The genre of melodrama is firmly entrenched on the wide screen. Gradually, in the new millennium, thrillers, action films and blockbusters are taking over from her. Despite this situation in the domestic film industry, Stanislav Govorukhin's film "Bless the Woman" won universal recognition.
In 2002, the director began to shoot a picture, the essence of which is to show female loyalty, love and humility. The actors approved for the main roles began to embody the production concept. A surprisingly interesting story was dedicated to mothers and grandmothers.
History of origin
At first, no one believed in the success of the film project, except for the film crew. They did not create any special hopes for the picture and critics. However, after reading the script of Grekova's "The Hostess of the Hotel", which became the basis for the script, Stanislav Govorukhin set to work.
Clarification of the backstory of the film and the script began only after the deafening success of the film and approving reviews with reviews. The journalists learned that both the roles and their performers are not fictional characters. These are real people about whom the novel was written in the seventies of the last century.
The famous writer Irina Grekova told the story on the pages of her book. The pseudonym was the name of the scientist Elena Wentzel. She has created more than a dozen short stories that have gained popularity. The author called her work, which became the basis for the screenplay, "The hostess of the hotel." The history of the Kiryushins' family was transferred to the screen. The main characters, whose prototypes were Olga Semyonovna and her husband Konstantin Vasilyevich, were skillfully played by Svetlana Khodchenkova and Alexander Baluev.
Elena Sergeevna met them when she came to rest with her family in Odessa. The women quickly found a common language and made friends. Having heard the amazing story of a new acquaintance, the writer decided to transfer it to the pages of the novel. Published the essay in 1976.
The director tried to convey the image of a Russian woman described in the book as close to reality as possible. Govorukhin called his painting "Bless the Woman." There was little time left before filming began. It was not possible to find candidates for the performance of the main characters.
Roles and their performers
The supporting characters have already been approved.
Second plan
The eccentric actress Kunina was brilliantly played by Inna Churikova, Vera's mother Anna was given to play Irina Kupchenko. Alexander Mikhailov was supposed to be reincarnated as Yurlov, the second wife of the heroine.
Having played Vera, Masha's daughter, raised by the main character, Alexandra Kosteniuk is a multiple winner of champion titles, an athlete-chess player. In 2006, her photo appeared in the men's magazine "Penthouse".
Alexander Mikhailov, who reincarnated as Vera's second wife, is known for many films. In his youth, the future famous artist entered the Nakhimov School, was a sailor. In 1969 he graduated from the Far Eastern Institute with a degree in Theater and Cinema Actor. For a long time he worked in the theater. Since 1997 he began his singing career, performs with concert programs, tours. Since 2012, he began teaching at the Nikita Mikhalkov Summer Academy.
The characteristic role of the actor has become a romantic hero, a conqueror of women's hearts with a military bearing and exquisite manners.
The image of Colonel Ryabinin went to Vitaly Khaev. The master of sports in judo was a member of the youth team of the capital. After graduating from the Shchukin School, he was accepted into the troupe of the Stanislavsky Theater. He has been acting in films since 2001. He was nominated for "Nika" for Best Actor after working in the film "Portraying the Victim". He conducted the all-Russian lottery "Golden Key" on television under the pseudonym Victor Berthier.
All supporting characters were thought out to the smallest detail, there was no doubt about the decision. However, the search for the main characters was still ongoing. Solved all one case.
Vera
Svetlana Khodchenkova, a breathless and disheveled first-year student of the theater school, literally flew into the room to test for the role of Vera's sister. One glance at the agitated and frightened girl was enough for the famous director to understand that the main character had been found.
Khodchenkova was born in 1983. For a long time, the future star lived with her mother in Zheleznodorozhny. Svetlana did not work in the modeling business for long. The film debut was the role in the film by Govorukhin. Clairvoyant Cassandra continued her career in 2005 in the historical television series Talisman of Love.
The actress graduated from the Shchukin Institute at the same time. She calmed down in Govorukhin's new film "Not by bread alone", played Nadezhda Drozdova. In 2007 she was offered a job by Pavel Sanaev in his project "Zero Kilometer". From 2009 to 2013, the actress collaborated with Marius Weisberg, played in the "Love in the City" trilogy.
The debut in Hollywood took place in 2011. The performer took part in the film "Spy, Get Out!". The tape is presented by Khochenkova at the Venice Festival, along with Gary Oldman and Colin Furst. In the career of an actress, then there was a negative character in the famous project "Wolverine: the Immortal". Svetlanin's character is the villainess of Gayuk. At the end of 2016, the actress took part in the historical film Viking, in one of the leading roles.
Larichev
The male image was given to Alexander Baluev. The actor who brilliantly played the commander Larichev was born in Moscow in 1958. He finished school and decided to enter the Shchukin school. After the failure, the young man worked at the Mosfilm department as a lighting assistant. Then the future artist became a student at the Moscow Art Theater School on the Masalsky course.
After successfully completing his studies in 1980, Baluev first played in the Theater of the Soviet Army. His debut works were the productions of "Lady with Camellias" and "Clock without Hands". In 1986, the actor started working at the Ermolova Theater in the capital, which was later renamed the Theater Center of the same name. The performer got the main roles in the productions of Caligula, The Second Year of Freedom and Snow, Near the Prison. In the late eighties, the artist parted ways with the troupe.
Success in his film career began with the film "The Muslim". In the film, the actor got the older brother of the protagonist. Since the late nineties, the actor has been filming in Hollywood. Mostly he was given the role of the military. Subsequently, the actor played his most famous roles in uniform. Baluev actively works in entreprise, collaborates with the Lenkom theater.
Content of the picture
Behind the scenes, the film crew named the picture to one Soviet woman. The artists understood that in order to recreate the spirit of a bygone era, complete immersion in images would be required. The action takes place in 1935. Seventeen-year-old Vera meets a military man on the seaside and starts a casual conversation with him. A fleeting meeting completely turned the future fate of the girl.
The man is twice the age of his interlocutor. However, he invited the girl to become his wife. With the consent of Vera, her life's ups and downs began. She became the wife of the commander Alexander Larichev. Constant relocations due to new appointments of her husband, lack of family comfort, the spouse's abandonment of children, war, the death of loved ones - everything fell to her lot. She completely submits to fate, without losing faith and hope.
The main idea of the picture was the feeling of love carried by a Russian woman in her heart throughout the film.
The audience was conquered not by the full-screen version, but by the television, from four episodes. The picture was enthusiastically received not only by viewers of the older generation, but also by young people.
From the first shots, moviegoers find themselves in the atmosphere of bygone times. Therefore, the jury of many festivals and domestic spectators gave the work a positive assessment. The film was nominated for "Niki" in 2003.
Svetlana Khodchenkova also became a nominee for her leading role. Inna Churikova was awarded the award for the supporting heroine.
At the Gatchina festival, the tape was awarded a special prize for the embodiment of a lyrical concept, and the leading actress was awarded a statuette for the best female role.
