I want to live some more. Leonid Bronevoy: Sometimes I dream about a cigarette, but I don’t allow it - I want to live some more

In Russia there are only 21 full Knights of this order like him. Among them, for example, is the artistic director of the Lenkom Theater where Bronevoy works - Mark Zakharov. And Galina Volchek, with whom Bronevoy once studied at the Moscow Art Theater School. And also Irina Antonova, Galina Vishnevskaya, Maya Plisetskaya, Yuri Temirkanov...

This is a very rare award,” says Bronevoy, not without pride. - They gave it to me for my 85th birthday. The Presidential Decree was signed a year ago. But I was sick, so I couldn't get it earlier. They say that he looks gorgeous: a huge star that is hung on the right chest, a silk ribbon and another order under the chin. You'll have to wear a light gray suit to the Kremlin. Dark clothing is inappropriate for a daytime ceremony,” Broneva discusses the upcoming event. And I hear in his words the intonations of the Duke from the film “That Same Munchausen”, who also strictly followed etiquette and fashion. Remember his words: “No one fights in a single-breasted uniform anymore”?

“IF SPECTATORS SEE HOW I WALK, THEY WILL ASK WHY DID HE COME TO MARRY?”

After a long break, you returned to the stage of Lenkom in the play The Cherry Orchard. How did the audience receive you?

They are well received. But the performance is also very good. Believe me, I have seen a lot of “Cherry Orchards” in my life. Mark Anatolyevich feels the classics, puts them in a modern and short way. Sasha Zakharova plays wonderfully there; she has become a serious, real actress. Lots of good young actors...

- Do you get along easily with young people? Or does your authority suppress them?

Young people don’t ask me anything. They are very confident people. Yes, and I don’t pester you with comments. I try not to offend anyone. But you don’t have to love everyone.

Mark Anatolyevich always emphasizes that you are the artist of his theater. He really wanted you to return to the stage.

If not for his persistence, it would have been more difficult for me to do this. He says that he wants to take another adventure - to prepare for me a role in a classical play, perhaps by Ostrovsky. And I will gladly play in another of his performances. Perhaps it will be “The Forest” or “For Every Wise Man...”. He is looking for a play that is in tune with today. Zakharov has a remarkable command of both form and content - this is a rare gift from God.

- When do you plan to return to other performances - “Royal Games”, “Marriage”?

In The Royal Games I play the Duke of Norfolk and I have to wear high boots, but my foot still hurts. Even in winter, when it’s snowing, I have to go outside in slippers. Other shoes are not suitable. Doctors say it's because of the blood vessels. I walk with a stick. Well, okay - Firs is in The Cherry Orchard, he, like me, is many years old. But to play Agafya Tikhonovna’s fiance?! If the audience sees me walking, the first thing they will ask is, why did this old fool come to get married? Zbruev and Pevtsov funny play the other two suitors. They are strange, ridiculous, stupid, but at least they are not sick.

“I DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THE UKRAINIANS SHOOT THEIR OWN”

Yes, I had a severe heart attack while on tour in Kyiv. I didn’t even understand how it happened, I lost consciousness and was in intensive care for a long time. I was operated on there. There are very good doctors in Kyiv. Professor Boris Mikhailovich Todurov, cardiac surgeon, director of the Kyiv Heart Center, created an excellent clinic. In my opinion, there are no such clinics in Moscow. They did good for my heart. True, they said that in a few years another operation will be needed. But I quit smoking, not a single cigarette in two years. Before that, I smoked for 70 years, ever since the war. Sometimes, you know, I want a cigarette, but I don’t allow it. We still have to live...

- Do you have any relatives in Kyiv? What is the situation there?

There are no relatives left, although I was born in Kyiv. Even under Yanukovych, I was even awarded the title of People's Artist of Ukraine, although I did not understand why, I never worked there. “But you were born here,” they told me. - Your parents’ apartment here was taken away, your father was arrested in 1937, and you and your mother were sent into exile. We remember everything." Well, thank you.

- Don’t you want to go to Ukraine?

Not anymore. Why are they killing each other, how long can this continue?! I don’t understand who is to blame for this whole story: them, us, or America and Europe. Everyone is probably to blame. But Ukrainians cannot shoot at their own people! I don’t want to blame the West for incitement, but probably the reactionary West is happy with what’s happening. Unfortunately, there are fears that this will not end soon. And we too can be drawn into this war. Therefore, we need to look for a compromise, hide our national pride, so that the confrontation ends by any means.

“You CAN’T PLAY A FASCIST LIKE BRONEVOY plays MUELLER”

- Now some theater artists of your generation have begun to sing. Don't such thoughts occur to you?

