Screenwriter Pavel Finn was 80 years old. He wrote the screenplays for the hits of the Soviet hire “the headless Horseman” and “Armed and dangerous”, he worked with Alexander Zarkhi on the movie “26 days in the life of Dostoevsky”, by Ilya Averbakh in the “Declaration of love”. In the latest time out of the picture in his scenario “the Gift to Stalin” by Rustem Abdrashev and “the Role” by Konstantin Lopushansky. Paul Finn – out of the company of young – Tarkovsky, Shpalikov, Marianne Vertinskaya, who starred and worked at “the Outpost of Ilyich” Marlena hutsieva.
You to the cinema came not from? Was engaged in journalism?
– I was 17 when I joined the film Institute. From this point on and arrived at the cinema. In journalism have come not from good life. When the movie was not wrote for the magazine “Smena”, where the head of the Department was one of the authors of the series “the Investigation leading experts” Alexander Lavrov. I took some of the sketches went on business trips to the city of Volzhskiy Chisinau. It was a hard time impoverished. I had to spin. The wages were very small. And then I called my friend and writer Natasha Ryazantseva, at that time the wife of Ilya Averbakh, and was offered a job in the magazine “Sputnik film festival.” It was in March 1965. The editorial office was located in the state. When I got there, there sat the Director and screenwriter Vladimir Weinstock. In the journal I made a career from an ordinary employee, who was assigned to the Deputy editor. Thus began my activities in the “moon festival”. And Weinstock proposed the idea of “26 days in the life of Dostoevsky” and shot me the way to the movies, for that I am grateful.
While studying, he made a small documentary on the CSDF, where he found more operators at the front. When they came out may 9, all rang: awards on a breast at these wonderful people was a lot. I defended the diploma of the documentary, and his first contract for a feature film made at the Yalta film Studio. My friend operator Yuri Ilyenko, even then, think about directing – he offered to write me a script, a story. I’m mostly with operators friends.
Why?
– We became friends on virgin land, where they sent us on our way. Then all – actors, artists, Directors – were sent to the practice. We, the writers, succeeded in securing a job in the newspaper, and we went to Kustanai. And artists were engaged in physical labor. It was a wonderful time. Sasha Knyazhinskiy and Yuri Ilyenko with Director Mike by Boganim came to film a documentary about the virgin and became friends for life. And I’m with Sasha for the rest of his days were friends. Since the subject is more complicated. After he took Parajanov “shadows of forgotten ancestors” and work at the Yalta film Studio, moved to Kiev. We did a fairy-tale scenario “Shooter Luke”, but for political reasons it all fell apart. I spoke at the arts Council under the scenario Boris Balter “goodbye, boys” very sharply. It was 10 years since the death of Stalin. Then was the time of Khrushchev’s ideological commissions.
– What seditious were you saying?
On the wall hung a calendar with a photo of Irina Skobtseva. I saw a date on it of March 5, 1963. When they started to drown the script, said: “Look at the calendar. Date printed in black paint and have red because it’s a happy day. 10 years how in the world the executioner of Stalin.” It made a strange impression. I went from Yalta to Moscow, and in the night I got a call: “we Have a terrible scandal. You banned entry to the territory of Ukraine”.
“the role of Dostoevsky tried Shukshin”
– With painting “26 days in the life of Dostoevsky” was all too difficult?
– It should have been put Samson Samsonov. The role of Dostoevsky he tried Shukshin. Have a photograph published in the magazine “Soviet screen”. Striking resemblance! It was a trial to my script, which lay on the shelf for 10 years. Then delayed even the edition of the works of Dostoevsky in order Suslov. And then the movie! Yes, Shukshin! The picture at the end was filmed by Alexander Zarkhi. Anatoly Solonitsyn, who played Dostoevsky, was awarded “Silver bear” at the Berlin film festival.
Favorite Tarkovsky played Dostoevsky. Tarkovsky himself wanted to film the novel “the Idiot” and “Demons”.
