“True Friends” - the film, 1954 (the actors in it were very talented), became the tenth work of Mikhail Kalatozov and his debut in the field of comedy. The choice of this particular genre surprised everyone who knew the director as a concentrated, very serious and unsmiling person. Yes, sparks of humor slipped through in his previous works. But thats the sparks. A completely different thing is a full-length comedy picture ...
Story line
Once upon a time, many years ago, on the Moscow outskirts, three little friends lived: Borka, nicknamed “Chizh” or “Chizhik,” Sasha nicknamed “Cat's Barin” and Vaska, “Turkey.” In childhood, they sailed along the Yauze river in an old boat and dreamed that someday they would travel along the big river. Even then they vowed to each other that someday this dream would certainly come true.
Three decades have passed. The boys are growing up. Sashka becomes a professor-breeder Lapin, Borka - the famous Moscow surgeon Chizhov, and Vaska - academician of architecture Nestratov. And then one day, recalling the once promised promise of a journey, Lapin gathers his friends, and the three of them begin to fulfill their childhood dreams, setting sail on the river on a log raft.
In this unusual journey, already adult independent comrades will have to undergo many interesting adventures. For Nestratov, this will be a journey during which his conscience will “turn on”: the academician will go through all the vicissitudes and, unexpectedly for himself, will change his attitude to life in general. Lapina will expect unlimited happiness, because during this trip he will meet a woman who has long been waiting for him and loves. And Chizhov will have to show his talent as a surgeon when in one hospital he saves a girl with a royal name - Katya, having made her a complicated cranial surgery.
How was the folk comedy starred?
The story of the film "True Friends" is as follows. Maybe the director’s firm decision to shoot the comedy was greatly influenced by a very sad story with his previous film, “Hostile Whirlwinds”. That is why to the question of the leaders of the Ministry of Culture in Kalatozov “What will you put now?”, He shared his thoughts and quietly added: “And also ... I really want to put on a good comedy.”
This proposal of the eminent director was accepted instantly. True, Mikhail Kalatozov warned that he had in mind the script of Alexander Galich and Konstantin Isaev “On the Raft”, which was presented at Mosfilm two years ago, in the spring of 1952. Then he was sent for processing. The authors, after a categorical ban on filming, did not even dare to defend their literary child. Therefore, the script lay on the shelf in anticipation of better times, which, in fact, have come.
“True Friends” (film, 1954), the actors of which were already known to the audience then, was shot according to the old script, as amended. Moreover, during operation, changes continued to occur. But the picture only benefited from this.
Nekhoda and a policeman
Take at least such an interesting character as the impenetrable bureaucrat Nekhoda, the head of construction (actor Alexei Gribov). In the original version of the script it was not. But now it’s just impossible to imagine the adventures of three friends without meeting him. Vasily Merkuryev, who played the academician of architecture Nestratov, at first had to play an astronomer. In the process, everything has changed. It should be noted that this role was initially offered to the actor Nikolai Cherkasov, but he, having read the script, refused.
Actors of the film "True Friends" (1954) perfectly played another episode. In the original version, it was assumed that the scene of the interrogation by the police officer Nestratov would last only one minute of screen time. But then everything changed, turning into a rather large comic scene. Spectators involuntarily recalled that they met with such a character in real life.
Wife as a doctor
What else will be interesting to learn for admirers of Soviet cinema and famous artists of the mid-twentieth century? On the set of the film “True Friends” (1954), actors, director were one team. And without this, a good movie is impossible. Therefore, the director did not object to the proposal of Boris Chirkov, who offered his wife, actress Lyudmila Genika, to play the role of a doctor in the village hospital of Mashenka. It was for her that the scenario was changed, where already after its approval an additional scene of the operation was introduced. By the way, this acting couple was one of the strongest and most beautiful in cinema, perhaps, only of the twentieth century. Luda was the daughter of a friend of Chirkov, they have a significant age difference. But this did not prevent their family life from becoming very happy.
Yes, in “True Friends” (film, 1954), the actors were selected very carefully, and the tape became simply epoch-making.
Frozen, but played
Very bright and interesting script material and the magnificent play of Vasily Merkuryev put his character in the central part of the picture. But no less interesting are the modest, kind Lapin and the cheerful, ironic Chizhov. These are the actors of the film “Faithful Friends” (1954), who played the main characters and made up a wonderful trio, brought sincere joy to all viewers.
A significant part of the picture was shot in the Kaluga region, and almost all the work was done outdoors - on the Oka River (this is not far from the city of Tarusa). In the morning, the artists came ashore and boarded the raft in order to sail to the shooting. Locals escorted them with admiring glances. Later, due to weather conditions, filming continued on the Don River, in Rostov. “Faithful friends” is a 1954 film (its actors have become truly popular favorites), which was shot even in October, when it was already very cold. The artists were very cold in the wind. But, not wanting to disrupt the shooting schedule, they pretended to be warm.
So, in difficult conditions, one of the most beloved comedies of the twentieth century was filmed. The selfless work of the actors and the director was not in vain!
Briefly about the film
This comedic picture was one of the first signs of cinema, which marked the approach of the so-called thaw. After the shooting, Boris Chirkov said that this time neither the actors nor the director tried to embellish reality with some ridiculous sketches. True, the film has undergone a large number of corrections to cater to various censorship requirements. Because of this, he became a little less ridiculous and a little less “pepper” remained in him. Despite all this, “Faithful Friends” is a 1954 film (the actors and roles are well known to everyone), which since the premiere has won unceasing love of viewers and has become one of the rental leaders of the year of its release.
It should be noted that not everything went exactly according to the scenario: some scenes of character conversations, cues and arguments of three comrades were spontaneous improvisation of talented actors. And they did all this very easily, striking others with the naturalness of everything that happens on the set.
To make the actors communicate in the frame easier, their characters were given the names and patronymics of the performers of the roles. So, Chizhov became Boris Petrovich, Nestratov - Vasily Vasilyevich, and Lapin - Alexander Fedorovich.
The real decoration of the picture were songs performed by them. It was the highest technique of acting singing, allowing to decompose all the songs into a beautiful Russian three-voice. And the recognizable tones of Merkuryev, Chirkov and Borisov were perfectly combined with each other.