Many famous artists try to sing, and the audience is ready to endure it - even if they sing poorly. I once held a lot of concerts and sometimes sang. I can’t say it was good, but I accompanied myself on the piano. I studied vocals at the Moscow Art Theater School, and even sang “Among the Noisy Ball” during the exam... And I sang at the Pokrovsky Gate. Mikhail Kozakov and I wrote the lyrics and selected the melody.

They say that in Mark Zakharov’s films you also came up with witty lines for your characters, improvised...

No, there I adhered to Gorin’s text. “I saw their Italy on the map. A boot with a boot...” “The head is a dark object and cannot be examined.” “Would you like to have a bite, doctor? You can eat if the doctor is full - and it’s easier for the patient,” Vlet quotes Bronevoy from the movie “Formula of Love,” where he played the doctor. - Wonderful text by Grisha Gorin. Why spoil it with improvisation?

- And you still remember it word for word?

I remember all my roles. Even the role of Lenin, which he played half a century ago on the stage of the Voronezh Academic Theater.

- For example, would you like to play in a TV series?

I played in “Seventeen Moments of Spring” - there are twelve episodes.

- So this is not a series, this is a masterpiece.

Nowadays TV series are filmed without rehearsals. Although real directors rehearse with actors for months. Lioznova tormented us with rehearsals. But what a film it turned out to be! And to shoot a movie from 8 in the morning until ten in the evening, one episode a day, for this you need bullish health. And for what? To earn money for medicine or for your own funeral?

- Maybe for other needs, for example, for an apartment.

My wife and I have a two-room apartment, and we don’t need more. The Soviet government taught us to be content with what we have. On the one hand, this is terrible. On the other hand, less hassle. Any move is like an earthquake; it is associated with a lot of hassle.

- Do you watch films with your participation?

I can't watch. I have so many comments, first of all towards myself, but nothing can be corrected - and then I catch myself thinking that Bronevoy is very similar to his hero - the elderly, slightly capricious actor from Popogrebsky’s film “Simple Things”. -Have you seen this film? I liked myself there, although I had to rework my role, I wrote the text as the action progressed. Do you know why I liked this role? Because I didn't have the strength to try. You never have to try. When a person tries, he sweats like a hail, it’s disgusting to watch. There should be ease of communication and intonation.

- So this lightness is even in your Müller, the chief of the Gestapo. Is this your natural gift?

Mark Anatolyevich Zakharov also believes that this is natural. He says he still can’t understand how I play Müller in Seventeen Moments. He gives his students this role as an example. I was even accused by the first secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee, Viktor Mironenko, that because of me new fascist organizations appeared, they say, you can’t play a fascist the way Bronevoy plays Muller. And I had to answer him through the newspaper that everything cannot be blamed on art. I played Muller according to Stanislavsky’s principle: look for good in evil, and evil in good. A state security general sat with us during the filming. And one day Lioznova tells me that the general has comments for me: “Your Muller turns out to be a humane, kind person. But he is still our enemy. I suggest finishing a small scene where you torture the general.” I ask: “Which general?” He told me: “Of course, Soviet, captured.” “Your organization is better at torturing a Soviet general than I am,” I answered rather sharply. - I won’t do this. But if you insist, give me a German general who allegedly attempted to assassinate Hitler.” The result is an idiotic scene where I interrogate a German officer in a white shirt... Although the film is not about that at all.

“Seventeen Moments of Spring” was categorically disliked by the “gray eminence” Mikhail Suslov and the head of the political department of the Soviet army, General Epishev. Suslov did not like that the leading role of the Communist Party was not felt in the film. But Epishev believed: it was necessary to show that the people won the war. But the Minister of Defense Marshal Grechko and the head of the KGB Yuri Andropov really liked the film. They defended the film, saying that it was about the victory of Soviet counterintelligence, and one intelligence officer was worth an entire army. However, the film was not given the USSR State Prize. A few years after its release, when Brezhnev watched “Seventeen Moments,” we were given the State Prize of the RSFSR named after the Vasilyev brothers. Slava Tikhonov was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of Socialist Labor. Tatyana Lioznova received the Order of the October Revolution, and Tabakov and I received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. But even with this award there was a terrible casuistry: they wanted to nominate Lioznova for the title of Hero of Socialist Labor - she deserved this award no less than Tikhonov. But in order not to give her a Star, one word was replaced in the presentation for the award: instead of writing “for creating the film,” they wrote “for participating in the film.” It's about the director! Lioznova was very worried about this. It was shameless and not pretty.

ACTOR Catchphrases

And you, Stirlitz, I will ask you to stay.

(“Seventeen Moments of Spring”, Müller).

