WRITER BORIS AKUNIN AND
FILM-MAKING
by Ye.Monich
Boris Akunin became popular in the late 1990s when he began publishing
his detective novels. Most often events in his novels take place in the
late 19th-early 20th century. The first series of his novels tells about
adventures of detective Erast 
Fandorin,
the second series is investigations by nun Pelageya. Recently his new novel
entitled ALTYN TOLOBAS saw the light. Boris Akunin's books became bestsellers.
Probably, the reason for his great popularity is, as he puts it,his desire
to try himself in all kinds of detective genre which is most popular with
the general reader. He makes readers marvel at his play upon words, he
often makes them forget what events did take place in history and which
are product of his imagination. No wonder, his novels stirred up interest
of stage directors and film-makers. Last spring his play SEAGULL was shown
at a theatre festival. Russia's famous film directors are making films
after his novels.
In an interview with the VREMYA NOVOISTEI newspaper Boris Akunin said
that film director Alexander Adabashyan was making a series of TV films
after his novel AZAZEL on the ORT channel. According to him, the shooting
is almost completed. Yet he says he has nothing to do with what is going
on the film set. He says his work was over when he tabled his script. At
present he is waiting for the film to appear on TV. He says he had to put
up with the fact his heroes do not look like he imagined them. Yet he thinks
the film is interesting. Another prominent film director Nikita Mikhalkov
is working on Boris Akunin's novel STATSKI SOVETNIK, or a high-ranking
official. Supposedly, Oleg Menshikov will be starring in the film. Boris
Akunin says he holds vivid discussions with Nikita Mikhalkov about the
novel and the concept of the would-be film. The thing is that the political
detective novel is key-noted with the idea of Confucius that a noble man
serves to his emperor as long as his service is in keeping with his inner
conviction of a proper conduct. Akunin's hero Erast Petrovich Fandorin
advocates this idea. The idea was tested many times by Russian intellectuals.
It is attractive but vulnerable. The problem is serious. It cannot be discussed
at length in a detective film. So, the script writer and the film director
have come to terms that it should be a feature film, not a political essay.
In short, this film will feature three love stories against the background
of Russia's long-standing conflict between law and order and chaos
Boris Akunin says he has little experience in film-making. Yet VREMYA
NOVOSTEI has published the writer's most interesting reflections about
the present and future of Russian cinema. Though many speak about a crisis
or even disaster in home film-making Boris Akunin sounds more optimistic.
He thinks that Russian film-making still has a great potential, rich
cultural traditions and, what most matters, it has a national identity.
Traditionally, strong points of Russian cinema were good acting, an ability
to make psychological involved films and the cultural heritage, primarily
great literature. There is such a thing as national cultural mythology.
In Russia it is poorly developed. It has not became part of mass culture.
Yet with the help of cinema this can be done. A good example of making
a myth for the whole world out of nothing is Hollywood with its cowboys.
They are, do doubt, world-famous. Russian cultural heritage calls for the
creation of a more exquisite legend. In our consciousness today there is
a myth of gone-for-ever Russian culture of the late 19th-early 20th century.
This is not a mere myth. This is what has been created by national literature,
fine arts and music. Actually, this is not a myth. This is the best thing
that has been created by Russia within 1000 years. This is the heritage
that must be used .
THE PATCHWORK QUILT OF
THE 20th CENTURY
/Memoirs of Vasily Katanyan/
BY V. Zherdeva.
Russia's leading VAGRIUS publishing house has prepared for publication
memoirs of Russian prominent documentary film director Vasily Katanyan
entitled "The Patchwork Quilt of the 20th Century". This is his
reminiscences of Russia's prominent figures of art of the 20th century.
Vasily Katanyan wrote in his diaries not long before his death in 1999
that he despised all rumours especially on TV and in newspapers. As for
memoires, they were, he believed, still worse since they entered the annals
of history and remained there.
Vasily
Katanyan's last book "The Patchwork quilt" is made up of excerpts
from his diaries of 1943-1999.Though his earlier works "Idols"
and "Lilya Brick. Vladimir Mayakovsky and others" were quickly
sold and are believed to be rare editions at present he did not think he
was a writer. Probably, the reason for this was that a writer has the right
to invent things whereas Vasily Katanyan simply told about people whom
he admired and respected. In his diaries he quotes writer Nina Berberova
who believes that every person has his or her secret and wonderful reminiscences,
some past experience which is dear to him or her. Nothing may be left from
that experience, all those who were involved died or changed entirely,
say, the house was ruined by the fire, the orchard was cut down, the name
of the place was changed three times, maybe, a thick forest or a new sea
appeared there. When a person dies those light and beautiful dreams so
dear to him also die and no one will bring them back to life again.
"The Patchwork quilt" is an attempt to store such dreams
in the memory of the nation, it is like a documentary film which reproduces
the image and manners of people who are dead.
A series "100 great lovers"... Certainly, Lilya Brick is
among them. She was close to the prominent poet of the 20th century Vladimir
Mayakovsky. Today, the word "lover" does not sound shocking to
anyone. As for Lilya, this is another thing. Her close relations with other
men made the great poet suffer. He tried to find consolation with other
women but failed. This was his tragedy. So, many are hostile to Lilya Brick
and this hostility is growing since few people have survived who remember
that lively, charming and clever woman. Shortly, there would be no survivers.
Yet her lack of love, adultery and the tragic death of the great poet will
be remembered. But is she to be blamed for her lack of love for the poet?
