Translated material
It is difficult to be a god. And the viewer
At the Film Festival in Rome, the premiere of Alexei German Sr. by the novel by the Brothers Strugatsky at the film “It is difficult to be God” of the film “difficult fate: direct work on the ribbon lasted almost 15 years, Alexei German died in February 2013, and his son, director Alexei German Jr., completed the volume of the film. At the premiere at the Film Festival in Rome were fans of German work, as well as Russian officials from the Ministry of Culture. After the premiere, the RS correspondent Dmitry Volchek shared his impressions of the film in the program "Time of Freedom".
The film was conceived in 1968. The script was then written with the Strugatsky brothers, but Goskino closed it after the invasion of Czechoslovakia, because uncontrolled associations arose, as they said then. Alexey German returned to him already in 1998. In 2000, shooting in the Czech Republic began. Of course, over all these years, a legend has developed around the film: someone saw excerpts, someone saw an unconvented version. Peter Vile looked, with great enthusiasm spoke about unfinished work. A year ago, the film “It is difficult to be a god” was released, which was shot by the Swiss director Antoine Kattan, or Anton Katin, as he calls himself in Russia. This is a documentary on the filming of the film by Herman. Antoine and I talked about why the film was not completed: firstly, author’s perfectionism, and secondly, the psychological trauma that Herman received when the public very coldly adopted the film "Khrustalev, car!" In Cannes in 1998. All these years there were rumors that the film was ready, that he would be shown in Berlin, that they would show in Venice, but each time was postponed. At the same time, the shooting ended a long time ago, the film was mounted several years ago. Only the sound remained. And now, only after the death of Alexei German, the work was completed by the widow Svetlana Karmalit and Alexei German Jr.
The premiere in Rome is the initiative of Marco Muller, who for many years headed the festival in Venice, and now headed the Roman festival. Müller was friends with Herman and perfectly prepared this premiere. Before showing, he read the essay of one of the first spectators of the picture - Umberto Eco. It has already been translated into Russian and published in Novaya Gazeta . IVF says that it is not only difficult by God to be, but it is also difficult to be a spectator, because it is a very difficult job - to watch such a film.
Then Svetlana Karmalita said. She said that it was terrible that the premiere of the film passes without the author: "We are standing on stage together with my son. And we brought a picture here, the embodiment of one of the meanings of Leshina Life."
Alexei German Jr. at the premiere said: “Such a film could be shot only in Russia. This is an example of anti-industrial cinema. This is a simplified understanding of the cinema that has existed in the world. When all the films are the same. I really want to hope that this film-I believe in it!-will become the same phenomenon like the painting of Malevich by Russia, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky Filonova, like Tolstoy, as the best examples of Russian culture, which were always complex, original. "
It seems to me that his words were addressed, in particular, to Russian officials who were present at the premiere: the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and the director of the Department of Cinematography Vyacheslav Telnov. Someone said that during the Medinsky session, he was distracted for a long time on his mobile phone. But I still looked at the screen, I myself did not see this, I did not follow Medinsky. Let's hope that the Russian rental of this film will be normal. They say that it should be shown by a pre -warning in December, and on the screen will be released in February. Fortunately, Cannes history did not repeat in Rome. The audience was already ready for such a complex picture. In addition, in Italy they love the Strugatsky brothers. The book "Picnic on the side of the road" is a bestseller, which was reprinted many times.
But here you can already say the word "masterpiece". This is a really outstanding film, not like anything. The action takes place in the conditional Middle Ages on another planet, where Rumata arrives from the ground (Leonid Yarmolnik). And on his head a camera that takes everything that happens. Indeed, many scenes we see, as it were, the eyes of the hero. Everything is unusually close, and the whole frame is filled with flickering, it’s like an engraving with many small details: everything moves, everything is noisy, new figures, new voices appear from everywhere. Of course, such a film can only be watched on a very large screen. I would say that the main character of this picture is dirt. Literally everything is drowning in mud, clay, sewage, garbage, urine, snot even. Well, the mountains of corpses.
In Arcanar, the religious fascist organ seizes power and exterminates all scientists. Svetlana Karmalita said that this is not a film about Russia, but a film about the danger of fascism in general, anywhere. But it seems to me that it is still more about Russia, and about Russia today, where special services and clergy are surprisingly getting along.
To some extent, this is a conceptual continuation of Khrustalev. There, too, this saturation of objects in the frame is still equivalent, everything matters: here the kettle is boiling, here someone runs, there is smoke from somewhere. The same happens with sound when all sounds are simultaneously superimposed on each other.
It may be good that the film was not allowed to make in 1968. Thanks to this stupidity of Soviet censorship, such an extraordinary work arose, already belonging to our century. Of course, this is about what is happening now. Herman was concerned about fascist sentiments in Russian society, repeated the phrase of the Strugatsky that blacks came behind the gray. But still, this is by no means a political agitation, not a film on the anger of the day. This is a movie for many generations, and each will discover something new for himself.
