Documentary film about Leonid Filatov. "I hope I'm not boring you"

Dozens of bright, memorable, brilliantly played theater and film roles... A wonderful, sincere author’s program about artists like him, but who have already left us, the idols of past years - “To Remember”... And also beautiful, poignantly honest, readable poetry literally in one breath... Theater and film actor, film director, poet, writer, publicist, TV presenter - whatever Leonid Filatov undertook, he did brilliantly and professionally.

He was loved and respected, admired and imitated, and his colleagues simply doted on him. But even at the peak of his fame, he did not feel like a born artist, nor a writer, nor a director. In one of his interviews, Leonid Filatov once admitted: “I have the feeling that I am not one of those people who were born artists. I wasn't born. I'm done. Therefore, I have the feeling that next to my destiny there is still one that has not come true. I don't think it was writing, I don't think it was directing. Don't think…"

Leonid Filatov lived less than 57 years. He experienced both quite early acting success and mature literary success after the brilliant fairy tale “About Fedot the Archer, a daring fellow.” And he bravely resisted a severe, debilitating illness...

Leonid Filatov was born in Kazan in December 1946. He flew to Moscow to study directing at VGIK, failed, and then went to the Theater School. Shchukin. The consequence of the “Shchukin” school was his legendary versatility: he felt equally natural and inspired on stage, in the theater, in the chair of a film director, and from an early youth he wrote poetry and plays. After graduating from college, the actor was invited to Lyubimov’s Taganka, which was then called a “street gang”, “six wheezes - seven guitars”, “blueblood gang members”. Many people dissuaded him. But he did not regret anything and never repented of his choice; this theater became a real home for him.

His first job was the role of the Presenter in the production of “What is to be done?” according to Chernyshevsky, which immediately made a name for Filatov. He himself called Taganka his university. Landmark roles for Filatov included the “secondary” roles of Horatio in Hamlet and Federzioni in The Life of Galileo, as well as the central works in The Master and Margarita and The House on the Embankment. Each of these roles in its own way affirmed Filatov in the image of a person standing apart from others, distinguished by his reflective, “intelligentsia” breed. He played a lot in the theater, in the eighties - when Lyubimov was replaced by Efros - he moved to Sovremennik, and then returned, playing, for example, in the underrated, perestroika-era Feast in the Time of Plague. But he didn’t catch on and, together with some of his associates, founded the “Commonwealth of Taganka Actors” in 1993.

Almost simultaneously with the start of work in the theater, Filatov began acting in films - “City of First Love” with his participation was released in 1970. However, he had to wait almost a decade for real success - but it was phenomenal. Filatov woke up famous after the release of “Crew” by Alexander Mitta, where he played the role of flight engineer Igor Skvortsov. This role not only glorified Filatov, but also made him one of the most popular actors in Soviet cinema. Filatov acted in a lot of films, but, unfortunately, his truly landmark roles were not so numerous. In addition to the pilot in "Crew", of course, "The Chosen" by Sergei Solovyov (1983), "Chicherin" by Alexander Zarkhi (1986) - by the way, which brought Filatov the prize for best actor in Karlovy Vary, a loving official in "Forgotten Melody for Flute" by Eldar Ryazanov (1987), “Kafkaesque” traveler in “City of Zero” by Karen Shakhnazarov (1988).

In the early 90s, all Filatov’s energy and concerns were devoted to a new hobby - directing. “I love a wide variety of films - Buñuel, Bergman, Bresson, Tarkovsky, Malle, Fassbinder, Herman, Mikhalkov, Solovyov, Forman, Parker, and you never know who else! But most of all I love Fellini,” he once admitted. In 1991, Filatov directed according to his own script and played one of the roles in the film “Sons of Bitches,” which received first prize at the Kinotavr festival. In total, Filatov’s filmography includes about thirty films.

After health problems forced Filatov to interrupt his active acting and directing work in the mid-90s, the versatility of his bright talent manifested itself in another form of art - literature. He had always written something before, but the last decade of his life was especially fruitful for literary works. From the pen of Filatov came new poems, songs, plays and even literary parodies. The works of Leonid Filatov are collected in five volumes: poems, parodies, scripts, poems, fairy tales, stories.

In the preface to the collection of his poems “Respect Luck,” playwright Alexander Volodin wrote: “What diverse talents he is gifted with! A brilliant film director. A brilliant parodist. Storyteller. And everything he does, both sad and wise, is for our joy. And yet - he is not different in his talents. He is a single phenomenon. His poetry creates images of the mental life of people who are different from each other, even opposing each other. This is the quality of true art."