He wanted to make a film about Dostoyevsky, which saw Solonitsyn. But he was not given. And Zarkhi, who was a hero of socialist labor, was allowed. It left some imprint on the attitude of Tarkovsky to me. Andrew, the Director, who was on the shoulder Dostoevsky, as though it did not sound bombastic. Tarkovsky himself was the hero of Dostoevsky. It was from these people and their exultation, emotions. For me, the characters of Dostoevsky always like on holiday, even if it is tragic. Always they are not for everyday things, and for approval of tragedy in our lives. I starred in the film “Zastava Ilyich” in the famous scene of the party, watched Tarkovsky. He was older, but we studied at the same time. Tarkovsky could make Dostoyevsky, like no other. I tell my students constantly talk about cinematography, about the great filmmakers, which at one time studied. Then they were not considered great: Tarkovsky, Shukshin, Sasha MITT, Eldar and Giorgi Shengelaia, Otar Ioseliani, whom friends all his life, artists Leventhal and Romadin. With these people I was breathing the same air. It was a Golden and unique period of Cinematography. I breathed the air of the cinema, but did not know how to write. His first script I wrote very beautiful words, but when we sat down at the timeline, it became clear that everything is falling apart from my inability.
You were involved in a movie watched by millions.
– Weinstock generated ideas. He invented the movie “Mission to Kabul” on the first contract between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan. And I know what a scout should be a woman that is embedded in Afghan life, falls in love with a white officer. It was played by Irina Miroshnichenko, and the white guard – Oleg Strizhenov. It was a rich wonderful actors in the film. It starred Oleg Zhakov, Vladimir Zeldin, Sasha Demyanenko. One of the first roles played by Oleg vidov, who later starred in another film based on my script – “the headless Horseman” directed by Weinstock. It was a hit. It was watched by 70 million viewers. If I had this script got as much as in America my colleagues, I’d be living in luxury. I was familiar with the writer of the film “Casablanca”, was his guest. He lived all his life in this film.
You often had to work at “Lenfilm”?
– Yes, in the “First Association”, whose editor was Frigate Ghukasyan. She was a gatherer of people of the same spiritual direction. Around enterprises gathered Natasha Ryazantseva, Vladimir Walecki, Yuri Klepikov, and I was there tied up. Five pictures were made with Weinstock, wanted something new. Ilya Averbakh offered to make a movie based on the book “Four quarters” of Yevgeny Gabrilovich connection Chronicles the imagination. The book was not yet published. The enthusiasm was complete: the Gabrilovich and Auerbach is a transition to a completely different movie.
Ilya Averbakh knew that the script on the novel so I decided I should write, because his family was close to me, we lived in the same house. I Gabrilovich knew in my mother’s belly. Alexei Gabrilovich and his mother Nina Y. later Zina in the “Declaration of love” – shoved me to the film Institute. I always say that thug. I knew this world. I am a writer’s son. But the first version of the script was terrible. I arrived in Leningrad to hand it to Ilya, who was finishing the installation of the “Foreign letters”. I read directly in the Assembly and, along the way realizing that this is clearly a failure. Ilya said that all decided, “Forget about Gabrilovich. There’s only you and me.” There was a terrible winter, terrible cold. I’m not very good was with outerwear. Sasha Demyanenko in the garage was Doha leather fur. It was wrapped and brought to Repino, where I for two weeks wrote the script, in which Elijah almost did not change one word. So there was a “Declaration of love” – my favorite.
– And it hurt.
– It is, unfortunately, mutilated. Then everyone took obkom, gorkom. The first discussion��the message of the film was amazing, and afterwards we walked to the restaurant, movie House, and on the way Ilya said, “Scroll hole in a new jacket. It is a State award”. And two weeks later we were summoned to the state. The same room, same setup, same editors, just the opposite. The party Secretary of the regional Committee Aristov looked at the picture, was outraged that the main character was a rotten intellectual. And started! We had to do 45 amendments.
where’s the original version?
– In fact of all the matter is that it is not. The starting materials had disappeared.
In total you have 60 pictures? You even worked with prominent Polish Directors?
Directors had a lot, a whole regiment. With each of them, everything was new. Very rarely, a writer finds her Director. My absolute top – Ilya Averbakh. Think about what life was spent. Naturally and sadly, the company where I started, almost no one anymore. I worked with Jerzy Kawalerowicz on the adaptation of the works of Leo Tolstoy “why?” We were friends, but our picture I’m not particularly proud of. I started the script with Jerzy Hoffman about his childhood in Siberia. He’s from exiled poles. But in the end he was tempted by the creation of the blockbuster movie about the war. And lay a few scenarios. Picture, to which I belong well, which happens very rarely in relation to his movie is “the Gift to Stalin” by Kazakh Director Rustem Abdrashev. It almost has not been seen in Russia, although he has won more than 30 awards at international film festivals. Still it shows American television. Oleg vidov, watching the film, called from California. The hour we talked to him. He wondered why we weren’t nominated for “Oscar”.
