The cartoon about three friends from Prostokvashino, created in 1978, continues to be loved by both kids and adults (many of which are also much younger than this work). All the ups and downs of the plot, the characters of the heroes, and even the name of the postman Pechkin, will surely be remembered by numerous fans of this wonderful trilogy.
It seems that the secret of her longevity is in the beautiful plot, colorful characters, in their wonderful realism. The authors did not try to create the perfect picture: for all its fantasticness, this is a cartoon about people and about life - the way it is.
Ambiguous character
In the work, all characters are interesting without exception, even (and maybe especially) as ambiguous as the postman Pechkin. The cartoon would not be so magnificent if the creators abandoned this hero, whose image is as complex and far from perfect as the character of any living person.
The âprostokvashinsky fraternityâ itself characterizes an employee of the postal department as a âharmfulâ person: indeed, there seems to be no special breadth of soul in him. Pechkin is too curious, not too cordial, at times self-serving, behaves unceremoniously, seeks profit and does not seek to correct or hide these traits of his character, since he is practically devoid of reflection and not inclined to self-criticism.
Trace of Pechkin in science
I must say that the indigenous inhabitant of the painted Prostokvashino, the postman Pechkin, for all his insignificance, was worth mentioning in the scientific work of Professor A. N. Khrenov (âArt and National Identityâ). The author gives the character a very unflattering characterization - they say, the character is called upon to reflect the shortcomings of the psychology of the Soviet citizen who invades privacy and strictly observes stupid formalities, neglecting common sense - for example, he does not give the parcel, although he knows the addressee perfectly.
Even in Soviet times, A. Khrenov believes that there is a very strong tendency to search endlessly for violations of various rules, a desire for control where it is inappropriate. The initial âinterrogationâ of the main characters performed by this character really sounds funny, but Pechkin is a postman. The photo of Uncle Fedor posted in the newspaper, the meticulous resident of Prostokvashino also does not consider sufficient for identification. For the final verdict, he is with a folding meter - "measure your boy."
In this regard, the Doctor of Philosophy accuses the character of resembling an undertaker or jailer, finding his image sinister. And then he explains Pechkinâs habit of poking his nose in other people's affairs with an âanachronistic consciousnessâ, which is in the âera of the heyday of Soviet repressive morals.â
Monument to Pechkin
Such a harsh summary seems to be not only excessively harsh (not such a postman villain), but also grotesque: nevertheless, âThree from Prostokvashinoâ, as well as its continuation, is just a cartoon, not a scientific treatise on the figure of a village postman and the degree in which he reflects the harsh reality of the Evil Empire.
Citizens who are far from high scientific work, especially those who are ready to accept people as they are, this character (with all its obvious shortcomings) has come to heart. In 2008, in a small town in the Moscow Region (Lukhovitsy), they even unveiled a monument, the central figure of which was precisely Pechkin, the postman. See below for a photo of a fun local landmark set in front of the city post. The monument depicts the notorious communications worker sitting on a bicycle. Sharik perched at the rear wheel, Matroskin leaned against the front wheel, and Galchonok sits on Pechkinâs shoulder, though for some reason it looks more like a bird from the cartoon The Birds.
The complex personality of Pechkin
One can argue whether the postman deserves Pechkin as a person of the monument or not. Each of his actions can be interpreted in two ways.
On the one hand, the letter of the postman Pechkin, which helps to find the "prodigal son," speaks in his favor. Children may not agree, but adults understand that the romantic trip of a little boy to the village, made in the company of a cat and a dog, can in no way please his "ancestors" who are crazy about anxiety.
But the scriptwriter didnât fill the hero of the nobility with the full measure: one gets the impression that the postman Pechkin did not show consciousness, but simply took advantage of the moment to acquire a coveted bicycle.
This vehicle should, in the opinion of the character himself, improve his character (the only case in which he shows some self-criticism): âWhy was I harmful? Because I didnât have a bike! And now Iâm going to start boarding right away, and Iâll start some little animal so that it would be more fun to live. â Itâs amazing what feats a famous animal lover is ready for thanks to a brand new bike. But he says the truth: "You come home - she rejoices to you ...".
Common phrases of the prostokvashinsky postman
I must say that the employee of the Prostokvashinsky post office has every phrase, then an aphorism. âLoveâ to his friends of Uncle Fedor knows no bounds, and he often repeats: âThey must be immediately taken to the clinic, for experiments!â
In general, Pechkinâs speech is generally very vital, practical, and even wise somewhere. His statement about children is especially touching: âIt doesnât happen that children themselves are. Children must be somebody. â All normal people on this planet would like that to be so - and in this we are all in solidarity with the worker of the sour-mail box.
