The Soviet and Russian cameraman and screenwriter Valery Shuvalov had the opportunity to shoot the most famous films with director Alexander Mitta, "The Tale of How Tsar Peter Got Married", "The Crew" and "The Tale of Wanderings". For his contribution to the art of cinematography, the Honored Art Worker of Russia was awarded the Sergei Urusevsky Prize.
Valery Pavlovich confirmed Mikhail Romm's statement that the heart of a motion picture is a cameraman, confirmed in practice. In each of his work, he gave all the best. Having realized himself as a cameraman and screenwriter, he even successfully tried on the role of an actor at a respectable age.
The beginning of the way
The biography of the future filmmaker began in 1939. The boy was born in Gorky (Nizhny Novgorod) on August 12. He was the youngest in the family. The older sister, Lyudmila, later became a famous actress. The family moved to Moscow in 1943.
The graduate of the school decided to continue his education at VGIK. He entered the camera department. The student studied at the Kosmatov workshop. In 1964, the first tape of the future filmmaker "Aptekarsha" was shot. The film was a term paper.
“After completing his studies in 1966, the film-almanac“Comrade Song”was shot. Valery Pavlovich participated in the process as an operator.
The picture was composed of three short stories: "Song-password", "Song of the mother" and "Song at dawn". The first tells the story of how Lieutenant Marchenko managed to find a messenger in a city occupied by the Nazis with the help of a password song and prepare an operation with the underground.
New works
The events in Song of Mother are set in Africa. Pilots Victor and Igor recorded a musical message on a tape recorder. In memory of his deceased friend, Victor gave the tape to Igor's mother.
The hero of "Song at Dawn" Sergei is a student. He dedicated the composition he wrote to his girlfriend. Valya did not appreciate the gift, preferring another. However, family life did not work out, and after years Valentina often recalled an unpretentious, sincere song.
Shuvalov worked with Gaidai on the film "12 chairs" 1971. In 1976 director Alexander Mitta invited the master, already well-known in the cinema circles, to his project "How Tsar Peter Got Married". The collaboration succeeded, and together with Mitta Shuvalov he worked on the creation of other equally famous films of his.
According to the director, in each work one could feel the inimitable style and dedication of the operator. Valery Pavlovich did not pay attention to the complexity and heavy equipment. During the filming of The Crew, Shuvalov walked into the fire without fear in order to get realistic shots.
Work and family
In 1991, the master made his debut as a screenwriter in the comedy film "Casus Improvisus".
In April 2014, the artist received an award for his outstanding contribution at the White Square Operators Guild Award ceremony. The master who left the camera for a long time joked at the presentation that he felt like an ichthyosaur.
The operator also managed to take place in his personal life. The actress Larisa Luzhina became his chosen one. An only child, the son of Paul, appeared in husband and wife.
Shuvalov did not stop doing creative work. In 2010, he appeared in the role of himself in the TV project "Secrets of Our Cinema". The picture showed the audience the selection of actors, the filming process, censorship and other important aspects of working on films of the Soviet period.
