Krinitsyna Margarita Vasilievna is a People's Artist of Ukraine, a bright and talented film actress who has become a hostage to one role. The overwhelming success of the comedy "Chasing Two Hares" played a fatal role in her creative life.
The beginning of the way
The future star of Ukrainian cinema was born in the Urals in 1932. Her father served in the police, her mother worked at a factory. At some point, discord began in the family, and the parents decided to separate. The children stayed with their father in Moldova. The stepmother was a very beautiful woman, but hysterical. It was not sweet for Rita and her two brothers. School amateur performances were an outlet for the girl. She perfectly copied adults, parodied teachers, classmates and arranged funny pranks. But she dreamed of becoming a lawyer. After leaving school, when the question of choosing a profession arose, acting data prevailed and she submitted documents to two metropolitan theater universities at once. Lacking special vocal and choreographic training, she won the admissions committee with her artistry and spontaneity. VGIK and the Vakhtangov School were happy to see her among the students, but she chose the Institute of Cinematography. Years later, the artist sadly recalled the unused opportunity to make a theatrical career.
In her fourth year, Margarita met Yevgeny Onoprienko. The former front-line soldier, screenwriter, graduate of the same university immediately won the girl's heart and soon they got married. Onopriyenko became the author of more than two dozen films, the most popular of which "Only Old Men Go to Battle" has long become a classic of Soviet cinema. Often the main roles in his works were intended for his wife, but the opinion of the directors did not always coincide with the vision of the famous screenwriter. In 1955, Krinitsyna received a diploma and was assigned to the Moscow Film Actor Theater. But four years later she left for the capital of Ukraine and stayed there forever.
Film work
Receiving a diploma of education coincided with the beginning of his film career. These were small characters in the films Good Morning (1955) and Freeman (1955). After several debut works, Margarita Krinitsyna got her star role - the incomparable Pronya Prokopovna from the picture "Chasing Two Hares" (1961). The filmmaking process was challenging. In general, I must say that Margarita got into this picture by accident - the approved actress did not appear on the set on the appointed day. When Krinitsyna put on a dress, fastened a chignon to her hair and uttered a few remarks, there was no doubt that the main character had been found. And her chipped smile - on the eve of the artist gnawing nuts and breaking her front tooth, finally convinced the film's management of the correct choice. Daily makeup took about three hours, because a young beautiful woman had to be made ugly every day. Director Viktor Ivanov kept the whole group in strictness, on the set of the comedy they were not laughing, Krinitsyn herself was often driven to tears by his excessive exactingness. But it was he who helped the aspiring actress to reveal all her sparkling talent in the image of Prony. After the film, for a long time she was linked by friendly relations with Oleg Borisov, the performer of Svirid Golokhvastov. He even recommended her to the troupe of the renowned theater of Russian drama, but from there a refusal followed: "We do not take Vgikovites." The success of the tape has an ambiguous impact on the creative biography of the actress. There are about seventy works in her filmography, but the label of an artist of one genre has remained with her forever. On the auditions for the leading roles, Margarita regularly received rejections and was very upset by these failures in her career. There were many proposals, but they were all episodes or of the second plan, although the names of the paintings speak for themselves: "Wedding in Malinovka" (1967), "Bumbarash" (1971), "Everyday life of the criminal investigation department" (1973), "Green van" (1983), Lonely Woman Wants to Meet (1986), Imitator (1990). She got the main role only once, in the film "Heralds Victory" (1978). And even then she did not receive it immediately. The State Cinema Committee received a letter from cultural figures of the country that the actress was "not beautiful enough" in order to embody the image of the ideal Ukrainian woman in the cinema, even the intervention of the minister was required. In the historical drama, which tells about the difficult years of the formation of Soviet power, she got the role of Alexandra Bezrodnaya. The film tells how the workers of Donbass, by their labor feat, are leading the country to a brighter future, and counter-revolutionaries, spies and saboteurs are trying to prevent them. The film was filmed, but lay on the shelf for a long time.
Belated recognition
Disappointed in the cinema, the artist decided to try herself in the theater and gave the stage of the Kiev film actor's studio for several years. One of her best works was the play "Woman with a Flower and Windows to the North" based on the play by Edward Radzinsky. The play of the actress, who had no theatrical experience, was brilliant, the director allowed her to improvise, and from this the performance was filled with new colors. The role of Aelita received recognition from the audience and flattering reviews from critics.
Only in the late 90s did the well-deserved fame come to the queen of comedy, her talent was truly appreciated. She has received several prizes, awards and titles. One of the awards was dedicated to the film "Chasing Two Hares". The actress said that she became famous not immediately after the premiere, but forty years later. A bronze monument to the main characters of the cult comedy was erected at the filming location of the picture next to St. Andrew's Church on Desyatinnaya Street in Kiev. Its plot is relevant and topical at all times. Margarita Vasilievna became a frequent guest of the TV show, the film "Oh, don't tell me about love" was released, which tells about the creative path of the actress. Daughter Alla followed in her father's footsteps and became a screenwriter, she lives and works in Moscow. Her husband is also creative. Margarita Krinitsyna managed to create a couple of small but memorable images in the works of her son-in-law, the director, where her daughter was the author of the script. The last few years of her life, the artist was seriously ill. After two strokes, she did not move well and lost speech. She passed away in 2005.
