The path to yourself

Why the work of Russian directors left world screens

Once domestic cinema was a successful world brand. In France alone, the Cranes are “flying” were watched by 5 million 401 thousand spectators - the film became the leaders of the film distribution. “Babblers Potemkin”, “Ballad of a Soldier”, “Andrei Rublev” have not gone from the posters of cinemas and synematics around the world for decades. Modern Russian cannot boast of such achievements. Why - analyzed The New Times

A biased, crooked, but still a mirror of cinema is a rental. Our cinema in the world box office is not virtually. France is most tolerant of it, but there are new Russian films if they come out, then with meager circulations. But the most curious thing is that our cinema began to sharply give up positions in the domestic market.

Art casa

"Babric -bearer Potemkin"
"Cranes fly"
"Andrey Rublev"

If we talk about the world rental, a weak consolation should be that our cinema cannot claim to be any leading position. The world is watching a movie made in Hollywood, Bollywood, Southeast Asia, primarily in Hong Kong and Japan (as well as China, Korea and Thailand), in France. Everything else is not quoted.

Of all the Russian films, a more or less successful career in the foreign rental of the 2000s managed to make only three, two of them art house, which earned an order of magnitude more than in Russia: “Return” by Andrei Zvyagintsev and the “Russian ark” of Alexander Sokurov. In 2004, at the Toronto festival, an ordinary commercial eight-collar (is it possible for us?) Demonstrated extremely highly artistic cinema. And in one of the halls at four sessions, the “return” was shown daily. By the standards of the corrupt rolis and show, this is just a misunderstanding.
The only successful Russian commercial film of the 2000s that raised money abroad (about $ 30 million, which by Hollywood standards of nonsense) was the Night Watch.

A bitter on which you are sitting

The situation in the domestic market is also impressive. Until the summer of 2004, before the release of the "Night Watch", our native spectators watched our cinema poorly. Our Hollywood ribbons became hits. But then for some time advertising convinced our audience that domestic cinema is the worst in the world. Already in 2006, an incredible situation has developed in Russia: all the first lines in the list of the most box office films of the post-Soviet rental were occupied by domestic-“Day Watch”, “9 Roth”, “Turkish Gambit”, “Night Watch”. Good millions have collected Boomer. The film is the second ”,“ Bastards ”,“ Peter FM ”... (Soon the absolute record of our rental - about $ 50 million - set the stupid sequel“ The Irony of Fate ”, before which the rolling and advertising space was cleared during the New Year holidays).
It is true, however, to note (this has to be heard more than once from the most authoritative sources) that there are also posts in our cinema statistics. In the West, sometimes reduced data on rolling fees in order to evade taxes. On the contrary, we are exaggerated - to inspire potential investors.
And then our producers demolished the roof. They hit another extreme: they decided that any of our film would bring fabulous young ladies if you explain to the public that it is the most-radical blockbuster. For blockbusters, they began to give out a complete (also disgusting with their anti-Western ideology) rubbish type of any “reverse reference” and “Apocalypse Code”. The freshest examples (but there is not at least anti -Western orientation there) - “black lightning” and “on the game”.
The aggressive policy of pouring domestic cinema has led to a terrible cultural loss: we have lost the best world modern movie that came to our screens in the early 2000s. Now the true art house, regardless of the country of production, comes out in us in a maximum of two copies and only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In the rest, even university cities, you will not wait for him. This is actually a violation of consumer rights. And scold our audience after that for the passion for torrents, for the pirate download of films from the Internet. She longs for film art - she is offered Russian commercial rubbish.
But the audience took revenge. Aggressive advertising, when the viewer was driven into the hall just not a whip, led to the terrible failure of the same “weary of the sun-2” and the collapse of the concept of Russian commercial cinema in general. It seems that the audience has lost faith in her native cinema. This year, Hollywood again occupies the first four lines in the cash register of Russian rental: Avatar, which set the new commercial record of our rental (almost $ 113 million), Alice in Wonderland, Titani Battle, “How to Turn the Dragon”. Only in fifth place is the domestic picture. But, firstly, it is not born with a cinema and they are not (this is the film “Our Russian: Eggs of Fate”). And secondly, it was already supposed to oust the active fourth Shrek from the cash register in the cash register last week.
Another fact that characterizes the public’s negative attitude to his native cinema is the failure of all the second parts of those films in which producers and distributors hoped to double. After watching the first part, few people wanted to go to the second. Even in the case of a more or less coordinated “inhabited island”, not to mention “paragraph 78” or “on the game”. Only in a nightmare can you imagine what awaits the final part of the epic epic in the box office.

And the branch is in your hand

| | | --- | | | | "Night Watch" | |

| | “The irony of fate. Continuation "| A deafening failure accompanies our cinema at foreign film festivals. The last loud triumph is two “golden lions” of the Venetian festival received in 2003 for the film “Return” by Andrei Zvyagintsev. The main prizes of the last-nested years were gained by Alexei Mizgirev with the film “Buben, Drum”, which received two of the five main prizes (a jury special prize and a prize for directing) at the Locarno festival, which, of course, does not compete with Cannes, but is part of the unofficial list of filmings of the first dozen. And Alexei Popogrebsky, whose painting “How I spent this summer” took prizes for operator work and the best male role (the prize was, recall, divided into both main actors) at the festival in Berlin.
And here is special sadness. It is clear that foreign festivals (with very rare exceptions such as Konchalovsky, Sokurov, Mikhalkov, German-st., Khrzhanovsky-st., Lungin) is primarily interested in the “new Russian film wave” that we have, Popogrebsky, Khomeriki, Zeldovich, Zvyagintsev, Mizgirerev, Sigarev, dug, silver, silver, silver, silver. Proshkin-Ml., German-Ml., Khrzhanovsky-Ml., As well as the senior Balabanov, etc. This movie has at least some attitude to reality and Russian public consciousness. Actually, all new European films, which are actually very few (Italian neorealism of the 40-50s, the French “new wave” of the 50-60s, the Danish “dogma” of the 90s) were based on interest in reality. Our wave is no exception.
But it is precisely this wave that these directors have no place in modern film Russia. Firstly, because the new system of eight studio, formed recently, will only encourage the mainstream, obviously, Promikhalkovsky. Secondly, because we still do not have an alternative rental system. Why, in the person of the Ministry of Culture, not investing in the creation of such a system - at least at first in the university cities we mentioned? When, as in developed countries, the level of France or Canada, will a network of multiplexes appear that purposefully show films such as the mentioned “Return”? Never, it seems.

"Return"
"Tired of the Sun 2"

Collapse is coming?

Meanwhile, our cinema is on the verge of economic collapse. On June 6, the main intra -is -quality festival "Kinotavr" in Sochi will open. This year, his qualifying commission watched 74 paintings and assures that she collected a very good program. But what is coming in 2011, no one knows. Because last year, due to preparations for the creation of the Eight Studies, Russia did not allocate state duties for the production of films, and almost all projects were frozen. You see, in 2011 and the “Kinotavra” will not be ...

On the main page of the frame from the film by Andrei Tarkovsky "Andrei Rublev"