Since 1994, Leonid Filatov began hosting the “To Be Remembered” program on the ORT television channel, dedicated to famous and beloved artists who are no longer alive, who have begun to be forgotten. Without exaggeration, this can be called not only his new creative achievement, but a truly civic feat. For the series of television programs “To Be Remembered,” Filatov was awarded the Russian State Prize in the field of literature and art.

He seemed to everyone like a favorite of fortune, a real darling of fate: bright, talented, witty. Leonid Filatov has always lived at breakneck speed, devoting himself completely to his favorite work, be it cinema, poetry or theater. Alexander Mitta said in an interview: “Leonid Alekseevich was not only a talented actor, but a very significant person. He was a very friendly, very active person, he was one of the brightest people who met in my life, and I think in the lives of all those who were lucky enough to work and be friends with Filatov. He was uncompromising in his work. He was burned out at work. This happened in his acting life, and in his poetic, and in his writing. His life was too stressful, but he couldn’t live any other way. Everyone loved him."

Oh, don't fly like that, life, slow down a little.
Others live, unhurried and detailed.
And I live - bridges, train stations, hippodromes.
Missing so much that there is only a whistle in my ears.

Oh, don’t fly life like that, I’m already many years old.
Let me have a smoke break, even with that drunkard over there.
If not for me, then at least sympathize with him, the poor fellow.
After all, he probably doesn’t even have a cigarette.

Oh, don’t fly life like that, even a trifle is important to me.
Here is the city, here is the theater. Let me read the poster.
And may I never see the performance,
But I will know that such a performance took place.

Oh, don’t life fly like that, I’m pockmarked by the winds.
I need to remember this world well.
And if you're lucky, you'll even fill it out,
At least someone's eyes have some kind of self.

Oh, don’t fly life like that, at least for a moment, linger.
It’s better if you cripple me, torture me, and torment me.
Let everything happen - prison, illness, accident.
I will endure everything, but don’t fly like that, life.

December 24 is the 70th anniversary of the birth of People's Artist of Russia Leonid Filatov. On this day, a documentary from the cycle was broadcast on the Rossiya-K TV channel (21:30) , a modern parody of Russian folk tales (20:35) performed by the author and premiere of the teleplay based on the play by Leonid Filatov (22:10) .

Theater and film actor, film director, poet, writer, publicist, TV presenter - whatever Leonid Filatov undertook, he did brilliantly and professionally. He was loved and respected, admired and imitated, and his colleagues simply doted on him. But even at the peak of his fame, he did not feel like a born artist, nor a writer, nor a director. In one of his interviews, Leonid Filatov once admitted: “I have a feeling that I am not one of those people who were born artists. I was not born. I was made. Therefore, I have a feeling that next to my destiny there is still one that has not come true. I don’t think it was writing, I don’t think that it was directing. I don’t think..."

In the documentary from the series (December 24, 21:30), dedicated to Leonid Filatov, there are no people who remember him. But there is his voice, his roles, his diaries, his interviews and poems performed by the author. The entire breadth and diversity of the creative personality of a caring, empathetic, deeply thinking, searching and doubting person, a true creator, will be revealed to television viewers. Once upon a time he found the formula “So that they remember,” but in our present it is time to look for another formula - “So that they do not forget.”

When, after graduating from school, Filatov came from Ashgabat to Moscow, he dreamed of the directing department of VGIK. “All this was due to provincial arrogance, and not from self-confidence. I realized how huge Moscow is and how many “Gavriks” like me are there in it. It turned out that no one was waiting for me at VGIK.” One of his friends suggested that he join the theater school for company. “Well, what kind of artist am I with such a face!”- Filatov was indignant. But his friends managed to convince him that they take not only handsome men there, they need different types, and he took his documents to the Shchukin School, where his idols Nikita Mikhalkov and Anastasia Vertinskaya then studied. Oddly enough, he passed the competition and Moscow accepted him. So, unexpectedly for himself, Leonid Filatov began to study to become an artist. “The time when I studied at Shchukinsky was very interesting. We staged everything: Solzhenitsyn, Shukshin - it was the time of the freemen,- said Filatov. - We were unambitious at that time. First of all, the world of the school was important to us. It was here that we were called talents, here we were valued, the opinion of our comrades was the most important." Leonid Filatov wrote poems and plays, passed them off as someone else’s in exams, and then mercilessly destroyed them. This was preserved only in the memory of classmates: Boris Galkin, Vladimir Kachan, Nina Ruslanova. Leonid Filatov did not consider himself a writer at that time.

