The adventure mini-series "Adjutant of His Excellency", whose actors and roles are known to many fans of Soviet cinema, was released in 1969. He was one of the first films in which the description of “whites” and “reds” primarily came down to a description of character, upbringing and origin, rather than the political views of the heroes ...
How was the picture created?
The film "Adjutant of His Excellency" (1969) was shot based on the novel by Soviet writer Igor Bulgaria. His work was based on the recollections of a real adjutant - Pavel Makarov, who during the Civil War was the personal assistant of General May-Mayevsky.
The novel was popular in the USSR. It was reprinted many times, and after the war, some directors made attempts to make a film.
However, only Evgeny Tashkov succeeded. "The Adjutant of His Excellency" is a 1969 film. Although it was completed a year earlier, but because of the many censorship of those times, it was not immediately put on the screen.
The thing is that in the picture the White Guards were shown from a very favorable side, which was unusual for that time. And when Goskino officials watched the finished version, they called it nothing more than a "White Guard anthem." The film went to the archive shelf.
But the director of "Adjutant of His Excellency" did not give up and achieved an audience with one of the chiefs of the KGB Tsvigun. He liked the picture, and a few days later the film received the right to life.
Plot
“Adjutant of His Excellency” (actors and roles are described later) refers to espionage paintings with exciting and intense stories. The action takes place in 1919 in Ukraine. The Chekist scout is sent to Denikin's army headquarters for subversive and reconnaissance activities. For this, he has a legend and a name - captain Koltsov.
Spy problems start from the beginning. The gang of the local chieftain Angel attacked the train in which he was riding. Koltsov and several other officers are captured, where the commanders of the Red Army are already.
Thanks Koltsov everyone manages to escape. The captain receives additional benefits from the escape - he is peremptorily believed in the white headquarters, and he becomes the personal assistant to the commander - General Kovalevsky.
Koltsov, risking his life, transfers a number of important information to the Cheka. They try to bring him to clean water, but the captain miraculously escapes from exposure.
When Koltsov finds out that a train with British tanks arrives in the city, and this will be a decisive factor in the main battle, he decides to destroy the squad ... albeit at the cost of his own life.
Of course, the picture has a love theme. Koltsov gets acquainted with the daughter of General Schukin - Tatyana and is fascinated by her from the first minute. The girl is also delighted with the captain's manners, character and principles. But this love was not destined to be by definition ...
In parallel with the main plot, the film shows the life and struggle for the idea of ​​ordinary people of different social levels.
Main characters
Captain Pavel Koltsov had a real prototype. He was Pavel Makarov, who was an approximate person to the military general May-Mayevsky (according to the plot of Kovalevsky).
But Makarov was far from his on-screen image in terms of education and level of intelligence. He finished only four classes of the school and left to serve. He came to General Makarov by denouncing officers dissatisfied with the authorities.
In the film, Koltsov is an example of a smart, calculating officer. He alone leads a very dangerous game with a whole staff of enemies.
The confrontation with General Kovalevsky gives even greater intrigue.
Each character of the film is interesting in that it has a character and a specific purpose. The actors and the roles of “Adjutant of His Excellency”, by the efforts of the director, sought as much as possible to really reflect the events of that time.
Actors
The role of captain Koltsov was originally planned for the actor Mikhail Nozhkin, who already had experience in spy films - "The Fate of the Resident", "Village Detective". But at the last moment, Mikhail decided to star in another picture. Then the director began to review the photos of the actors and realized that only Yuri Solomin should play the main role. Prior to this, the actor was approved for the role of Osipov.
But the movie management did not want to agree with Tashkov’s choice. It seemed to them that the hero should be wider in the shoulders and possess bright charisma. Only after 6 screen tests and Tashkov’s statement that he will remove Solomin on his own responsibility, Yuri was approved.
Vladislav Strzhelchik fit the role of Kovalevsky simply perfectly. A smart, ironic, impressive general was played perfectly by the actor.
Tatyana Schukin was performed not by a professional actress, but by a dancer Tanya Ivanitskaya. The director saw in her "genuine purity and modesty," which was supposed to be inherent in the general’s daughter.
Victor Pavlov was supposed to play the commander of the Red Sirotin. But after the replacement of the actor who performed Osadchy, Pavlov performed the scene with Oksana so that Tashkov immediately approved him for the role of Miron.
Anatoly Papanov had a small but expressive role of the ataman Angel. The great actor dealt with her perfectly.
Director and crew
Evgeny Tashkov had already managed to win his place among film professionals before filming the picture. Prior to directing, Tashkov participated in several films as an actor.
He became the main on the site in 1957. After 5 years, the funny picture "Come Tomorrow" was released on the screens about a country girl who dreamed of singing.
In 1967, Tashkov made the film "Major Whirlwind" - a military drama about Soviet intelligence. So the director already had experience in making pictures about spies.
Writer Igor Bulgaria and George Seversky became the scriptwriters for the paintings. Peter Terpsikhorov stood behind the camera lens. The composer Andrei Eshpay was assisted by the USSR Symphony Cinema Orchestra.
Truth and fiction
Some of the film’s details are based on real events, others are just invented. Here are the most important of them.
Ataman Angel, whom Papanov played brilliantly, was actually only 22 years old.
In the film, Koltsov is awaiting execution for his activities. The real adjutant Makarov lived to a very old age, although his whole family died.
The prototype of Kovalevsky - Ivan Zenonovich May-Mayevsky - was a dashing commander. But he was ruined by a craving for alcohol. Whereas in the film Kovalevsky (performed by Vladislav Strzhelchik) is indifferent to strong drinks.
Film rating
The actors and roles of "Adjutant of His Excellency" were appreciated not only by moviegoers, but also by certain structures.
In 1971, at the film festival in Belarus, the picture received an award and a Grand Prize. Tashkov, both screenwriters, Yuri Solomin and V. Strzhelchik received the title of laureates of the State Prize of the RSFSR.
The series will not leave anyone indifferent after watching. And the point here is not only the professional work of the actors and the team, but the sincerity of the images themselves, it doesn’t matter if it is white, rebels or red ...