N. Ostrovsky's novel "How the Steel Was Tempered" was filmed several times. Each film version of the work is unique and unique in its own way. But the greatest impression on the audience, without a doubt, was made by the image of Pavel Korchagin, created by actor Vladimir Konkin. The film with his participation has become a cult series in Soviet cinema.
Instructions
Step 1
The first film, which tells about the difficult fate of the Komsomol member Pavka Korchagin, was released at the height of the war with Nazi Germany. The second film version of Nikolai Ostrovsky's novel was released in 1957. Sixteen years later, director N. Mashchenko decided to create a new six-part film "How the Steel Was Tempered", in which the main role was played by a young and talented actor Vladimir Konkin. It took a year and a half to shoot the series.
Step 2
Nikolai Mashchenko faced a difficult task. He had to create his own film for viewers who had already managed to get acquainted with other versions of the story about Pavel Korchagin. And the novel itself in the USSR was the reference book of more than one generation of young people who tried to compare their lives with the actions of their beloved hero. The popularity of Korchagin became one of the reasons for the writers' repeated appeal to the plot of the book. The film, which was released in 1975, according to critics, turned out to be the most successful adaptation of this work.
Step 3
Nikolay Mashchenko was considered one of the most powerful directors of Ukrainian cinema. He knew that the success of the picture is largely determined by the right choice of actors. At first, Nikolai Burlyaev was supposed to be approved for the role of Korchagin. But one day, during trial filming, one of the director's assistants pointed to Vladimir Konkin, who participated in the scene as a minor character. At that moment, Mashchenko realized that he had found the real Pavka Korchagin. This young man with an open face and burning eyes was the best fit for the role of the brave hero of the film.
Step 4
The actor himself later admitted that he read Ostrovsky's book completely only after the filming of the film, although Korchagin's famous monologue that “the most precious thing in a person is life”, he knew from school. But Vladimir Konkin plunged into the work on creating the image of Pavka Korchagin. Filming became the actor's first serious work in cinema, since he had just graduated from drama school.
Step 5
The episodes of the film were filmed not in a strict sequence, but in random order. Therefore, the actors had to often rebuild, moving from one scene to another. For example, on the same day, Konkin could play a young boy who had just met his first love, and a battle-hardened Red Army soldier who went through the ordeals of the civil war. Such transitions required a certain amount of flexibility and restructuring from one level of acting to a completely different one.
Step 6
The director was completely absorbed in the filming of the film, constantly being on an emotional upsurge. In some episodes, up to three thousand people were involved. And each had to be explained what his role was. At the same time, Nikolai Mashchenko had to hurry, since the film was supposed to be released on a clearly defined date.
Step 7
While working on a film, the director often needed to guide the actors, bringing their creative intent to them. Pavel Korchagin performed by Konkin in this respect was more fortunate than others. The actor grasped the director's ideas on the fly and embodied them in the image of the hero. Pavel Korchagin ultimately turned out to be very reliable, differing from his cinematic predecessors in intelligence, romance and lyricism.
Step 8
This work immediately after the release of the film made Konkin and other actors famous not only in the USSR, but also in fraternal socialist countries. In the modern era, the revolutionary romanticism of the Soviet era has faded away. But the painting by Nikolai Mashchenko is remembered with gratitude by representatives of the older generation, for whom the image of Korchagin has become a symbol of unyielding determination, courage and resilience.
