Translated material
Collective image of Oleg Kagan
And on the evening broadcast of the Kultura TV channel on November 21 and 22 - two episodes of the documentary film “Oleg Kagan. Life after life." Its author, the famous director-animator Andrei KHRZHANOVSKY, told Ekaterina KLYUCHNIKOVA about how the film was created, especially for Vremya Novostei.
— Why did you decide to make a documentary about Oleg Kagan? As far as I know, this genre was not previously part of your interests.
- This is not my only documentary work. I made a series of documentaries, “Meetings with Pushkin,” for the poet’s anniversary. Then he filmed “Dreams about the artistic and the public” - about the Moscow Art Theater. I also have a film that film critics have been arguing about for a long time, not knowing where to classify it: either animation or documentary. This is “A Cat and a Half” based on the works of Joseph Brodsky. In general, I would not like to adhere to clear boundaries separating feature (that is, fiction), documentary, and animated films. Judging by the trends that can be observed in the world today, everything is moving towards synthesis - both different types of art and different types of cinema.
The film about Oleg Kagan is a special story in my biography. At our first meeting, Natasha Gutman showed me only one video recording, made during Oleg’s last concert with Yuri Bashmet, where they performed Mozart’s Symphony Concertante. It shocked me! But I didn’t know what to do with the material: apart from this video recording, I had practically nothing. Perhaps one of the final arguments that persuaded me to take on this difficult work was photographs. In particular, those that were filmed a few days before Oleg’s death.
- Performing art is a delicate thing. It is almost impossible to record a brilliant performance even with modern technology development. The most valuable thing disappears - the energy, the sense of personality of the performer himself. How to preserve this something that cannot be expressed in words?
- Yes, the film gives something more. At least, people who knew Oleg closely could not believe that I did not have the opportunity to communicate closely with him. Because they believe that in the film it is precisely the Oleg who could only appear in the minds of a person who knew him well...
--What is your personal relationship with music?
— Like any child born into a musical family, I was taught music, but not very successfully. God didn't give me musical talent. Although my father had absolute pitch, and my mother had good hearing. My mother's entire family - the Berlinskys - were advanced musicians, and this does not count those who studied music professionally. Of course, music lessons played a role in my creative life. “Of all the arts, music is second only to love, but love is also melody.” It is a pity that today classical music is disappearing from our lives. Everything is being done to take her to a separate ghetto, where only the Kultura TV channel has access. Other TV channels, and after them the general public, simply do not need classical music.
- In your opinion, what is the reason?
- And the reason is very clear to me personally. Television has taken a course towards fooling people. It is easier for an idiot to sell any pantyhose, pads, beer - everything that is advertised on TV. And such people are easier to manage, because they are not interested in anything except the swill and the chewing gum that is served to them in the form of TV series, usually monstrous ones. Apparently, the goal of our media is to educate and encourage the basest instincts. The public is instilled with the idea: money decides everything, it is the highest value in this life. Genuine art does not penetrate unprepared ears. And souls.
-- Does music inspire you to create films?
- Yes, I listen to music almost every day. And not only classical, but also jazz. Usually, when I work on a film, I make a preliminary rough soundtrack composed of music I have selected. Now I'm working on a film about an outstanding poet. I won’t name the name yet. We will assume that this is a collective image of the Poet. I have already pre-assembled the phonogram. It consists of works by Bach, Purcell, Shostakovich, Schnittke, and fragments of jazz.