In 1976, the film Truffaldino from Bergamo was released. The actors who took part in the filming of the film adaptation of the play by Carlo Goldoni “The Servant of Two Masters” are mainly artists of the Leningrad Theater of Musical Comedy. Except in those years, the novice artist Konstantin Raikin and the already famous Natalia Gundareva. Interesting facts about the film - the topic of the article.
Producer
The director of the film is Vladimir Vorobyov. This director is a student of the legendary theater teacher Georgy Tovstonogov. For Vorobyov, comedy became the first and most striking and interesting work in the cinema. Her success could not be repeated by any of the subsequent films of the Soviet director. Not only for Vorobyov, but also for the artist who played the main role, the film “Truffaldino from Bergamo” became the beginning of his career.
Actors
The role of a charming servant was the first in the filmography of Konstantin Raikin. Work on the film, which brought him all-Union fame, at first was not easy for a novice artist.
A tense atmosphere reigned on the set in the early days of the creation of the movie Truffaldino from Bergamo. The actors did not find a common language. The fact is that by that time the famous artist Natalya Gundareva perceived her partner exclusively as the son of a famous personality. She believed that the young actor paves his way to the cinema on the popularity of his father. Moreover, the eminent actress has repeatedly spoken out against his participation. For some time, Konstantin Raikin even doubted whether it was worth agreeing to the long-awaited role. But soon the opinion of Gundareva changed. After all, the talent of Konstantin Raikin could not go unnoticed.
The novice artist showed amazing industriousness and a rare dramatic talent, which combined a comic and tragic beginning. The performer of the role of Truffaldino amazed his colleagues with extraordinary plasticity, musicality. The artists of the musical comedy theater in which Vorobyov served played almost all the roles in the film Truffaldino from Bergamo. These actors (Valentina Kosobutskaya, Viktor Kostetsky, Leo Petropavlovsky, Elena Dryatskaya, Victor Krivonos, Igor Sorkin, Alexander Bereznyak, Evgeny Tilicheev and others) sang in comedy with their voices. But the parties of the heroes of Gundareva and Raikin were voiced by other artists. The part of Truffaldino was performed by Boyarsky. The heroine of Gundareva was sung by Elena Dryatskaya.
Scenery and music
The shooting, of course, was not in Venice. The interiors of the houses were built in the pavilion. Several episodes were nevertheless filmed in one of the picturesque cities of the Leningrad region.
Musical accompaniment for the film was composed by Alexander Kolker. This famous composer also at one time created music for several Soviet films. The texts were written by Kim Ryzhov.
Features
“Truffaldino from Bergamo” resembles a performance rather than a musical film. This painting contains vibrant scenery, colorful outfits, poetic texts. All these are components of theatrical art. When watching a movie, viewers have the feeling that they are not in front of the screen, but in the Melpomene temple.
Interesting Facts
The main character in the picture of Vorobyov is a kind of alternative to the classic Harlequin. Characteristic features of this image are comic with a touch of sadness, daydreaming. Truffaldino, despite endless jokes, performs sad songs in the film. One of them is “Song of the Servant”. But that doesn't make the film a drama at all. The picture was created in the traditions of the comedy genre, fun and unpretentious. And the main merit of the film’s success, perhaps, lies in Raikin’s game. The artist has a rare theatrical gift.
However, few people know that the role of Truffaldino could play another actor. Among the applicants were Alexander Demyanenko, Oleg Dal, Boris Smolkin. The latter played the comedy hero Goldoni for many years on the stage of the Musical Comedy Theater.
“Truffaldino from Bergamo” is not the first film adaptation of the work of the Italian comedian. In 1953, the production of this comedy was released. The roles were performed by dramatic actors. In this case, the copyright name has been retained.