After graduating from college, the actor was invited to Lyubimov’s Taganka, which was then called a “street gang”, “six wheezes - seven guitars”, “blueblood gang members”. Many people dissuaded him. But he did not regret anything and never repented of his choice; this theater became a real home for him. In the early 1990s, Filatov created a television program about departed actors, “To Be Remembered.” I was sure that it was eternal, but he left, and the program was gone, forgotten. He believed that directing should be done by people destined for this profession by the Lord God. And although he did not consider himself one of those people, he nevertheless became a director and made a wonderful film.

Serious health problems forced him to retire from active acting in the mid-1990s. But the versatility of his bright talent manifested itself on another path - literary. The works of Leonid Filatov are collected in five volumes: poems, parodies, scripts, poems, fairy tales, stories. In the preface to the collection of his poems, Respect Luck, playwright Alexander Volodin wrote: "What diverse talents he is gifted with! A brilliant film director. A brilliant parodist. A storyteller. And everything he does - both sad and wise - is for our joy. And yet - he is not different in his talents. He is a single phenomenon. His poetry creates images of the mental life of people who are not similar to each other, even opposing each other. This is a property of true art. “The world is a theater,” Shakespeare is rumored to have said. Reading the poems of Leonid Filatov, everyone can say: the world is and poetry".

Before the program starts at 20:35- a modern parody of Russian folk tales performed by the author. At 22:10 - premiere of a teleplay based on the play by Leonid Filatov with the participation of Alexander Yatsko, Leonid Yarmolnik, Alexander Adabashyan, Veniamin Smekhov, Alla Demidova, Mikhail Efremov. The play about the adventures of the illustrious Khoja Nasreddin was filmed in the enchanting environment of a modern metropolis.

Press service of the TV channel "Russia K"

He was called the sex symbol of the 80s. After the role of pilot Skvortsov in the famous “Crew” by Alexander Mitta, the entire female population of the country went crazy for Leonid Filatov. He seemed to everyone like a favorite of fortune, a real darling of fate: bright, talented, witty. In addition to his acting talent, nature endowed him with a rare poetic gift: Lenya Filatov began writing poetry while still in school. In 1987, Filatov’s famous “The Tale of Fedot the Archer” was published and was instantly snapped up for quotes! It seemed that he could even do the impossible. Filatov took up directing and made his debut film “Sons of Bitches,” with which he traveled all over the world. In addition to poetry, he wrote plays, stories, and parodies. And everything is easy, talented, brilliant. He was a magnet for people. Literally pulled into his field of daring, seething energy. I didn't walk, I flew. And suddenly - a serious illness, which, it seemed, should have crossed out everything. But what for others could have been a death sentence, for Filatov became a new stage in life. He lived in spite of a terrible diagnosis, a series of intensive care units and endless hospital wards

National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia named after N. P. Osipov

National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia named after N. P. Osipov is one of the most famous and authoritative orchestras in the world. In 2014, the famous team turned 95 years old.

The orchestra was created in 1919. This period coincided with growing interest in the revival of Russian folk musical art. At the origins of the group were outstanding musicians: balalaika player Boris Troyanovsky (1883-1951) and dom-player Pyotr Alekseev (1892-1960). It was they who became the leaders of the young orchestra, whose first concert took place in Moscow in the Hermitage Garden. Very soon he was applauded at many leading concert venues in our country.

B. Troyanovsky and P. Alekseev laid the foundations of orchestral performing skills, which have been improved and developed over the years. Subsequently, the group was led by many talented musicians: Nikolai Golovanov (1891-1953), brothers Nikolai (1901-1945) and Dmitry (1909-1954) Osipov, Victor Smirnov (1904-1995), Vitaly Gnutov (1926-1976), Victor Dubrovsky (1927-1994), Anatoly Poletaev (born in 1935), Nikolai Kalinin (1944-2004), Vladimir Ponkin (born in 1951). Since 2009, the orchestra has been headed by People's Artist of Russia, professor, laureate of the Russian Government Prize Vladimir Andropov. Years of collaboration with masters of the highest level have formed a special style of the orchestra, which made it recognizable among others and brought it worldwide fame.