The inhabitants of the civilized world, where pensioners can afford to live comfortably and even travel, would certainly agree with his other aphorism: âMaybe Iâm just starting to live - Iâm going to retire.â
Relations with other heroes
In general, the postman Pechkin is a colorful character; he does not miss a chance to mock heroes. At first, his relationship with the cat and the dog did not add up: he constantly engages in clashes with them and squeals on them to the parents of Uncle Fedor. When Matroskin and the postman Pechkin enter into a squabble over the parcel, and the cat pronounces his famous: "Mustache, paws and tail are my documents!" always print happens. Do you have a print on the tail? No? And you can fake a mustache! â
No matter how irritated or amused by Pechkin with his selfishness and tactlessness, in the common sense it is impossible to refuse him. As well as in a sense of humor. âThey would have gone with a suitcase!â - he twists his finger at the temple, having met a trinity on the night road with a chest and hearing that friends went for mushrooms.
Humor for the grudge of the day
In this, in addition to the usual causticism, the eternal mockery of the indigenous peasant over city dwellers is read, which are stupid, which they just wonât fall into: they will go into the forest with obscure containers or buy the wrong shoes for the winter. But âin our winter students donât even go in sneakers!â - he joins Matroskinâs rebukes against Sharik, flattered by the beauty of sports shoes. Of course, the phrase about students who really were the least affluent members of society was even funnier at the time of the creation of the cartoon. Now, when in principle it is impossible to live on a scholarship, its acuity has been smoothed out a bit - university students canât always get sneakers for themselves, and the care of over-aged children lies entirely on the shoulders of the parents.
Make friends with Pechkin
In the last and final part of the trilogy about friends âvillage everyday life, the postman Pechkin (the cartoonâ Winter in Prostokvashino â), accustomed to his unusualâ wards â, already acts as a family friend, entering the house and worried about the fate of the heroes. When Sharik and Matroskin began to share property, none other than our hero sends a âtalking letterâ to the city, considering it necessary for someone to intervene authoritatively to correct the situation - otherwise, âsoon they will start sawing the stove, and then the hut.â
The reconciliation of the two "sworn friends" occurs after the famous hassle, in which it turns out that "if you roll a barrel on it, then this is container shipping", as well as a statement that "Ivan Fedorovich Kruzenshtern is a man and a ship!"
Not always a mercenary postman
In this series of the cartoon about Prostokvashino, the postman Pechkin helps friends out for free and even remains to celebrate the New Year with Uncle Fedor, Sharik and Matroskin, simultaneously uttering another catch phrase: âThe main decoration of the New Year's table is TV. And he shows you a web. â
The television, as we recall, eventually worked (albeit without sound), and the restless Pechkin immediately gave a winged characterization to the accompanist of Uncle Fedor's mother: âHere he is, this type of civilian appearance.â Shortly after this episode, the cartoon ends. The restless communication worker pronounces one more, his last aphorism: âWhat a technique it has reached! Your mother is transferred here and there. â The villagerâs faith in the progress of science is truly inexhaustible.
Creation of a work
By decision of the director Popov, the creative team was divided. The images of some of the characters (dad, mom, postman Pechkin and Uncle Fedor) were worked by production designer L. Khachatryan. The animals (a dog, a cat, a cow with a calf and a dash) were taken over by N. Erykalov. It is interesting that the only character in relation to whom the authors could not come to a consensus is one of the main characters, Uncle Fedor. Because his appearance from series to series is changing (however, the corrosive audience found certain differences in the mother of the hero).
The reason for the stunning success of the cartoon, of course, is the wonderful script by Eduard Uspensky. Vivid images, laconic witty remarks - all this ensured the work a long life and love of the audience.
Of great importance is the excellent voiceover of roles. Oleg Tabakov, whose voice speaks Matroskin, is indeed associated with an imposing, wise cat experience, and Lev Durov did an excellent job with voicing Sharik.
The fate of the actor and his hero
The voice that the postman Pechkin speaks belongs to Boris Novikov. The fate of this actor was not very successful: there were no landmark works in his career, but small roles worked surprisingly well, so he even received the nickname "king of the episode". The character of Pechkin forever immortalized his name. This cartoon will be happy to watch for many more years.
It is interesting that the character of Novikov is the only hero of the cartoon who has complete personal data. What was the name of the postman Pechkin, everyone who carefully watched the cartoon will definitely remember. In the second part, Mom turns to him, returning from the resort: âHello, dear Igor Ivanovich!â To which the character, true to his habits, replies: âWait a minute, citizen, kiss!â So the full name of the postman Pechkin is not a secret at all, unlike the names of the parents of Uncle Fedor, who remained a mystery to the audience.