In his memoirs Vasily Katanyan tells about celebrities with whom he
worked and communicated. He gives their psychological profiles. Here is
what he says about the great ballet dancer Galina Ulanova.
In the 1980s Galina Ulanova was rehearsing as "The Sleeping Beauty".
She was the point of everyone's attraction. Her every movement was full
of beauty. She was not young but her figure was that of a girl. She was
so elegant in her high-heeled shoes. She was dancing, we were filming her.
When the rehearsal ended she asked me if everything was all right and if
there was anything else she should do for us. This was typical of her.
She was delicate and attentive to the needs of people who surrounded her,
she was always prepared to come to your help. Are there many "stars"
who care for the needs of ordinary people? Galina Ulanova was one of a
few who cared. This trait of character adds something important to the
image of the great ballet dancer shown by Vasily Katanyan in his films.
In the last days of his life Vasily Katanyan wrote in his diary that
he likes autumn. It is more beautiful than summer when heat is so exhausting.
He says he does not like hot countries. He recalls that one emigrant complained
of palm trees under his window. He goes on to say that he likes punctual
people. He hates clips. He says he has never seen an interesting clip in
his life. He could look for a long time at the paintings of El Greco...
PAVEL TURSUNOV: MUSIC AND POETRY
By O. Bugrova
The Moscow composer Pavel Tursunov is an extraordinary personality.
Since early childhood he displayed an unusual gift for music and poetry.
When it was time to choose between the Literary Institute and the Conservatory,
the latter prevailed. Tursunov's music professor in the Conservatory was
the well-known Russian composer, the author of many popular songs from
Soviet-era movies Tikhon Khrennikov. He encouraged Tursunov's search for
what he described as "refined simplicity". Like his teacher,
Tursunov began writing music for the cinema. He has to his credit lots
of documentaries and five action films, the most interesting of them being
"Evenings in Athens" and "Heiresses". "Heiresses"
was directed by Ilyor Ishmukhamedov with Irina Skobtseva, Larisa Guzeyeva
and Vera Glagoleva playing the lead parts. "I am very fond of the
movies", Tursunov says. "As long as I remember myself, I always
perceived films from a musician's point of view and was more interested
in music than in the plot. I especially liked Fellini's films with music
by Nino Rota". Tursunov's music reveals contrasting features inherent
in the composer: some of his works are pierced with touching lyricism and
sentimentality, others are tempestuous and emotional. The amiable disposition
and liveliness of an extrovert alternates with solitary meditation. His
latest work is a single-act ballet about the beloved hero of oriental folk
tales Khodja Nasreddin, a witty, optimistic-minded peasant who plays all
sorts of tricks on greedy emirs. "The idea of writing a ballet about
Khodja Nasreddin never left me since I graduated from the Conservatory",
Tursunov says. "The humour and lyricism of this folk tale personage
always appealed to me". Tursunov is the author of many chamber pieces
that can often be heard during the Moscow Autumn annual festival of modern
music, as for instance a concerto for guitar and the strings, the string
quartet "Retotrons", the chamber cycle "Tribute to Khayyam"
for flute, guitar, harp, piano and the strings, the composition "Let's
Speak Farsi" for percussion instruments. At present Tursunov is working
on a new ballet based on Ivan Bunin's story "Revenge". As in
the case of Hodja Nasreddin, he wrote the libretto himself. The ballet
will be staged by Georgy Kovtun.
THE ACADEMY OF CHORAL SINGING
By L. Roschina
The Moscow Academy of Choral Singing has several choirs - a boys' choir,
a male and female choirs, and a mixed choir. All of them take part in all
sorts of domestic and international choir festivals. The boys' choir has
recently performed in Germany. The Academy rose to prominence under laureate
of many prestigious contests, professor Victor Popov who has been heading
it for more than 3 decades.
"Music enables a child to get a different vision of the world",
says the Academy's rector Victor Popov. "Just like any other art.
Suddenly, the child starts to see something new and unusual in each building
he passes daily. Why? Because he is struck by its architecture, which is
close to music. Children must be trained to understand art".
The Academy's history goes back to 1944 when the well-known choirmaster
Alexander Sveshnikov set up a boy's choir that would revive the tradition
of academic choral signing interrupted in the early 20th century. Sveshnikov's
ideas were upheld and developed by Victor Popov. He created the Academy
of Choral Singing that provides secondary and higher professional education.
The choral piece "Motherland Hears" by Dmitry Shostakovich
has for 5 decades been the Academy's visiting card.
This year its students performed at the traditional music festival
in Colmar, France. "Vladimir Spivakov (the Colmar festival's organizer)
is a brilliant musician, conductor and organizer", says Victor Popov.
"He does much for the development of music. Each festival is devoted
to some outstanding musician of the past, for instance the Russian bass
Fedor Shaliapin, the American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein
and others. Colmar festivals earned Spivakov worldwide recognition".
The Academy's repertoire is constantly diversified. Some modern composers,
among them Rodion Schedrin, Vladislav Agafonnikov and Stepan Sosnin, who
studied in the Academy, write music for its renowned choir. Not long ago
it performed "Te Deum" by the Polish composer Krystof Penderezki
at the oratorio's permiere in Moscow. In another instance, it recorded
Sergei Prokoviev's "On Guard Of Peace" conducted by Gennady Rozhdestvensky.
07.31.2001
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