The orchestra is named after the outstanding Soviet musician Nikolai Petrovich Osipov. His work in the orchestra (1940-1945) marked a completely new stage in the creative life of the group. This period coincided with the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. In June 1941, the orchestra was disbanded. Almost all the artists were drafted into the army and went to the front. It was N.P. Osipov who, in those difficult years, was involved in the restoration of the ensemble, looking for orchestra members on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, which allowed the orchestra to continue its existence. Subsequently N.P. Osipov managed to reveal to listeners the richness and uniqueness of the sound of the Russian folk orchestra, for which there are practically no repertoire restrictions. With its bright and original sound, the orchestra attracted the attention of leading Soviet composers (N. Budashkin, A. Novikov, A. Kholminov, etc.), who enriched the ensemble’s repertoire with original compositions.

In 1946, the orchestra was named after N.P. Osipov. In 1969, the team received the honorary title “academic”.

As a result of many years of concert practice, the orchestra has formed a friendly and creative atmosphere around itself. The team constantly collaborates with leading musicians - singers, instrumentalists, composers and conductors, as well as with young performers. Over the years, outstanding masters performed with the orchestra: conductors N. Anosov, A. Gauk, V. Dudarova, G. Rozhdestvensky, V. Fedoseev; singers I. Arkhipova, I. Bogacheva, O. Voronets, L. Zykina, L. Ruslanova, A. Strelchenko, E. Nesterenko, Z. Sotkilava, B. Shtokolov, A. Eisen, D. Hvorostovsky, V. Matorin; performers on folk instruments V. Gorodovskaya (gusli), A. Tsygankov (domra), balalaika players P. Necheporenko, M. Rozhkov, A. Tikhonov, A. Gorbachev and many other musicians.

The orchestra named after N.P. Osipov conducts active creative and educational activities in the best concert halls of Moscow, Russia and other countries. He was applauded in Austria, Australia, Great Britain, Germany, Greece, Holland, Denmark, Canada, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Finland, France, Switzerland, and Japan. Each season is marked by the appearance of completely new concert programs, both for adults and for the youngest spectators. Thus, in the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall over the past few years, the orchestra has prepared more than 60 new programs, many of which have become major events in the cultural life of Russia. One of them, the “Funny Professor” subscription for children, was awarded the Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation.

The unique sound of folk instruments, the culture of sound, and the highest level of professional performing skills allow the orchestra to occupy an honorable place among the brightest phenomena of Russian art.

Evgeniy Volchkov

Evgeny Volchkov was born in 1982 in Moscow. Graduated from Children's Art School No. 1 named after. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov (domra class by I.E. Svistova and L.V. Korobova). In 2001 he graduated from the Moscow Regional Basic Music College named after. A.N. Scryabin in Elektrostal (domra class of N.I. Koroleva, conducting class of V.I. Tarasova), Russian Academy of Music named after the Gnessins (domra class of the Honored Artist of Russia, Professor R.V. Belov, conducting class of Professor S.M. .Kolobkova) and graduate school (supervisor - Professor R.V. Belov).

During his student years, Evgeny Volchkov reached a high professional level of performance and mastered a complex repertoire from works of the Renaissance to modern music, including original works, as well as transcriptions and arrangements, many of which were made by R. V. Belov and the performer himself.

During his studies at the academy, Evgeny Volchkov became a laureate of many competitions. Among them: I All-Russian open competition of domra performers (Nizhny Novgorod, 2005); VI International Competition of Folk Instrument Performers “Cup of the North” (Cherepovets, 2006); II International Competition-Festival “Contemporary Art and Education” (performer-teacher category; Moscow, 2007); VII All-Russian competition of performers on folk instruments (Vladimir, 2008). Winner of the Grand Prix of the 1st Russian Open Competition of domrist soloists for the Alexander Tsygankov Prize (Nizhny Novgorod, 2006).

In 2006, E. Volchkov was awarded a prize established by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On measures of state support for talented youth.” In 2007, the musician received a scholarship from the Russian Performing Arts Foundation. In 2008 and 2010, Evgeny Volchkov was awarded a state scholarship awarded to outstanding cultural and artistic figures in Russia.

