Few now remember the actors of the early twentieth century. Only a few have survived to this day, for example, Vladimir Zeldin. But today it will not be about him, but about the man who became famous for his work in silent films and the first Soviet films. This is Uralsky Vladimir (August 28, 1887 - May 15, 1955) - an actor who played in more than one hundred films and was engaged in dubbing cartoons in the first half of the twentieth century. Most of his roles are episodic, but it cannot be said that he always remained in the shadows. Vladimir was a favorite of the public both in the theater and in the cinema.
Uralsky Vladimir: biography
As early as 8 years old, the future actor went to work in a bakery in his native Orenburg, where he worked hard for the whole 14 years until he found a real calling for himself. In 1909, he joined the theater, where, even without a special education, he became a real celebrity.
A real sensation among theater-goers was his appearance in the play "Bitter Fate," written by Pisemsky. There he played a major role - Anania Yakovleva.
Work on the drama was very difficult, but Uralsky Vladimir perfectly got used to the role of a quitrent man, deceived by his wife, hard-working and honest. In the second half of the play, he needed to depict the murder of a child, it was this moment that was difficult for the actor, but nevertheless Uralsky managed. The audience believed that they were a desperate person. The production was an extraordinary success.
It was at this time that the actor hides his real name Popov and takes the pseudonym - Uralsky. His descendants still have a document issued by the city office. Already at that time, the actors could take another surname, which contemporaries called street.
Carier start
After the “Bitter Fate," Vladimir is noticed by the capital's stage masters - Bogolyubov, Dobronravov and Leonidov. They help to get him to study at the Moscow Art Theater Studio and give a role in the production of "At the Bottom", where he was preparing to play Tick. The actor could not get a professional education, but he conquered all the directors with his talent.
However, Vladimir Uralsky was unable to carry out his plans. He was sent to Helsingfors, as he was considered an unreliable citizen. This was not uncommon in 1914. The actor managed to return to the capital after the revolution, but he began to permanently reside in Moscow only since 1923. Until this time, the actor worked in various theaters.
"Strike"
Uralsky actor Vladimir began his film career with silent cinema. He starred in the first film "The Strike" by Sergei Eisenstein. It was a full-length picture, which was planned as part of a multi-part campaign epic. Vladimir got the role of a worker.
The script of this film consisted of only 10 pages, among which were the prologue and epilogue, which were not included in the final picture. The peculiarity of this picture was that it did not have the main roles. All participants were equal among themselves. Critics still consider the film "Strike" a brilliant work.
"The battleship" Potemkin ""
Uralsky Vladimir continued to work with
Sergei Eisenstein, starring in his most famous film, The Battleship Potemkin. The tape was popular around the world and inscribed in the history of world cinema. Uralsky Vladimir Mikhailovich (whose photo you can see on this page) played the role of a sailor in the film. Critics praised his work. In one of the magazines in the publication, the words came across: "The acting is so convincing that you can even become a Bolshevik."
However, the audience most remembered the scene when the stroller rolled down the famous staircase in Odessa. This episode has been used more than once in comedies and other films. In the second half of the twentieth century, a second round of fame came to this picture thanks to the Italian director Paolo Vilaggio and his famous Fantozzi.
Albidium
Another significant picture for Uralsky was Albidium, released in 1928. There he played a major role and appeared before the audience in the guise of a scientist-botanist. This work differed from the previous ones in that Uralsky Vladimir did not agitate the audience for the Soviet power, but denounced the established system and bureaucracy.
At the box office, this film failed. The first three days he still gathered the audience, and then they stopped going to him. Authorities later banned the film because of a prototype Ural character. The film guessed that the breeder scientist was none other than Nikolai Vavilov, who was recognized as a state criminal. Viewers did not like the scene about the grain trade, since in the thirties there was a food crisis in the country, and in the picture wheat was sent abroad.
"Restless economy"
Vladimir Uralsky, whose films were mostly close to politics and the party, in 1946 starred in the unusual film "Restless Economy" directed by Mikhail Zharov. It was a military comedy about the ingenuity of Soviet soldiers.
There he again worked with famous actors - Filippov, Lyubimov and Pugovkin. The role of Vladimir was small, but memorable. He became an ordinary Gvozdarev, whom critics noted for reliability. During the war years, Uralsky starred a lot, but he especially remembered this role.
"First grader"
Another unusual work of Uralsky was the children's film “First Grader”, where he appeared in the usual role of an honest man. In one scene, he played a policeman. Despite the small role, many still remember the courageous and strict servant of the law. By today's standards, this film is quite short - only 68 minutes. This is a simple and understandable picture that explains to children that their duty is to learn.
The tape was shot based on the story of Eugene Schwartz, a popular author in the postwar years. Before the movie was released, part of the story of the same name was published in the magazine Murzilka, so the children were waiting for the picture to be released. In 1964, the painting was given a second life at the Gorky studio, where restorers restored footage on film. At the beginning of the XXI century in many schools this picture was shown to children. According to critics, despite their naivety, compared to modern cinema, the picture “First-grader” is a life film that every younger student needs to watch.
Recent work of the actor
One of the last works of Vladimir Mikhailovich was the role of a merchant in the second film adaptation of the play “The Examiner” in 1952. This work is valuable in that the director Vladimir Petrov conveyed the play absolutely literally. This is not the first classic film in which Uralsky was shot. Earlier, in 1936, he played a busted official in the film "Gobsec", which was also shot strictly on the classic work.
Uralsky Vladimir Mikhailovich died in 1955, but his work has remained to live in our days. A large number of films with his participation are now being digitized and again being released. It is interesting that the year after the death of the actor, his last film “Green Lights” was released, where he played Lutsenko. This work was fundamentally different from previous paintings, primarily in that it already had absolutely no politics, and the feelings and emotions of a person came to the fore.
During his acting life, Vladimir Mikhailovich starred in a variety of films. His first paintings were propaganda and political, and along with changes in the country, he began acting in comedies, classic films and melodramas. It is a romantic drama that can be called the Green Lights ribbon, in which a considerable part is given to describe the relationship in a classic love triangle. If we analyze all the works of Uralsky, then we can confidently say that during his career he entered himself in the history of not only domestic, but also world cinema. At the same time, he managed to combine the shooting with the scoring of cartoons (since 1936) and work in one of the Moscow theaters.