Sunset with an invisible hand
Bless me.
And a memorable willow
It rustles me quietly:
There is no higher share in the world
Dream, love and sing
And at home, freedom, freedom
Fighting to die.
(Young charming lady. Music by T. Khrennikov, lyrics by A. Gladkov)
War films have always been filmed. As well as films with historical themes. They filmed it in the USSR, as, incidentally, they are filming it now. Moreover, even then there were stupid ministers who understood everything in the world, there was censorship and "telephone law", there were leaders who pointed out to the directors what was good in the film and what was bad. However, despite all this, for some reason it was here that such masterpieces of world military history cinema as Alexander Nevsky, Peter the First, Battleship Potemkin, and The Cranes Are Flying were filmed here. But this list also includes such a wonderful, military, patriotic, sparkling, perky movie like … "The Hussar Ballad"!
"… And in your own freedom, freedom / Fighting, die." Both music and words … Done right!
Shurochka Azarova, Lieutenant Rzhevsky, Kutuzov … For lovers of Soviet cinema, these were not just characters of this film, shot in the comedy genre, behind them were real images of the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812. The brilliant acting of the actors, the highly professional work of the director, the excellent script - all together resulted in an interesting, light, but memorable film. Although the fate of this picture was not at all simple, and how many obstacles E. Ryazanov, the director, probably knew, was the only one who had to overcome obstacles. But first things first…
On the left there is a Guards Cossack, on the right Shurochka in a sheepskin coat. And - yes, that is exactly what happened in the winter of 1812.
In the beginning there was a play. Its author, Alexander Gladkov, was prompted to sit down at the pen by childhood memories. Then, in distant childhood, my mother for two winters read aloud to little Sasha and his brother two very serious books - "Children of Captain Grant" and "War and Peace". The children's imagination painted the plot pictures so vividly that at times it seemed to Sasha that he himself was participating in the events of 1812, hears the sounds of gunfire, sees galloping horsemen and smells gunpowder smoke. Therefore, when in the fall of 1940 he had the idea to write a play about the war of 1812, in a strange way, in Gladkov's imagination, old impressions of Captain Grant's Children and War and Peace were combined into one whole. And it became clear that a play was to be born, and certainly a funny one.
Edging, sewing, buttons - everything is 100% reliable!
The Theater of the Revolution, the first to take the play, began staging only in 1943 in the city of Tashkent. Theatrical artist P. V. Even before the evacuation, Williams managed to make magnificent sketches of scenery for the play, but in a terrible evacuation haste all the materials for the play were irretrievably lost, and in Tashkent they had to turn to another artist with a request to help with the decoration of the scenery. As Gladkov recalled, he remembered to the smallest detail all the principles of making models, but during the evacuation, all copies of the play that were at that time in this theater were lost.
Partisans. What types and samples of uniforms: a Cossack with a beard on the left, a lancer on the right, a life-guard hussar officer in the center …
Meanwhile, back in 1941, in besieged Leningrad, on the day of the celebration of the anniversary of the October Revolution, this performance was shown in an unheated theater. Moreover, the author of the play himself learned about this a few days later, having read an article in the newspaper Pravda.
But this is the Alexandria Hussar Regiment - the whole uniform is black with white embroidery. But in a forage cap, the shako is evidently lost.
Well, who became the film director of this work, Eldar Ryazanov, first saw this production in 1944 at the Theater of the Soviet Army. And 17 years later, the young director wanted to film it. Moreover, the date was approaching - 1962, and the dates in the USSR were taken very seriously!
Lieutenant Rzhevsky on the left "in blue", that is, he was, judging by his uniform, a hussar of the Mariupol hussar regiment: yellow embroidery, yellow collar. Behind him is the hussar of the Life Guards of the Hussar Regiment, as can be seen from his red mentic, blue chakchirs and an eagle on a shako. All the other hussar regiments had a rosette on their shako.
And in the spring of 1961 Ryazanov rereads the play "Once upon a time". Cheerful, mischievous, she just asked for the film. The reason was quite suitable: in September 1962, the whole country was supposed to celebrate 150 years from the day of the Battle of Borodino. But this occasion became at the same time a serious obstacle: a big anniversary of a great historical event and suddenly - a comedy ?!
Cavalier Pelymov. How did he join the partisans?
For Ryazanov, The Hussar Ballad was the first film based on historical material, and this was the first screen version of the play. At that time, the play "Long ago" was known to theater-goers and spectators, and Ryazanov faced a very serious task: to make a picture no worse than the original. According to the director's plan, this was supposed to be a genre that would combine both a heroic comedy and a charming vaudeville with the transformation of a girl into a cornet, and a love story so that it would not be in the last place.
