This painting was nominated for a Golden Globe and received 4 Golden Eagle awards. The actors of the film "Edge" in 2010 perfectly recreated the atmosphere of the first post-war years. They showed the hard fate of the Russians who were in German captivity.
A difficult film about ordinary people
Alexei Uchitel never shot passing films on light topics. All his paintings are saturated with human emotions, and each tape becomes a revelation to the viewer. It would be risky 30 years ago to touch on the topic of exiled people in their usual environment, and now it is vital for people to know such facts. The hard work on the felling and the unenviable share of women are shown with maximum openness to the viewer. For the actors of the film “Edge”, the roles were not only of professional interest. Many artists dream of playing with the Teacher.
Plot
In September 1945, the demobilized tanker Ignat seeks work, and fate brings him to a remote station called Krai. Before the war, he worked as a machinist, so he dreams of his own engine. However, the inhabitants of the settlement take the new foreman with hostility. He is a hero of war and severe manners, a man who will not joke with them. Ignat immediately shows that there will no longer be a mess, and he will follow the work with all responsibility. The exiled settlers try their best to offend their new boss. Only the beautiful Sophia immediately feels his favor.
On the day of acquaintance, she invites him to her closet, and they spend the night together. The girl has a little boy named Pashka. But Ignat does not know that this is not her son - she saved the child in Germany, he is German. Sophia's former boyfriend does not intend to tolerate her relationship with the new foreman, but Ignat quickly puts him in his place.
The driver learns from a local resident that there is often a real train. He finds an old Gustav steam engine, which he has to fix. For many years he stood abandoned in the middle of the forest on rusted tracks. This name was given to him by a girl who lived in this same engine for a long time. She is the daughter of a German who lived and worked here before the war. Fishman, an employee of the NKVD, killed his father, and now she has to hide in the forest.
Ignat was able to start a steam locomotive and drove him to the depot. Elsa came with him. But the story did not succeed. Soon Fishman himself came to the Territory, finding Pashka and a German girl in the village. He takes the child away from Sophia and leaves with Elsa. Ignat catches up with them at Gustav and manages to cut them. After the collision, the Chekist receives a speedometer from his head. The driver takes Elsa with Pasha and leaves. At the end of the film, a girl in broken Russian tells that now they live happily, they have three children with Ignat, and Pashka is already quite an adult.
How they shot the film "Edge"
In 2010, viewers learned that the film was shot in the Leningrad region. Alexei Uchitel planned to shoot in Siberia, but in the process he realized that this would be impossible. To transport all equipment to such a distance was an impossible task. The film used real pre-war steam locomotives, which Russian Railways provided to the director at his request. Of course, during the filming, these iron engines have suffered significantly and had to make major repairs. The Krai settlement itself with its houses is part of the scenery. Ordinary people took part in the crowd. According to Master, it was extremely difficult to shoot all the scenes. The picture is almost absent computer graphics. The episode with a burning bath was filmed in a real fire, and the girl from the crowd even got back burns.
The roles and actors of the film "Edge"
A photo of young beauty Julia Peresild in dirty clothes and with tousled hair shows the essence of this difficult picture. The role of the girl with a difficult fate went to her not by chance - the casting with the director was conducted by Vladimir Mashkov. In the story, the girl was to become his mistress and tragically die in the final scene. Each of the actors of the film "Edge" did not just pass the usual listening, but really checked for strength. After all, I had to shoot a picture in harsh conditions.
Vladimir Mashkov - Ignat
The role of a harsh driver was immediately offered to Mashkov. The teacher thought that it would take several weeks before the actor gives an answer, but on the same day received consent. Later, he not only helped select the remaining applicants, but also helped in the filming. The director considers him the co-author of the film, and does not forget to say that Mashkov performed all the tricks himself - without a stuntman. He jumped into the icy water, drove the engine and starred in the bed scene. This was one of the most difficult moments on the set, the actors had to psychologically prepare for a long time to remove from one take.
Julia Peresild - Sophia
The actress got a difficult role. Raising a strange child in a workers' village cost her heroine not only condemnation from the outside, but also great moral anguish. So that nothing would happen to him, she had to tie the baby to the table. A difficult relationship with a former lover and a passionate romance with the new foreman also did not come easily to her. The young actress was able to convey all the pain from parting with a baby that she could not survive.
Agnorca Strehel - Elsa
For the role of Elsa, the director decided to look for an actress from Germany, however, she had to be very young. The teacher did not find a suitable candidate, so he had to raise the bar slightly. Once he was sorting through catalogs and saw Anjork - the girl was ideally suited for this role. The aspiring actress not only calmly endured all the hardships of shooting in harsh conditions, but also showed a real talented game.
Elsa in her performance turned out to be a lively and emotional heroine. And endurance and hard work give her the right to take one of the best places in the list of actors and roles of the film "Edge". In 2010, she became famous in Russia. Perhaps the Russian audience will still see a charming German in other films of domestic directors.