“the Role” directed Lopushansky brought to you by “nick”. But it was also the road is long in life?
32 years ago, Frija Ghukasyan told me to watch the short film “Solo” the young Director Lopushansky. I really liked it. We began to negotiate, and I wrote the script “Memories of Plotnikova the Ignat” – the story of the red commander, who from contusions and wounds loses his memory. The script at the Studio rejected. It was a time when I closed the picture of Alex Herman “Check on roads”. Then my script tried to resuscitate, to apply to the state, but it again missed. Kostya gave up. Boris uhananov wanted to put it, but nothing came out. Been a long time, and Konstantin Lopushansky linked my script with their ideas, came up with the line the actor playing red commander. At first I irritably reacted to this, but then I thought: let it be movie with a good actor Maxim Sukhanov.
– Continue to work in documentary film?
We are working with Murad ibrahimbayov on a film about the worldwide famous naive artist Pavel Leonov. Shortly before pandemic went to his home in Ivanovo oblast, found his house. Documentary film today is closer to me. I am very disappointed in the movie. Not a movie as such, as art, and cinema of the present time. It is very much lost and not replenished. I’m not one of those people who say that it was good before, but now is not the same. How any people live in two times – the present and the past. Movie disappointing, although there are capable and talented guys. The sincerity is there, and the craftsmanship, but the movie as a whole is not interesting. There is nothing you can do about it. Cinema – it’s a longing for unfulfilled. Disappears depth of the script, the subtlety of the dialogues. Under the influence series at the art cinema has accumulated a number of platitudes and templates that turn impossible. But the saddest thing is a shameless invasion of the intimate life. The truth about the world and man exist and should be handled with special artistic care. I do not propose to sterilize a movie, to avoid candor. It generally spying on the person, sometimes through the keyhole. But the necessary innuendo. At some point we have to turn away, to close my eyes. The movie is truly valuable, when it shows that we don’t know about the world and man, or shows what we know, but we do must seem completely new.
“Luzhkov said, “You want to turn Moscow into a graveyard?”
were You friends with Gennady Shpalikov. The thought of him coming in and in connection with what is happening with Mikhail Efremov. What is this a terrible coincidence?
– Yes, it’s Russian problem, a tragedy. Gene drank so much. What is there to hide? He did not hide. I call it simple-minded a deceiver. He loved the hoax was extremely talented. First of all, he is a poet. There was a time when he was the darling of the authorities, joined the Board of the Union of cinematographers. But he ceased to match the needs of time, and time lost. And he could not understand – why and for what. In the last year I saw him often. We lived in Sochi when he worked with the great Sergei Urusevsky. For Genes meant a lot to his friendship with Viktor Nekrasov, and his departure from the country played a role. Would Nekrasov in Moscow, this would not have happened. Gene always talked on equal terms with any person, whether or Sergei Gerasimov Mikhail Romm, but it was very unprotected. His life really got: poverty, homelessness, sleeping in the attics. He often came to me, and when I wasn’t home, talked with my mom. When we picked him up from the morgue, the woman who gave it to us, said, “He was not the tenant”. He had CIR��oz, and he knew it. Maybe realizing that he was doomed, he decided to speed up the process. But see what glory he received after death.
– How did you gather his first book?
– a few days after his death, we came to the Director and our friend Ulicu Fight and agreed to collect and publish the poems of Genes. But what is a book about suicide? We were supported by the writer Anatoly Grebnev, who turn to the publication of the book in publishing house “Art”. Year it was struck. I had to write the Preface, but then my name wasn’t enough, I went to Evgeniy Gabrilovich, who was just awarded the hero of socialist labor. Imagine what event? The writer received the Hero of socialist labor! I went to the old man, and he, without reading, signed. The Foreword has been restrained. Directly to say what we knew was impossible. The book came out wonderful, with pictures of Misha Romadin. Now it is a rare book rare. Later there was a plaque on Gorky street, though not at the house where Gene lived, and next, and where it is not very similar to themselves.
Why plaque installed on another house?
– for some reason it was impossible for his house to hang. As we shot! I personally spoke with Luzhkov, with whom then do we with Vladimir Hotinenko was a connection. The movie we wanted to do about it. Luzhkov refused: “You want to turn Moscow into a graveyard?”. I returned from Paris, told him that there are boards on every step. Not convinced. But then, I must pay tribute to Nikita Mikhalkov, it is this Board broke. Shpalikov is the only one of my generation, whose face adorns the Moscow house.
