Unfortunately, the work of many talented directors of the USSR era is practically not broadcast by modern television channels, they are not shown in movie theaters. And the young generation, on which Soviet films could have a positive impact in terms of educating soulfulness, kindness, does not know their content. One of the directors, undeservedly forgotten by contemporaries, is Nitochkin Anatoly Dmitrievich. This director created many paintings, including “When the whales leave” and “The Most Beautiful Ships” (based on works by Yuri Rytkheu, classic of the national literature of Chukotka). The listed tapes are not the only author’s projects of Nitochkin devoted to the themes of Chukotka and the North. But first things first.
The vicissitudes of early marriage
Anatoly Nitochkin was born in the first spring month of 1932. I deliberately got into the cinema, having chosen the operator department to improve my talent and obtain the necessary knowledge of VGIK. In his student years, he married Maya Bulgakova, who later became the star of Russian cinema ("Walking through the agony", "Boredom for the sake", "Salt of the earth", etc.). The couple had a daughter, Zina.
Unfortunately, early marriage did not last long. Soon the spouses realized that they had opposing views on family life. Nitochkin Anatoly wished his wife left creative work, fully devoting herself to household work and raising a child. But Bulgakova was obsessed with a creative career.
The tragedy that left an imprint on creativity
An early marriage, recorded during student days, collapsed after Maya sent their four-month-old baby together to her mother in Kramatorsk. She explained her act by the desire to become famous. The daughter returned to the actress at the age of twelve, after the death of her grandmother. Anatoly could not understand Bulgakova and did not return at all. He was so shocked by the act of his wife that for many years he was afraid of getting closer to women.
Many contemporaries of the director claimed that it was this tragedy that left a significant imprint on his work. Indeed, many of Anatoly Nitochkin’s films are largely devoted to the problems of youth, the vicissitudes of growing up, childhood and the duty of parents to a new life.
In three guises
Nitochkin Anatoly during his creative career acted as a cameraman, screenwriter and director. In 1970, the author got a chance to realize his ideas on the television screen "Screen". His services to the domestic film industry were highly appreciated by the average spectator and leading film makers of the USSR. Subsequently, Anatoly Dmitrievich became a member of the Union of Cinematographers of the USSR, and a number of his copyright projects were awarded prizes at international television film festivals.
The best work of the Nitochkin operator is the wonderful painting “The Way to the Dock”, the work on the creation of which took place in the Arctic, in the Barents Sea. Much depended on the skill of the operator in the tape. Anatoly Dmitrievich worked hard. Sometimes, in order to get the right angle, to shoot a good shot, he exposed himself to danger, showing true dedication. Sometimes comic episodes happened.
Graceful penetration into the natural world
According to Russian film critics, the work of Nitochkin, the director, is characterized by a harmonious penetration into the world of nature and people, a certain poetry of angle and images. A special place in the author’s track record is the painting “Friend of Tymanchi”, released in 1970. The film tells about the sincere friendship of the Evenk boy Tyumenchi and the little wolf cub Ayavrik (the nickname in translation from the Even dialect means "pet"). The tape basically contains unique ethnographic material.
Decoration of the picture and a special achievement of the director and scriptwriter Anatoly Nitochkin are mass scenes - dog and reindeer sled races, Evens wedding shots in which the Osiktakan folk ensemble takes part. The project was recognized as the best jury of the international film festival held in Monte Carlo in 1970. For the best screenplay of the film “Friend Tymanchi” Nitochkin received the Golden Nymph Award.
As a director of feature films, Anatoly Dmitrievich is also known for such films as “Dew”, “On Taiga Winds”, “White Shaman”, “Land of My Childhood”.
The creator completed his life journey in 2001, was buried at the Vvedensky cemetery in the capital.