhrai has made a total of fifteen films to date. The most famous of them are “Driver for Faith” and the drama “Thief” with Vladimir Mashkov in the title role. Also in 2007, with the support of the Rossiya TV channel, another good film of Chukhrai’s production, “The Russian Game”, was released. This comedy involved popular actors in Russia Sergey Garmash, Sergey Makovetsky and
Andrei Merzlikin.The producer of “Driver for Vera” was Igor Tolstunov (“Voroshilovsky shooter”) and Alexander Rodnyansky (“East-West”).
The film “Driver for Vera”, the actors and roles in which were called to tell a difficult story of human relations, was shown in cinemas in nine countries of Eastern Europe. At the box office, the film did not pay off: at a cost of 3 million dollars, it collected only two million. But the picture is often broadcast on Russian and Ukrainian television.
Actor “Driver for Faith”: photo. Igor Petrenko
For Igor Petrenko, the picture of Pavel Chukhrai became one of the most significant in his career. Prior to filming the film “Driver for Vera”, he played only a few roles in the movie and excelled only in his work in the military drama “Star”.
The actors “Pretty driver for Vera” were selected quite well-known, so Petrenko’s participation in this project had a positive impact on the future fate of the performer.
As for the character Petrenko, he played the main role in the drama - the very driver who was assigned to Vera (daughter of a large army general). Sergeant Victor is happy to hear this news, because he dreams of a good career and will not stop at anything to achieve his goal. After some time, Victor becomes attached to Vera and no longer looks so pragmatically at the relationship between them. Only the couple’s dreams of a brighter future were not destined to come true.
"Driver for Vera": actors. The role of Vera performed by Alena Babenko
Alena Babenko began her career in cinema in 1998. But for a long time she did not get the main roles in full-length cinema - except for episodes, as well as roles in TV shows. The film “Driver for Vera”, whose actors subsequently became famous throughout Russia, became for the actress a definite springboard in her career.
In the drama of Pavel Chukhrai, she got the main role - the daughter of Army General Serov. Vera is a young naive girl who has only one physical defect - lameness. She wildly lacks love, so when the gallant Victor appears on the horizon, she does not even notice the cold calculation on his part and sincerely believes that the young man fell in love with her. Soon, Victor really becomes attached to her, but the heroine’s life suddenly ends: she is killed along with her father in the country.
For the role of Vera, Alena Babenko received the Golden Eagle and Nika Prizes. Subsequently, the actress began to actively act in films, but most of the films with her participation are dramas.
Bogdan Stupka as Lieutenant General Serov
Actors of the film “Driver for Vera” were selected not only in Russia, but also in Ukraine. For example, the role of Lieutenant General Serov (Vera’s father) was played by the Ukrainian actor Bogdan Stupka. Sergey Serov is a powerful man, accustomed to commanding people. He passionately loves his daughter, so he does not wait until her life settles on her own, but plans many things for her. For example, their wedding with driver Victor. In the final film, the hero of Stupka dies, becoming a victim of intrigue and the redistribution of power.
Five years later, Bogdan Stupka starred in another film by Pavel Chukhrai - Taras Bulba. The actor again got the main role - the old Cossack Bulba.
The filmography of the Ukrainian actor is generally quite extensive: he collaborated with both Russian and Polish, Ukrainian directors. The most famous film works by Stupka can be called “Fire and Sword”, “Chinese Service”, “Sonya Golden Handle”, “Three Half Graces” and many other films. Bogdan Stupka passed away at the age of 70, leaving behind an impressive list of good paintings.
Andrey Panin as captain Savelyev
Andrei Panin, who constantly got the roles of vile and arrogant people in the movies, this time did not play the “hero of the novel”. Captain Savelyev, performed by the actor, became the same intriguer, through whose fault the Serov families, including poor Vera, died. Savelyev’s deed is also treacherous because the captain was considered close to the general and no one expected a “blow” from this side.
As already mentioned, Panin is not used to playing negative heroes. Over the entire career of an actor, positive characters in his performance can be counted on the fingers. In particular, Panin got a positive role in his last film - “Sherlock Holmes”, where the actor played Doctor Watson.
From the entire filmography of the actor, it is also necessary to single out his roles in the series of films “Shadow Boxing”, “Vysotsky. Thank you for being alive ”and“ Burnt by the Sun-2 ”. In March 2013, Andrei Panin was found dead in his apartment. He died at 50 at the peak of his popularity.
Marina Golub as Zinaida
The film "Driver for Vera", the actors and roles in which the souls of the audience were so touched, is included in the filmography of another talented actress - Marina Golub. Marina did not play a major role in the tape, she got the episodic role of the nanny of the child whom Vera gave birth.
Golub is a graduate of the Moscow Art Theater School. First appeared on the screens in 1980 in the famous film "Youth of Peter" in the role of Verka. The charismatic actress came to the court and the directors often called her to projects. Thanks to the external data of Golub, most often she had to play comical and noisy "aunts". So in “Driver for Vera” the noisy nanny Zinaida did not contradict the usual role of Marina Grigoryevna.
Among the most famous works of the actress are roles in the films Shirley-Myrli, On the Corner of the Patriarchs, Five Brides, and The Killer Diary. Marina Golub died in a car accident in the 54th year of life.
Other artists
In addition to famous actors, less popular performers were involved in the film.
The role of Vera's girlfriend - Lida - was played by Ekaterina Yudina ("Startup", "Cream"). The role of General Klimenko was played by Valery Barinov (“Teachers”, “Where the Homeland Begins”). Also involved in the film were Natalya Gudkova (Atlantis, Cavaliers of a Starfish), Alisa Grebenshchikova (Cavaliers of a Starfish, Love and Separation), Dmitry Vysotsky (Steep Shores, Stalin.Live), Natalia Gorshkova (“Grandson of the astronaut”), Alexey Zelensky (“Children of the Arbat”, “Demons”).