The head is a dark object and cannot be examined.

(“Formula of Love”, Doctor).

The last year of the actor’s life was incredibly eventful; it was as if he was trying to make up for lost time, to do what he didn’t have time to do.

Having played dozens of roles in cult comedies, Anatoly Papanov became an idol for adults, and children fell in love with him after the release of the animated series “Well, Just Wait!” The kids recognized the Wolf on the street, and the artist generously signed autographs and communicated with his little fans as equals. But he confessed to his loved ones more than once: “This Wolf chewed up my biography.” The directors perceived Papanov as a brilliant comedic actor, but he wanted more, dreamed of drama. The artist had the opportunity to play one of the most significant roles in the last year of his life. It was a generous parting gift from fate...

Anatoly Papanov came to GITIS straight from the front; he was demobilized after being seriously wounded and having his foot partially amputated. Limping, with a speech impediment, it was a miracle that he got in - there were almost no guys at the institute, and the teachers were lenient towards those who came. They made the right decision: the thin, unprepossessing boy turned out to be a talented artist, and his lisp became the “highlight” of the images he created.

He was constant and faithful; acting temptations passed him by. “I have one wife and one theater for the rest of my life,” said Anatoly Papanov, who served for 40 years at the Satire Theater and lived for 42 years with his beloved wife. Nadya Karataeva was his classmate, she also returned from the front, she also wore a tunic every day, because there was no other clothing... They immediately found a common language and very quickly realized that they loved each other.

Popularity came to Papanov quite late; he played his best roles after forty. He dreamed of this for many years, but when they began to recognize him on the streets and pursue him in his own entrance, he realized that this burden was heavy. The artist was embarrassed by fame, embarrassed by the money he earned, and did not want to stand out. When he got his own car, a luxurious Volga at that time, he never drove it to the very entrance to the theater, he left it for them a couple of blocks away.

Papanov always dressed very modestly, in faded jeans and inconspicuous shirts. His wife bought him weekend suits and decent shoes, but it all collected dust in the closet for years. The artist pulled a battered cap over his head, covered his eyes with dark glasses - he disguised himself from annoying fans.

Anatoly Papanov was a wonderful father and grandfather, he doted on his granddaughters, whom his only daughter Elena gave him. He played with them for hours, and before going to bed he read not fairy tales, but something from the classics, for example, his favorite “Eugene Onegin.” He said that his granddaughters were his best medicine, just like the dacha, where he loved to ride a bicycle and walk alone in the forest.

However, Anatoly Dmitrievich never complained about his health, and, although his heart sometimes tingled, he did not pay attention to it. I was sure: a healthy lifestyle and willpower work wonders. The artist did not smoke, suddenly stopped drinking alcohol, went in for sports and swam at the dacha until November, until the water in the lake froze. And yet, by the age of 60, he felt that his strength was no longer the same. True, I didn’t want to admit it to myself or others.

The years 1986 and 1987 for Papanov were literally filled with events, which was especially striking against the background of the previous calm. After all, since the beginning of the 1980s, the artist was filmed very little, and nothing interesting happened in the theater. And then it was like a dam broke! He was invited to teach at GITIS, the chief director of the Theater of Satire finally entrusted him with staging a play, he went on tour, participated in creative meetings.

When in 1986 he brought home two film scripts at once, Nadezhda Yuryevna became alarmed and angry:

Do you want to break apart? Students and theater are not enough for you...

She saw that her husband was tired, that he needed rest. But it was impossible to dissuade him from filming. True, Papanov agreed to only one film - “Cold Summer of '53.” The tragic story of the battle between political prisoners and bandits touched the artist’s heartstrings.

When the shooting was finished, Papanov approached director Alexander Proshkin and asked:

Show me my grave.

He began to deny it, saying that you don’t need this... But Anatoly Dmitrievich insisted. His hero, the political exile Kopalych, is killed in the story, and the frame shows his grave - a modest mound with a cross.

Papanov was not superstitious and did not seem to be tormented by any premonitions of imminent death, but when he found himself at “his” grave, his face changed. He became gloomy, hunched over and quickly walked away.

True, he later said to his fellow artists:

I played my death, which means I will live a long time.

Unfortunately, this prophecy did not come true.

After filming, Papanov had to go to Riga, where his native theater was touring and where his wife was waiting for him. But I decided to make a detour - to drop into Moscow and help my students move into the dormitory. Anatoly Dmitrievich was rooting for them in his soul, he knew that if he didn’t show up, they would not get the best places, and some might even end up on the street.