Tatiana Shmyga as Germont Louise: "Call me, my dear chosen one, let's forget what happened, my dear chosen one!" This is how she fooled Pelymov, and in fact achieved her goal in the end!
Both according to the script and in the play itself, the role of the people's commander Mikhail Illarionovich Kutuzov is not the main one, but significant and important. Comedians were selected for all the roles, and Ryazanov had no doubt that Field Marshal Kutuzov should also be played by a comedian. But at the same time, Kutuzov will not be ridiculous, but will be kind and wise. And Ryazanov invited his old friend Igor Ilyinsky to play Kutuzov, but he flatly refused. There are several reasons: too small, almost a cameo role, not serious for an actor of this magnitude. And also, in age, Ilyinsky was younger than the field marshal in 1812. Therefore, playing the old man, it might not come out very naturally. Ryazanov tried as best he could. He tried to persuade and lied that the whole studio only dreamed that he would play this role. Finally persuaded.
"Davyd Vasiliev - the commander of the partisans." Obviously, this refers to the legendary hussar partisan Denis Davydov. And if this is so, then, yes, everything is correct: he is wearing the uniform of the Akhtyrka hussar regiment, in which he served: a brown man, blue chakchirs.
The snow in some episodes of the movie had the scent of … naphthalene. Yes, yes, in the cinema, and not that happens. Especially when the winter season is filmed almost in the summer. And according to the script, the action takes place in a bitter frost! The problem, and the director called it "hunting for snow", was solved as follows: the courtyard of the estate, built from a dilapidated church, was sprinkled by the entire film crew with the remnants of spring snow. On top it was sprinkled with sawdust, then a layer of chalk and … mothballs. The roof of the house where Shurochka Azarova lived was simply painted white. The railing was overlaid with cotton wool, also sprinkled with mothballs. The labors were not in vain: the illusion of a frosty, snowy winter was complete. It was more difficult with horses, equipment and pyrotechnics. The actors fought with fake wooden sabers and, in the excitement of battle, turned the "weapon" into a large pile of wood.
“Want to give you a pillow? - Oh, what are you, what are you? I am not worthy of such mercy! “I embroidered it with my own hand, although the drawing is no longer new” - this is how the ladies flirted with the gentlemen back then
But everything was redeemed by the main thing - a perfectly held duet between Shurochka and Lieutenant Rzhevsky. There were plenty of candidates for these roles, and they were already "movie stars". Auditioned for the role of the lieutenant and Lazarev, and adored by Ryazanov Tikhonov, and Jurassic. And yet, Yuri Yakovlev prevailed. And all would be fine, but when it was necessary to shoot scenes where he rides a horse … they put him in the saddle for seven people at a time. The horse took off from the quarry, and Yakovlev was just lucky that she did not throw him to the ground.
There were also several applicants for the role of Shurochka, one more worthy than the other: Alisa Freundlikh, Svetlana Nemolyaeva, Lyudmila Gurchenko. But they all lacked something. And the suitable actress turned out to be a young student, young Larisa Golubkina. The role of Shurochka Azarova became her debut. So why did Larisa Golubkina fit the role of Shurochka the Cornet? Thin waist, boyish-girlish to become, sonorous voice, and most importantly … there is nothing yet - "neither here, nor there."
"The uniform of the Navarre riflemen …" And also suits Golubkina very much. Can you imagine Alice Friendlich of that time in it? One laugh, and nothing more!
Larisa later admitted that she was terribly afraid of mice, and also jump from a height. But, plucking up the courage, she nevertheless jumped from the second floor, and, unfortunately, after several takes, she injured her leg. The trauma made itself felt for a very long time. However, it was worth it! The picture was so successful that many perceived it as a true story of the cavalry girl Nadezhda Durova. Although there was very little in common between these two women, except perhaps participation in the Patriotic War of 1812, and a personal acquaintance with Kutuzov. The uniforms were different. Nadezhda Durova served in the lancers. The hussar uniform was beyond her means!
When the film was filmed and a copy was sent to the Ministry of Culture, Ekaterina Alekseevna Furtseva, the Minister of Culture of the USSR, visited the studio. Ryazanov recalls: "I went to hustle in the director's dressing room, hoping to see the minister, to find out if she had seen the picture and what her opinion was." Furtseva, he did catch the eye. Ekaterina Alekseevna was extremely unhappy and spoke out quite sharply about Ilyinsky in the role of Kutuzov. The minister was categorically against the comedian actor who played Ogurtsov in "Carnival Night", and now got the role of a great commander. Furtseva was indignant. Despite the fact that Ilyinsky's talent was highly valued by the minister, nevertheless, she considered it tactless that he had to play the role of the great Kutuzov. And the viewer, in her opinion, will certainly meet his appearance with laughter.
