Two-series domestic film comedy "Goldenthe calf "(actors: S. Yursky, Z. Gerdt, L. Kuravlev, S. Starikova, E. Evstigneev) came out on screens at the beginning of the first winter month of 1968, although the idea of making a film that became a classic came to the author in 1962 year Almost a five-year plan went away from production director Mikhail Schweitzer to obtain permission to create a film version of the novel by Ilf and Petrov. This time, the director had enough to develop the concept of a future masterpiece and write a draft script. And now, after 6 years on the blue screens of the USSR, the Golden Calf began its solemn procession (film, 1968). Actors immediately after the premiere woke up in the rank of folk favorites.
Great combinator
Во время актерского кастинга киноленты на главную the role was claimed by both stage masters and beginners, little-known actors. The Golden Calf (1968) drew the attention of Vladimir Vysotsky, Nikolai Gubenko, Alexander Porokhovshchikov, Vladimir Basov, Zinovy Vysokovsky - they all wanted to embody the image of the "great combinator" on the screen. In addition, the director personally invited Archil Gomiashvili to the samples and the charming, but the artist was not able to arrive in Moscow at that time. Although he still played the role of Ostap Bender, but later - in the project of Leonid Gaidai “12 chairs”.
The son of a Turkish citizen
As a result, the director for the main male rolepictures “The Golden Calf” (actors, colleagues in the workshop approved the choice of director) invited Sergey Yursky, with whom he had worked before during the filming of the tape “Time, Forward!”. The choice of Mikhail Schweitzer was ideal, according to most film critics and audiences, Jurassic is the best cinematic embodiment of Ostap Bender. It turned out that he became the first Turkish kin in the film Schweitzer, although for the first time on the Soviet blue screens the image of the “great combinator” was embodied by the equally talented artist of his time Yevgeny Vesnik. It was 10 years before the release of the film by Schweitzer in the play “The Golden Calf”. The actors involved in the tele-staging did not become known, although they were no less talented.
Creative torment
After the filming process has been completedpictures of the "Golden Calf", the actors experienced significant disappointment. The fact is that the censorship of Goskino repeatedly returned the film for revision. The authors were at a loss, trying to preserve the general atmosphere of the tape, while removing significant episodes from the timing. So, for example, the episode was completely removed under the conditional name "Voronya Slobodka" with the character Vasisualiy Lokhankin performed by Anatoly Papanov. According to the ubiquitous censors, he was too addictive. The film with this episode did not sink into oblivion, it was carefully preserved by Nadezhda Yurievna Karataeva, Papanova's widow. For the first time it was broadcast on television in 1992 at an evening in memory of the great artist. Also, the final episode was completely rescheduled and the dubbing of the speaker’s speech in the gas shelter was replaced. The actors of the film “Golden Calf” strongly supported the director, not letting him go out to inspiration.
Actors' Ensemble
Rolan Bykov andGeorge Vitsin, but the character went to Zinoviy Gerdt. The actor, working through the image, tried in every way to humanize him. The literary hero of Ilf and Petrov is ugly and ridiculous, Gerdt wanted to show it to others - touching and funny. He considered Panikovsky completely unadapted to life and terribly lonely, vulnerable, not bringing any serious harm to anyone. The actor presented his hero to the audience as a mediocre crazy, absurd old man.
Leonid Kuravlev, acting in "The Golden Calf", in parallel, played the role of Homa Brut in "Viy", which was filmed in the next pavilion, therefore he was often late for filming both one and the other film.
Among other candidates for the role of Shura Balaganov was Vyacheslav Innocent himself, and Yevgeny Leonov claimed the role of A. I. Koreiko.
Author's concept
"The Golden Calf" (film, 1968) actors,those who took part in the shooting were remembered for the non-traditional director's concept. According to Mikhail Abramovich himself, he absolutely did not want to stigmatize and display his main character in the bad light. On the contrary, the author showed Ostap intelligent, charming, energetic and charismatic, causing sympathy of the audience. It was such a hero who fascinated the beholder, inviting him to go along with him all the way and make sure that at the end there was a dead end. Only in this way the viewer understood that the hero's life was wasted - and this is the main tragedy. Such an author's find was not appreciated by the censors of the artistic council, demanding to retake the film, in order to richer the moral collapse of Bender and his defeat in a collision with Soviet society. The director was indignant, but he had to partially obey, some scenes were indeed re-shot, but deliberately bad, deliberately false.