It was the first week of August, it was incredibly hot outside, and the asphalt in Moscow was literally melting. Anatoly Dmitrievich returned home tired. The only thing he dreamed about was taking a shower. While going up the stairs, I met a janitor. He told him that the hot water had been turned off.

Papanov took this calmly; he always loved to cool off under an ice-cold shower, saying that it restored his strength and gave him health. But this time everything went wrong.

Cold water, combined with overheating and fatigue accumulated after months of filming, dealt a fatal blow to the actor. A spasm of blood vessels occurred, and the artist’s heart stopped while he was standing under an ice-cold shower. Anatoly Dmitrievich fell, lost consciousness, and cold water continued to pour onto his unconscious body. If someone had been nearby, if the ambulance had arrived quickly enough, Papanov might have been saved. But by a fateful coincidence, at the most critical moment of his life, no one was next to the artist. My wife was in Riga, my daughter and family were at the dacha. He died alone, under a cascade of icy water, unable to move or call for help.

Papanov's wife became worried when he did not arrive in Riga. She did not have any alarming premonitions, she was absolutely sure that now her husband would come down from the plane, hug her, and tell her in vivid colors how he fought for the hostel... But the plane arrived without him. At that moment, a growing fear settled in her heart.

She started calling her home phone, neighbors, acquaintances - no one saw Papanov. Already realizing that something bad had happened, Nadezhda Yuryevna contacted her daughter. She and her husband rushed from the dacha, the man climbed through the window through the neighbors’ balcony and discovered a terrible picture: the body of Anatoly Papanov was lying in the bathroom, streams of icy water were pouring onto him. More than a day has passed since the attack happened...

The film “Cold Summer of '53” became a requiem for the actor. “I really want to live some more... and work!” - says Papanov’s hero a few minutes before his death. At the premiere of the film, the audience could not hold back their tears at these words, and during the final shots, everyone stood up as one and saw off their favorite artist with applause.

If you do not object, the positive difference between the amount sufficient to help under this announcement and the total amount of donations received will be used to help other people in need in the same category of requests.

Tamara Vasilyevna Zelenina from Moscow is 79 years old. She has not left the house for 4 years. Need help buying an electric wheelchair

Tamara Vasilyevna puts on woolen socks and slippers in any weather, and puts on a robe in any weather. “She hasn’t left the house for 4 years; before, she could get around in a street wheelchair with a manual
drive, but her arms have weakened and now she only has access to an indoor stroller. You can’t go out into the street in this stroller - the building has a narrow elevator and an inappropriate ramp,” says Larisa Goryacheva, a volunteer at the Orthodox help service “Mercy”.

Tamara Vasilyevna started having problems with her legs when she was young. The relationship with her first husband did not work out - he beat her, her second husband drank. So she was left alone with two children. To feed them, she sometimes worked at night as a watchman at a factory, and went to work
even in cold and damp conditions. I caught a bad cold several times and my legs began to fail. I ended up in the hospital and was treated there for a long time - about 4 months. Over time, the condition worsened and she became disabled.

“Ten years ago I was prescribed a manual wheelchair. Using such a stroller led to my arms becoming weak, and the attending physician stated partial paralysis,” says Tamara Vasilyevna. “I can’t use a street stroller anymore; I haven’t been outside for a long time.”

Several years ago, when Tamara Vasilyevna could still go out, she was given a free ticket to a sanatorium. There she saw that many disabled people live interesting lives, they can go wherever they want, to the forest, to the city, for a walk.

“It turned out that they have electric wheelchairs, and they have no trouble getting around. I was forced to sit in one place all day, because you can’t go far with my stroller. One time I rented an electric wheelchair. What happiness it was!,” recalls Tamara Vasilievna. “Move around and travel long distances, wherever you want, without making it difficult for anyone!”

Volunteers from the Orthodox aid service “Mercy” tried to help Tamara Vasilievna get such a stroller for free. But the Bureau of Social and Medical Expertise refused with the wording: “such wheelchairs are issued only to young disabled people and people with complete paralysis of their hands (when only their fingers work).”

But in the case of Tamara Vasilievna, complete paralysis of her hands cannot be allowed! After all, this will lead to the fact that she will not be able to take care of herself on her own. “And I will end up in a nursing home. Due to health reasons, the children cannot provide proper care for me; they live separately on small pensions,” adds Tamara Vasilievna.

The cost of an electric wheelchair with an electric drive OttoBock A-200, which is suitable for a grandmother (goes into a narrow elevator and easily folds) -. She and her relatives do not have that kind of money. Pension - 17,000 rubles, children help as much as they can, mainly with food.

“But I really want to live some more: to go out for a walk on the street, like all ordinary people, just to breathe some air, to go to the park,” shares Tamara Vasilyevna.