"Golden calf". Actors masterpiece Mikhail Schweitzer

The two-part national comedy "The Golden Calf" (actors: S. Jurassic, Z. Gerdt, L. Kuravlev, S. Starikova, E. Evstigneev) appeared on the screens at the beginning of the first winter month of 1968, although the idea of creating a classic movie came To the author in 1962. Almost five years went by the director Mikhail Schweitzer to get permission to create a film version of the novel by Ilf and Petrov. This time the director was enough to develop the concept of the future masterpiece and writing a draft version of the script. And now, after 6 years on the blue screens of the USSR, began its solemn procession "Golden Calf" (film, 1968). Actors immediately after the premiere woke up in the rank of people's favorites.

The Great Combinator

During the casting of the film, the main role was played by both the accomplished stage masters and the novice, little-known actors. The Golden Calf (1968) drew the attention of Vladimir Vysotsky, Nikolai Gubenko, Alexander Porohovshchikov, Vladimir Basov, Zinovy Vysokovsky - they all wanted to embody the image of the "great combinator" on the screen. In addition, the director personally invited to the samples and charming Archil Gomiashvili, but the artist at that time could not arrive in Moscow. Although he still played the role of Ostap Bender, but later - in the project of Leonid Gaidai "12 chairs."

The son of a Turkish subject

As a result, the director for the main male role of the picture "Golden Calf" (actors, colleagues in the shop approved the choice of the director) invited Sergei Jurassic, with whom he worked before while filming the tape "Time, Forward!". The choice of Mikhail Schweitzer was ideal, according to most critics and audiences, Jurassic is the best cinematic embodiment of Ostap Bender. It turned out that he was the first movie-lover of the Turkish subject 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 Evgeniy Vesnik. This was 10 years before the release of the film Schweitzer in the television show "The Golden Calf". The actors involved in the TV show did not become known, although they were no less talented.

Walking through creative torment

After the shooting process of the picture "Golden Calf" was completed, the actors experienced a significant disappointment. The fact that the censorship of the State Committee repeatedly returned the film "for revision". The authors were at a loss, trying to preserve the overall atmosphere of the tape, while removing significant episodes from the timekeeping. So, for example, the episode under the conditional name "Crow's Slobodka" with the character Vasisuali Lokhankin performed by Anatoly Papanov was completely deleted . In the opinion of the ubiquitous censors, he too dragged out the plot. The film with this episode did not sink into oblivion, it was carefully preserved by Nadezhda Yurievna Karataeva, the widow of Papanov. For the first time it was broadcast on television in 1992 at the evening of memory of the great artist. Also, the final episode was completely reshuffled and the scoring of the lecturer-speaker's speech in the gas shelter was replaced. The actors of the movie "The Golden Calf" supported the director in every possible way, without letting go of his inspiration.

Actors' Ensemble

The role of Panikovsky claimed Rolan Bykov and George Vitsin, but the character went to Zinovy Gerdt. The actor, working on the image, tried in every possible way to humanize him. The literary hero of Ilf and Petrov was nasty and ridiculous, Gerdt wanted to show it to others - touching and funny. He considered Panikovsky completely unfit for life and a terribly lonely person, vulnerable, not bringing anybody serious harm. The actor presented his hero to the spectator's court with a mediocre, crazy, nonsensical old man.

Leonid Kuravlyov, starring in the Golden Calf, played the role of Homa Bruta in the Wii, which was shot in a nearby pavilion, so he was often late for shooting both one and the other film.

Among other contenders for the role of Shura Balaganov was Vyacheslav Nevinny himself, and Evgeny Leonov claimed the role of AI Koreyko.

Author's concept

"The Golden Calf" (film, 1968) the actors who took part in the shootings, remembered because of the unconventional director's concept. According to the very Michael Abramovich, he absolutely did not want to brand and expose his main character in an unattractive light. On the contrary, the author showed Ostap smart, charming, energetic and charismatic, which arouses the sympathy of the audience. It was this kind of hero that fascinated the beholder, inviting him to go all the way with him and to make sure that at the end he was waiting for a dead end. Only in this way did the viewer understand that the life of the hero was wasted - and this is the main tragedy. The censors of the artistic council did not appreciate such an author's finding, demanding to film a film, in order to emphasize the moral collapse of Bender and his defeat in a collision with the Soviet society. The director was indignant, but had to obey in part, some scenes were indeed re-shot, but deliberately bad, deliberately false.