Here he is - Igor Ilyinsky in the role of Kutuzov. And what's wrong?
But then it happened that in the editorial office of the Izvestia newspaper, shortly before the anniversary date, a viewing of a new picture took place. There was nothing strange about that. In the editorial office of each major newspaper, one day a week was set aside for watching a new film, or a creative meeting with people of art was held. The chief editor of the newspaper at that time was A. I. Adjubey, son-in-law of Nikita Khrushchev.
During the session, the entire editorial staff laughed incessantly, and after the screening they warmly applauded the filmmakers. As they say, the premiere was a success.
A couple of days later, a small note by Natella Lordkipanidze appeared in the weekly Nedelya, an appendix to Izvestia. She gave the film a rather high assessment, but special words were intended for Igor Ilyinsky's play. The author of the note was not stingy with compliments in his honor. The Ministry of Culture reacted immediately to the note of Ajubeev's "Week". Another day passed, and on the facade of the cinema "Russia" - at that time the best in the capital - they put up colorful posters inviting people to the premiere of "The Hussar Ballad". And on September 7, exactly on the day of the anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, the official premiere screening took place. Photo reporters were invited to the opening, speeches were made here and bouquets of flowers were presented. On the stage there were actors, performers of the main roles in the film. Among them was Igor Vladimirovich Ilyinsky, smiling broadly "offender" of Kutuzov.
"And a girl would be more beautiful!"
The picture was a resounding success. The leader of the box office in 1962, which took the second place at the box office in terms of the number of viewers who watched the film - almost 49 million viewers. "Hussar Ballad" received a diploma from the jury of the International Comedy Film Festival in Vienna in 1963.
There are not many Frenchmen in the movie, but their uniforms are shown well. On the left is a general in a uniform with silver embroidery, on the right is an Uhlan lieutenant!
Well, and this film is downright a textbook on military history of 1812, so to speak, its visual embodiment. Although … there are spots on the "Sun". "Your uniform is, of course, Pavlograd?" - asks Shurochka Lieutenant Rzhevsky, meaning that she is wearing the uniform of the Pavlograd hussar regiment? And he gets the answer: "Oh no, that is, yes!" And the answer is wrong! She is wearing a beautifully tailored uniform of the Sumy Hussar Regiment - red chakchirs, a gray mentik and a dolman with gray edging. And why not ask, and she also not answer: “Your uniform, of course, is a Sumy one? Oh no, that is, yes! " But, alas, Soviet cinema then did not differ in its meticulousness in historical "trifles". Of course, the guns in the film do not roll back when fired, although what is easier? I tied the cable to the gun carriage, sprinkled it with dust and on command - p-times! - the soldiers behind the screen are pulling with a jerk! But in the sky shrapnel breaks very naturally - the filmmakers in this proved to be great!
Here she is, the "duelist" Shurochka with a primer pistol. However, she was given the wrong pistol for a reason. There was a reason. The "right pistol" was too bulky and heavy, not at all for a girl's hand!
But what pistol she should have fired from! It is true, the French pistol An 9 (French cavalry flintlock pistol model An IX) 350 mm long and 17.1 mm caliber, but ours were about the same! Weight 1, 3 kg! Look how it looks in the hand of a 178 cm tall man. This monster would be too big for Shurochka's hand.
Barrel caliber. Not small, right? More than the DShK and PTRD.
Well, these are bullets for this pistol. If it hits you, it won't seem a little!
Well, now let's look at its lateral projection.
But such a pistol should have been given to Shurochka when she ended up with the French. After all, they did not have Russian pistols …
The film clearly shows the pistols from which Shurochka and Rzhevsky are going to shoot. But they are… capsule, and in 1812 they were flint! But that's probably all! And so, of course, the movie is wonderful: patriotism without pressure, heroism without excessive pretentiousness, people are shown by people, not poster mannequins, and they play beautifully. In a word, this is how we would shoot today's cinema!
And this is the "people" in the role of the charming Nikolai Kryuchkov. Well, what about without him? And it is important that at the end of the film it is he who sings the following verse: “And if the enemy is in blind hope / Russia will come to conquer us again / They will chase him, as before … / Long, long time ago … Long, long time ago …
P. S. French flintlock pistol courtesy of the Penza Museum of the Russian Army.
Rice. A. Shepsa
