“Gogol. The Beginning ”is a rare (presumably the only one in the domestic horror genre) example of a Russian film created with revealing genre honesty and respect for the audience. Actors of the film “Gogol. The Beginning ”in an interview with the media characterizes the project as a juicy trash, cleverly tailored from Gogol's images and myths surrounding the personality of the writer. He has nothing to do with the author's style and worldview.
Synopsis
At the end of August, the long-awaited premiere of an intriguing project by director Yegor Baranov took place. Actors and roles of the film “Gogol. Beginning ”was selected for each other by types under vigilant control of the director. In fantasy, where the young writer will have to face the characters of his works, the lead role of the 23-year-old, fainting writer was played by Alexander Petrov, and Oleg Menshikov embodied the image of the brilliant St. Petersburg investigator. Both characters are sent to the Poltava region to uncover a series of mysterious murders of young girls. Local residents tend to blame the mysterious monster, or even the devil, for their violent deaths.
There are two rental versions of the film - one more restrained (16+), and another directorial, containing very candid scenes (18+). Selected actors of the film “Gogol. The Beginning ”was first shot in erotic scenes, which did not stop them from demonstrating the full range of skill. The master of his work Sergey Trofimov, who proved his professional solvency in the Mongol and Night Watch tapes, is responsible for the camera work.
New Gogol
Many viewers, watching the trailer for the upcoming premiere, were interested in the name of the actor from the film “Gogol. Start". The fact is that the piercing and neat image created by the performer Alexander Trofimov in the television series Dead Souls did not fit in with the one they saw in the commercial of Baranov’s creation. Indeed, Gogol’s interpretation of actor Alexander Petrov is difficult to compare with the writer we are familiar with. The writer appears in a new light - he is a tangle of numerous phobias, which are reflected in the biographies and texts of a real historical person. Hence the panic fear of snails in the picture, the manic addiction to burning their manuscripts, the fear of being buried alive and incomprehensible indifference to women, which, as soon as could not be explained by biographical historians. The creators of the film decided to fix the last: the key character was presented with an erotic dream involving two talented and sexy actresses.
Actor about the hero
Alexander Petrov - the actor who played Gogol in the film “Gogol. Beginning ”, has experience working with the director. They have already fruitfully collaborated during the production of the television films Sparta and Fartsa. According to the performer, he initially gave himself the installation not to delve into the actual world and not re-read the works of the writer. For the actor, immersion in the emotional world of his character became a priority, understanding what he was like, what ailments he overpowered, haunted, then found reflection on the pages of essays. By the way, the performer admitted that he did not know a single successful interpretation of the biography of the greatest writer. He focused on the fact that almost all the writer's works were born as a result of his vices, phobias, but now they are masterpieces of classical literature.
Collective image
Gogol, who is tormented by his phobias, now and then faints, and one day he comes to his senses next to the caring Elizabeth Danishevskaya (actress Taisiya Vilkova). This female character is difficult to classify as a Gogolian universe. Lisa, at first glance, is either a Turgenev or a Pushkin young lady, although the subsequent plot narrative hints that her true roots were laid by British Gothic novels and short stories by Daphne du Maurier. Actors of the film “Gogol. The Beginning, ”Vilkova, among other things, argues that Lisa is an invented, collective image, for a reason she is so airy. Indeed, Gogol has all female characters either mystical or extremely comic, and there are practically no such ideal young ladies.
This is not the first time that Taisiya Vilkova has been working with a team filming Gogol. During her first year at the Moscow Art Theater School, she met with Alexander Tsekalo, who had come to the course to look at the students. An experienced producer immediately noticed a young talent, so the novice performer got on the set of the Fartsa spin-off.
TV star
The critics called the casting of the series the obvious success of the project. It is difficult to argue with this statement. Actors and roles of the film “Gogol. The Beginning is harmonious, therefore the viewer will surely be remembered. Each scene is saturated with tension arising between Alexander Petrov, who overwhelming his crazy energy industry, and accurate, coldly prudent in his reactions. For Oleg Evgenievich, participation in such a project is unexpected, but his colleagues vying with each other praise him for his excellent intuition. The contractor agreed to participate in the series, and as a result starred in four full-length films, which will soon be released on a wide rental. The director noted that the role of investigator Jacob Guro was originally perfectly suitable for Menshikov, so the casting was not carried out.
The star of the first magnitude was invited to the project by Alexander Tsekalo, who acted as a producer, and the actor had not heard about the director before the start of production. Menshikov really liked the intricate and frankly hooligan plot of the picture. Guro from the actor inherited a characteristic manner of speech - crispy and sharp. The remaining actors of the film “Gogol. The Beginning ”listened carefully to the prompts and instructions of Oleg Evgenievich during the filming process.
Great actors + competent support
“Gogol. The Beginning ”is a film whose cast can be envied by any full-length project of our time. In addition to the aforementioned Menshikov, Petrov and Vilkova, Yevgeny Syty, as the servant of Yakim, the unusually charming Yan Tsapnik, who embodied the image of the alcoholic doctor Bomgart, the charismatic Evgeny Stychkin, played the role of a caricatured local guardian of the rule of law Binh, and Julia Franz the image of a movie witch.
The series also contains action scenes, so stuntmen were involved in the production of the picture. The doubles of Evgeny Stychkin, Menshikov and the mysterious monster staged combat choreography on their own, sometimes in between doubles.
But beautiful casting is nothing without competent support, and in the series it is present in all directions - from the famously and well-written script and the gloomy, atmospheric visuals, to exemplary direction and powerful soundtrack.