MOSCOW, May 6— . Russian cinema is moving away from Hollywood patterns. Does this mean that directors are returning to the national school, who makes films «about people» today and what Hollywood should not be forgotten — in the material.
Departure from America
«
"We see that it receives an Oscar" today, we see how it has changed,” director Nikita Mikhalkov said at a briefing before the opening of the 45th Moscow International Film Festival. — I personally see no point in sending films there, <…> you need to try to develop your own, and not try to get into the trend. To constantly look back at someone — now we are unlearning this.
Irina Pavlova, the artistic director of Russian MIFF programs, has her own view on the problem of films that were made with an eye to the West.
«
“We never reached Hollywood standards,” she notes in an interview. — Hollywood is always a spectacle, including all the «Harry Potters» and The Lord of the Rings. War films, science fiction films, dystopias – we never even dreamed of that level of computer graphics.
However, they tried to imitate the West, the expert adds.
“
“We have a huge and useless galaxy of directors who are hungry for international recognition,” says Pavlova. What does it take to please? For the characters to behave like idiots or crazy, and there is a lot of rubbish around — such was the request from the festivals to show life in Russia. Many such films have been made, no one has watched them here, but they won at foreign film screenings.
Russian cinema today has many ways of development. One of them is to remember the heritage of the cinema of the USSR.
Cinema without nationality
Not all modern directors think in terms of «Hollywood templates» and «Soviet standard». Among them is the author of «The Challenge» Klim Shipenko.
«
“I know Soviet cinema very precisely,” says the director. I don't consider myself his successor. I live not in standards and traditions, but in terms of "bad" and «good» movie. Genre, spectator. In different countries there are examples of both successful films and unsuccessful ones. , whose only goal is to educate the viewer, notes film critic, associate professor of VGIK Tatiana Yakovleva.
«
“Klimov, Tarkovsky, Gaidai and Khutsiev have a different approach, their own style, but this is an auteur film that was a success with the viewer,” she explains. — There is a stereotype that Soviet films are necessarily good, but these directors cannot simply be called «good». They created a tradition of subtle, intelligent cinema — like Averbakh and Danelia.» » data-crop-ratio=»0.5625″ data-crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»338″ data-source-sid=»rian_photo» class=»» />
These Soviet directors never took the path of simplifying the picture of the world, Yakovleva believes. When making films on the theme of the Great Patriotic War, they demonstrated a complex and tragic look — like, for example, Elem Klimov in Come and See.
«
«The creators of such films did not aim only to captivate or entertain the viewer, — says the expert. — They didn’t dilute the tapes about the war with adventures or something entertaining. This tradition of smart cinema is definitely worth focusing on.»
Is Hollywood so terrible?
Hollywood movies cannot be considered homogeneous either. American films are not only action, fantasy and special effects. According to Tatyana Yakovleva, the directors of the «New Hollywood» largely built their work, focusing on the trends of European auteur cinema. For example, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich.
“
“Let's take the film“ The Godfather ”, — Yakovlev cites the example, — On the one hand, this tape is a continuation of the gangster genre typical of US cinema. On the other hand, a story about a family, very personal, told in the author's style.
A filmmaker can use any templates they want, but should not become their slave , continues Yakovleva. Whether a young director is inspired by Soviet or Hollywood traditions, his task is to bring meaning, to develop his own style.
Who is the heir to Soviet cinema?
Director Vladimir Khotinenko, as well as his students Alexander and Vladimir Kottov, can be called the continuer of the tradition of Soviet auteur cinema, Tatyana Yakovleva believes. And also — Boris Khlebnikov and Andrey Zvyagintsev. -crop-width=»600″ data-crop-height=»437″ data-source-sid=»rian_photo» class=»lazyload» width=»1920″ height=»1397″ decoding=»async» />
«
"I remember when Zvyagintsev received the Golden Eagle" for the film "Return", he thanked not mom and dad, but Tarkovsky and Antonioni,» the expert recalls.
Another heir to the author's Soviet tradition is Alexander Sokurov, who himself has become a classic of our time.
«
"Entertainment cinematography was never truly born in our country," notes Irina Pavlova. — Now they blinded from what was, «Cheburashka», and the happy country rushed to look. Producer Leonid Vereshchagin came up with his own formula for success: in the films "Legend 17", "Upward Movement", "World Champion" he reminded the country how we knew how to win under Soviet rule. But you can't just sit on this all your life.»
To people about people
Cinematographs that you can watch with bated breath are just emerging, Pavlova is sure.
“
“In terms of meaning, it returns to the positions of very good Soviet cinema,” the expert continues. — Cinema of Averbakh, Agranovich, German, who shot talented thin films about people. Not about cockroaches, but about people.»
In the opinion of Irina Pavlova, there are «two rays of hope» in the modern industry.
«The first one is Boris Khlebnikov, who made the film «Arrhythmia». The life of an ordinary emergency doctor broke the box office. It turned out that people want to watch about themselves, about their unsuccessful love and a small salary. Before that, as shown in the series «Doctors live in a six-room apartment, teachers wear Chanel and Cardin. And there — a normal person, played by one of the best actors of our time, Alexander Yatsenko. And everyone's breath was taken.»
Khlebnikov made «Bullfinch» — the opening film of the MIFF-2023.
«
“About how the fishermen from the trawler were given two trainees,” says Pavlova. “When I look at how these rude people take care of juvenile fools, I think: “My God, this is about our whole country!” Our parents now make any sacrifice for the sake of their children.
In Snegir, Pavlova adds, there are no luxury apartments, but only dirt and horror, but in the midst of them are pure human destinies. And the replica that broke the applause, «Well, why are you whining every time we're drowning?»
«
«I sobbed the whole movie,» she admits. — This is again a movie about people. Not about crazy heroes who knock out forty tanks with one hand. This is the Soviet tradition — to shoot about people, not about battles between armored vehicles and armored vehicles.