Андрей Тихомиров
From the history of cinema
Since the 30s, the production of sound films has been mastered. Since that time, a new stage in the history of Soviet cinema has begun, inextricably linked with the further development of the principles of socialist realism. Soviet films in these years were distinguished by the richness of their subjects, the abundance of genres, and the originality of the work of film directors. In the 30s, a number of new directors came forward: G. V. Alexandrov, L. O. Arnshtam, G. N. and S. D. Vasilyev, S. A. Gerasimov, E. L. Dzigan, A. G. Zarkhi, I.A. Pyriev, M. I. Romm, I. A. Savchenko, I. E. Heifits, etc. The importance of film drama (literary script) has increased dramatically. In the works of such film dramatists as M. Y. Bleiman, M. V. Bolynintsov, E. N. Vinogradskaya, E. O. Gabrilovich, G. E. Grebner, A. Ya. Kapler, V. M. Gusev, the script has turned into a full-fledged work of fiction. Writers B. V. Vishnevsky, P. A. Pavlenko, N. F. Pogodin and others were involved in the creation of scripts. A little later, screenwriters K. F. Isaev, M.G. Papava, E. M. Landowners, M. N. Smirnova, B. F. Chirskov, as well as novelists and theatrical playwrights Yu. P. German, P. F. Nilin, L. N. Rakhmanov, A. N. Tolstoy, A. P. Shteiv and others came to the cinema. Many film directors turned to studying the experience of theatrical art and, above all, the creative system of K. S. Stanislavsky.
With the advent of sound cinema, actors were able to use words to create psychology and character characteristics on the screen more deeply and fully, and to convey the ideological idea of the film to the viewer more vividly. The use of sound in cinema has also changed the nature of editing, leading to the development of new techniques in directing and cinematography. Music and song become one of the most important components of the film; songs from films become widely popular. Music for cinema was created at this time by composers I. O. Dunaevsky, D. B. Kabalevsky, N. N. Kryukov, S. S. Prokofiev, A. I. Khachaturian, T. N. Khrennikov, D. D. Shostakovich et al.
The best films of the 30s are distinguished by the depth of their ideological content and the multifaceted coverage of reality. They show the social and labor activity of a person in unity with his inner spiritual life.
The masterpiece of Soviet cinematography of the 30s is the film Chapaev (1934), created by directors G. N. and S. D. Vasilyev (based on the novel of the same name by D. A. Furmanov). Russian Russian cinema summarizes the experience of Soviet cinema in previous years, organically embodies the best traditions of Russian classical and Soviet literature and Russian realistic theatrical art; it is marked by truthfulness, depth, and bold use of new expressive means of cinema. The convincing, truly folk image of Chapaev was created by the artist B. A. Babochkin. The accuracy of the ideological plan, realistic completeness, and fidelity to typification characterized the performance of other roles (Furmanova – actor B. V. Blinov, Colonel Borozdin – I. N. Pevtsov, etc.). The film "Chapaev", which became a new milestone in the development of cinematography, gained the widest popularity among the workers of the USSR and foreign countries.
In the 30s and early 40s, many outstanding film productions in the field of historical and revolutionary genre were created – "We are from Kronstadt" (directed by E. L. Dzigan, 1936), "Deputy of the Baltic" (directed by A. G. Zarkhi and I. E. Heifits, 1937), "Shchors" (director A. P. Dovzhenko, 1939), "Yakov Sverdlov" (directed by S. I. Yutkevich, 1940), etc.
One of the best historical and revolutionary works of Soviet cinema is the trilogy about Maxim ("Maxim's Youth", "Maxim's Return", "Vyborg Side", 1935-1939) directed by G. M. Kozintsev and L. 3. Trauberg. In terms of the breadth of disclosure of the historical epoch, the richness of vivid typical images, this trilogy, depicting the development of the revolutionary movement in Russia in 1907-1917, approaches a multifaceted realistic novel. The role of the St. Petersburg worker Maxim, who became a Bolshevik, a professional revolutionary, was played with deep vital truth and penetration by the artist B. P. Chirkov. According to the visual solution, the trilogy about Maxim is one of the most significant works of Soviet cinematography (cameraman A. N. Moskvin).
In the 30s, major films were created dedicated to the events of the Great October Socialist Revolution, depicting the activities of V. I. Lenin: "Lenin in October" and "Lenin in 1918" (directed by M. I. Romm, 1937, 1939), "Man with a Gun" (directed by S. I. Yutkevich, 1938).
The comedy genre achieved great success in the 30s, especially in the work of directors I. A. Pyriev and G. V. Alexandrov. Destroying the stencils of bourgeois film comedy, Pyriev sought to reflect modern life in comedy. His films "The Rich Bride" (1938), "The Tractor Drivers" (1939), "The Pig and the Shepherd" (1941) show the affirmation of the new in everyday life and the minds of the people of the Soviet village. The images of Soviet people created in these films by M. A. Ladynina, N. A. Kryuchkov and others are very convincing. Alexandrov's cheerful, music-filled comedies widely use the techniques of sharp satire, eccentric jokes, buffoonery. His films "Funny Guys" (1934), "Volga-Volga" (1938), "The Bright Path" (1940) are distinguished by their vivid entertainment and entertainment, in which artists L. P. Orlova, I. V. Ilyinsky and others created memorable images.
In the late 30s and early 40s, film productions on historical topics devoted to patriotic traditions and friendship of the peoples of the USSR were released. Masters of literature and cinematography have created a number of outstanding films, including "Peter the Great" (based on the novel by A. N. Tolstoy, directed by V. M. Petrov, 2 episodes, 1937-1939), "Alexander Nevsky" (directed by S. M. Eisenstein, 1938), "Bogdan Khmelnitsky" (directed by I. A. Savchenko, 1941 G.), "Suvorov" (directed by V. I. Pudovkin, 1940). Major Soviet actors—N. K. Simonov (the role of Peter—"Peter the First"), A. K. Tarasova (the role of Catherine – "Peter the First"), N. K. Cherkasov (the role of Tsarevich Alexei – "Peter the First", Alexander Nevsky in the film of the same name), M. I. Zharov (the role of Menshikov – "Peter the First"), N. D. Mordvinov (the role of Bogdan Khmelnitsky in the film of the same name), N. P. Cherkasov (the role of Suvorov in the film of the same name) – created in these films vivid, realistic images.
