Director Mark Zakharov, artistic director of the Lenkom Theater, would have turned 90 years old on October 13. On the eve of the anniversary, his daughter, People's Artist of Russia, theater and film actress Alexandra Zakharova, shared her memories in an interview, emphasizing that Zakharov included a galaxy of Lenkom actors in the history of the theater. She also noted her father’s “Zakharov style” in theatrical productions and television cinema, which simultaneously combines satire, humor and melancholy. Interviewed by Alexandra Shvanova.
– What memories of Mark Anatolyevich would you like to share on the eve of the anniversary of his birth?
“I have never in my life, not for one second, forgotten about my father. I loved him endlessly, love him and will love him. I will repeat this until the last second of my life. He is the most important person in my life. He's been gone for four years. On September 28, 2019, he passed away, and then the world collapsed for me. It was difficult for me to speak. My life has collapsed, and only now I have begun to come to my senses a little.
When making any decisions, I always think how my father would react to this, how he would react to this. He is a guiding star for me, and I, of course, love him very much, I am very devoted to him.
< strong>– What unspoken words or actions towards your dad do you regret? Please share.
– I managed to say everything. My father and I had a very close relationship. He shared his ideas and thoughts with me very often. He loved me endlessly and was a father with a capital letter. Of course, until the end of my days I will not stop talking about how much I love him, but I said everything I wanted to say. He is the best, wonderful, wise. I consider him a great man. I try very hard not to let him down.
– How, in your opinion, does the cultural heritage of Mark Anatolyevich influence our country?
— He did a lot. He devoted his life to the theater. He devoted almost half a century to serving the Lenkom Theater, which he composed and whose name he came up with. He raised more than one generation of actors and entered a wonderful galaxy of Lenkom actors into the history of the theater. He composed his own unique cinematography. After all, he went to make television films, which were unfashionable at that time. He did not compete with Hollywood films, or with the films of Nikita Sergeevich Mikhalkov — with anyone.
He taught at GITIS, he raised many students. He participated in the restoration of the gates of the Iveron Mother of God in the Kremlin, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. He helped a lot of people. He wrote several books. He is great, beautiful, wise. His films have received quotes. His performances were famously put together. He did a lot. He became a phenomenon in art. I think that he is in the galaxy of such directors as Meyerhold, Vakhtangov, Lyubimov.
I am pleased that the photo exhibition “Mark Zakharov. The Master’s Formula” has opened on Nikitsky Boulevard, and that the AST publishing house is publishing the book “Theatrical Fantasies on the Theme… Good and Malicious Thoughts” with my foreword on Mark Zakharov’s birthday. I wrote the foreword for it and am very proud of it. These will be some of his last notes, some of his thoughts, these are his drawings, these are letters from his friends: Voinovich, Astafiev, Zhvanetsky.
The exhibition “Mark Zakharov. The Master’s Formula” opens at Rosizo on October 14 and will run until the end of December. It will be opened by Rosizo, GITIS, the Bakhrushin Museum, and some personal belongings from the house will also be there. I was a consultant for this exhibition. I am very grateful to Olga Galaktionova (director of Rosizo — ed.), who composed all this. This will be an unusual exhibition. Please come.
– What roles in your dad’s films and plays do you most often remember? Why them?
— You know, that's it. When I came to the theater, they asked me what roles I liked, what roles I liked. I'm superstitious, I'm afraid that some roles will be offended. I love all the works, all the performances. Moreover, I’ll tell you, when I came to the theater, I was an extra in the play “Troubadour and His Friends,” waving in the background, and I liked it. I love the theater, I am very devoted to the theater. My father taught me to love art.
– How did Mark Anatolyevich differ from other directors with whom you worked? What key differences would you highlight?
– Mark Anatolyevich invented his own genre, his own Zakharov style. His style is such laughter on the edge of a cliff, this is when satire, humor and at the same time endless melancholy are combined, this is when it seems to be frivolous about something serious, when it seems to be fun, but inside it is sad.
Mark Anatolyevich was a great director, a great writer. It came from the individuality of the actor. He raised more than one generation of actors because he was very attentive to them. He loved artists very much, because he himself had been in this shoes. Of course, it was a pleasure and happiness to work with him. This was the golden age of theatre.