Almost immediately after its release in 1965, the Soviet film fairy tale "Morozko" was recognized as a classic. The work won the Grand Prix at the Venice Festival, "St. Mark's Lion". In the Czech Republic, the picture must be shown on New Year's holidays. Based on the movie history, a musical, a computer game and even ice cream were created. It remains one of the favorite paintings in Russia.
In the first production of 1924, the latest equipment was used, along with interesting decorations and national methods of work. The audience accepted the picture positively. However, Alexander Rowe provided the tape with real success.
Marfusha
Great merit is the acting ensemble. The director did not plan to involve only well-known artists. He was looking for people who could be imbued with the plot and realistically play their characters. This is what guaranteed a similar reaction from the audience.
It was originally planned to take Tamara Nosova for the role of Marfushka. Attention to Inna Churikova was drawn by the assistant director, who collided with a student of the Shchepkinsky school in the corridor. She persuaded an unknown girl to go through the audition. The actress subsequently received a silver medal from the Czech Ambassador.
Churikova recalled that instead of the apples laid out according to the script, she had to eat the onions in the basket, pretending to gnaw fruit.
Baba Yaga
Georgy Millyar turned out to be a real diamond. He played Babu Yaga so brightly that the image became a reference for many years. Rowe had to find many candidates for the role. He didn't even like the game of Faina Ranevskaya.
The director himself modeled the character from several familiar old women. It turned out to be a completely positive character, suffering, however, from forgetfulness and absent-mindedness due to age.
In the role of Georgy Frantsevich prepared carefully. He did gymnastics with a pole for the virtuoso handling of a broomstick in the film. The artist invented the image himself. His find were the gait, and the remarks, and the antics of the representative of the forest evil. In addition to Baba Yaga, the artist played a clerk-robber and voiced a rooster at the very beginning of the tale.
Nastenka
According to the director's idea, Nastya was supposed to be played by a fragile actress. Not a single contender matched either in figure or in voice. Quite by accident, Rowe saw Natalia Sedykh on the TV broadcast of the ice holiday.
The fifteen-year-old student of the choreographic school, despite the prohibitions, skated, demonstrating excellent skills. The director was so shocked by an amazingly gentle girl with a quiet voice that he did not doubt for a minute: the heroine had been found.
On the set, the inexperienced artist had a hard time. She performed all the stunts without stuntmen. She herself rode on a self-propelled sleigh, jumped into the pond.
Shooting moments
Morozko, the main character, was played by Alexander Khvylya. After the premiere, he became the country's main Santa Claus, playing him on all the Kremlin Christmas trees.
The scene in which Nastenka touches the magic staff was filmed using the superposition method. Reflection in a transparent mirror was used instead of the frozen heroine. Behind the glass were Eduard Izotov, who played Ivan, and Khvylya.
Rowe's favorite trick is rewind. We shook off the frost from the trees and ran the tape back. The same technique was used to show how a dog and a cat retreat backward, robbers jump out of the hut and fly up into the trees.
The shooting of the fabulous winter took place near Olenegorsk, on the Kola Peninsula. The actors had to play in light costumes in severe frosts.
Millyar literally saved the film from death. In the basement, where the footage was kept, pipes burst. Georgy Frantsevich was involved in saving the film.
