Fidelity (1965)

Рет қаралды 4,099

23 күн бұрын

Every self-respecting film fan has probably seen or heard something about the film that shocked the collapsing USSR “Intergirl” in 1989. And it was directed by Pyotr Todorovsky. Today in the “Film Quote” section on the official channel of the Odesa Film Studio (@OdesaFilmStudio) there is an episode from the film, which became the director’s first independent work - the military drama “Loyalty” produced by the Odesa Film Studio (1965).
Todorovsky came to cinema in the fifties. At first he was attracted to the art of cinematography, so he entered the camera department at VGIK. Having already filmed several small documentaries, Peter found himself in the company of Marlen Khutsiev and Felix Mironer, who directed the film “Spring on Zarechnaya Street” (1956). Here, the young cameraman Pyotr Todorovsky not only gained experience, but also earned a name. By the way, in “Fidelity” the techniques that were used in “Spring on Zarechnaya Street” are clearly visible, including cinematography: sincerity, an attempt to peer through the camera into the characters, to show the touching and naivety of characters just starting life. In 1962, Pyotr Todorovsky decided to try his hand at directing. Together with director Vladimir Dyachenko, he shot the production film “Never,” which was quite ordinary and in the spirit of the times, and three years later he took on his own production. Todorovsky wrote the script himself, calling on the bard Bulat Okudzhava as a co-author. The story was about young people growing up during the war years. Todorovsky and Okudzhava partially showed themselves in “Loyalty”: both went to the front very young and went through the trials of war. From the very beginning, Todorovsky firmly abandoned the pathos that was characteristic of the war films of the sixties. His heroes were primarily lyricists, not soldiers; for the director it was important to show the difficult youth from the inside, the life of boys and girls that continued despite adversity. He wanted the audience to see not only heroic severity, but also optimism, cheerfulness, youthful audacity, ineradicable romance, because these qualities characteristic of youth probably played a big role in the victory. By the way, it was precisely because of this view of military events that the script was not approved for a long time. Yes, and only the Odesa film studio, far from the capitals, was allowed to film.
For the main roles, lovers Yura and Zoya, Todorovsky needed young actors in the film. They were the beginner Vladimir Chetverikov and the already very popular Galina Polskikh. One of the first serious works was “Loyalty” for Alexander Potapov, who played the main character’s friend. The adult characters were played by performers already well-known to the audience: Antonina Dmitrieva, Lucyena Ovchinnikova, Evgeny Evstigneev. Todorovsky has already worked well with Evgeny Evstigneev, having cast him in the title role in the previous film “Never”. The actor brought a light touch of humor to the screen, but not roaring laughter, but touching, slightly sad jokes.
Many criticized the incomprehensible ending of the film: the hero freezes at the moment of attack, as if on a poster. But such understatement became the best ending: “the war itself decides who will survive, and the director does not take responsibility for contradicting it.” Despite the fact that film critics reacted ambiguously to “Loyalty,” the film became a favorite. It was liked not only by Soviet audiences, but also by Western ones, as evidenced by the Venice Festival prize for best debut. And it was success with the ordinary public that played a fundamental role in the life of Pyotr Todorovsky: he later said that if “Fidelity” had not worked out, he would never have returned to directing.
Share in the comments if you are familiar with the film and why it “hooked” you?
Help to Ukraine - u24.gov.ua
Telegram channel of the Odesa Film Studio - t.me/odesafilmstudio
#EvgeniyEvstigneev #GalinaPolskikh #VladimirChetverikov