There was an interesting discussion in the Roman Museum of Art of the XXI century, in which fans of Herman and film critics participated. The grandson of Arkady Strugatsky arrived, who really liked the film. Interestingly said Anton Dolin, the author of the book about Herman. In particular, he said that the artist Pyotr Pavlensky,the author of the sensational action on Red Square , could become the character of the film "It is difficult to be a god."
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About the world premiere "It is difficult to be a god"
The film was conceived in 1968. The script was then written with the Strugatsky brothers, but Goskino closed it after the invasion of Czechoslovakia, because uncontrolled associations arose, as they said then. Alexey German returned to him already in 1998. In 2000, shooting in the Czech Republic began. Of course, over all these years, a legend has developed around the film: someone saw excerpts, someone saw an unconvented version. Peter Vile looked, with great enthusiasm spoke about unfinished work. A year ago, the film “It is difficult to be a god” was released, which was shot by the Swiss director Antoine Kattan, or Anton Katin, as he calls himself in Russia. This is a documentary on the filming of the film by Herman. Antoine and I talked about why the film was not completed: firstly, author’s perfectionism, and secondly, the psychological trauma that Herman received when the public very coldly adopted the film "Khrustalev, car!" In Cannes in 1998. All these years there were rumors that the film was ready, that he would be shown in Berlin, that they would show in Venice, but each time was postponed. At the same time, the shooting ended a long time ago, the film was mounted several years ago. Only the sound remained. And now, only after the death of Alexei German, the work was completed by the widow Svetlana Karmalit and Alexei German Jr.
The premiere in Rome is the initiative of Marco Muller, who for many years headed the festival in Venice, and now headed the Roman festival. Müller was friends with Herman and perfectly prepared this premiere. Before showing, he read the essay of one of the first spectators of the picture - Umberto Eco. It has already been translated into Russian and published in Novaya Gazeta . IVF says that it is not only difficult by God to be, but it is also difficult to be a spectator, because it is a very difficult job - to watch such a film.
Then Svetlana Karmalita said. She said that it was terrible that the premiere of the film passes without the author: "We are standing on stage together with my son. And we brought a picture here, the embodiment of one of the meanings of Leshina Life."
Alexei German Jr. at the premiere said: “Such a film could be shot only in Russia. This is an example of anti-industrial cinema. This is a simplified understanding of the cinema that has existed in the world. When all the films are the same. I really want to hope that this film-I believe in it!-will become the same phenomenon like the painting of Malevich by Russia, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky, Kandinsky Filonova, like Tolstoy, as the best examples of Russian culture, which were always complex, original. "
It seems to me that his words were addressed, in particular, to Russian officials who were present at the premiere: the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky and the director of the Department of Cinematography Vyacheslav Telnov. Someone said that during the Medinsky session, he was distracted for a long time on his mobile phone. But I still looked at the screen, I myself did not see this, I did not follow Medinsky. Let's hope that the Russian rental of this film will be normal. They say that it should be shown by a pre -warning in December, and on the screen will be released in February. Fortunately, Cannes history did not repeat in Rome. The audience was already ready for such a complex picture. In addition, in Italy they love the Strugatsky brothers. The book "Picnic on the side of the road" is a bestseller, which was reprinted many times.
But here you can already say the word "masterpiece". This is a really outstanding film, not like anything. The action takes place in the conditional Middle Ages on another planet, where Rumata arrives from the ground (Leonid Yarmolnik). And on his head a camera that takes everything that happens. Indeed, many scenes we see, as it were, the eyes of the hero. Everything is unusually close, and the whole frame is filled with flickering, it’s like an engraving with many small details: everything moves, everything is noisy, new figures, new voices appear from everywhere. Of course, such a film can only be watched on a very large screen. I would say that the main character of this picture is dirt. Literally everything is drowning in mud, clay, sewage, garbage, urine, snot even. Well, the mountains of corpses.
In Arcanar, the religious fascist organ seizes power and exterminates all scientists. Svetlana Karmalita said that this is not a film about Russia, but a film about the danger of fascism in general, anywhere. But it seems to me that it is still more about Russia, and about Russia today, where special services and clergy are surprisingly getting along.
To some extent, this is a conceptual continuation of Khrustalev. There, too, this saturation of objects in the frame is still equivalent, everything matters: here the kettle is boiling, here someone runs, there is smoke from somewhere. The same happens with sound when all sounds are simultaneously superimposed on each other.
It may be good that the film was not allowed to make in 1968. Thanks to this stupidity of Soviet censorship, such an extraordinary work arose, already belonging to our century. Of course, this is about what is happening now. Herman was concerned about fascist sentiments in Russian society, repeated the phrase of the Strugatsky that blacks came behind the gray. But still, this is by no means a political agitation, not a film on the anger of the day. This is a movie for many generations, and each will discover something new for himself.
There was an interesting discussion in the Roman Museum of Art of the XXI century, in which fans of Herman and film critics participated. The grandson of Arkady Strugatsky arrived, who really liked the film. Interestingly said Anton Dolin, the author of the book about Herman. In particular, he said that the artist Pyotr Pavlensky,the author of the sensational action on Red Square , could become the character of the film "It is difficult to be a god."
Maniauni and Yarmolnik in Rome