Evgeny Volchkov participated in many festivals in Russia, Finland, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Latvia, Hungary, Lebanon, Sweden, Norway, France, Japan, Italy. Since 2004 - soloist artist of the Academic Orchestra of Russian Folk Instruments of the All-Russian State Television and Radio Company (artistic director and chief conductor - People's Artist of the USSR Nikolai Nekrasov). Performances by Evgeny Volchkov with the orchestra as a soloist in subscription concerts of the Moscow State Academic Philharmonic in the Concert Hall. P.I. Tchaikovsky, Moscow International House of Music, Concert Hall of the Russian Academy of Music. The Gnesins are always interesting, original and enjoy great success among listeners.

Since 2008, Evgeny Volchkov has been a soloist with the National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Russia named after. N.P. Osipova (artistic director and chief conductor - People's Artist of Russia Vladimir Andropov).

Evgeny Volchkov leads a busy concert career, performing as a soloist with leading Russian bands. Collaborates with pianists N. Kondratskaya and V. Rumyantsev. For five years, Evgeny Volchkov has been actively participating in the concert programs of the Moscow Academic Philharmonic.

The artist conducts active concert activities and promotes Russian musical culture not only in Russia, but also abroad. For his high performing skills, admiring German critics called him “Paganini on domra.”

Creativity of L.A. Filatov

“Theater and film actor, film director, poet, writer, publicist, TV presenter” - this is what news portals write today on the anniversary of the birth of Leonid Filatov. Playwright Alexander Volodin wrote about Filatov: “What diverse talents he is gifted with! A brilliant film director. A brilliant parodist. Storyteller. And everything he does, both sad and wise, is for our joy.”

in the photo Leonid Filatov

For his acting work (in theater and cinema), for acting, for directing, Filatov in the 80s acquired authority, fame, honorary titles, prizes, and people's love. At the same time, the successful and famous artist always composed something (his poetic gift manifested itself in school). And in the last years of his life, due to illness, he had to deal only with literature, and he did it fruitfully and seriously. L. Filatov wrote poems, songs (the “Orange Cat” series, songs for the plays “Clara Gazul Theater”, “Martin Eden”, “Once Upon a Time in California”, “Hercules and the Augean Stables”), plays (“About Fedot- Sagittarius is a daring fellow", "Robin Hood's Great Love", "Cuckoo Clock", "Love for Three Oranges", "Lysistrata", "Troublemaker", "Dangerous, Dangerous and Very Dangerous", "The Motley People", "The Artist from Sherwood Forest"), parodies, scripts. His special talent, incredible erudition, skillful use of the Russian word, the brightness of his characters, and high personal moral qualities brought him literary success. And if the screen image inevitably fades with each decade, then the poetic lines are imperishable, like all manuscripts. “In our writing country, they even write on the wall. So I came to want to be on an equal footing with everyone!” - Leonid Filatov himself joked. Let us dwell on only one direction of Leonid Filatov’s literary activity.

A satirist poet, he wrote parodies of many contemporary poets (the “Taganka-75” cycles, variations on the themes “Well, Just Wait” and “Mukhi-Tsokotuhi”). Subtle, precise, short, sharp images always hit the target and always corresponded to the prototype; his contemporaries admitted: “We laughed with pleasure at these parodies.” Leonid Alekseevich wrote a rather naturalistic “folk comedy in two parts on the themes of Aristophanes” “Lysistrata” (about the right of a woman, the daughter of Hellas, to a quiet family life with a non-combatant man, about the role of a woman in ending male strife and wars). And the play in verse “The Tale of Fedot the Archer, a Daring Young Man” - in anticipation of an interesting role. If, for example, today an age restriction of “18+” would probably be applied to “Lysistrata,” which is why this play did not receive proper distribution, even having an annual award from the literary magazine “October,” then “The Tale of Fedot” had It would probably have been limited to "12+", which is why it became extremely popular. "The Tale" became famous instantly. The text was divided into quotes, quotes "went to the people". A brilliant work gave life to new bright characters and new life to familiar ones heroes, it sparkled with catchphrases and aphorisms. Ingenious word play and inimitable vocabulary with image-shots, correctness of rhymes, original use of grammatical and phonetic rules (and often their violation), use of archaisms, swear words and jargon, use of a colloquial style, together At the same time, the unobtrusive inclusion of nationally marked words and expressions, a satirical combination with modernity - this is what distinguishes the “Fairy Tale”. For all this, the people loved it so much. The versatility of the “Fairy Tale” and its real national recognition begs for no less than a scientific analysis.

Filatov himself said in an interview: “I want to put in as much information as possible, including plot information, and if it also carries a cultural meaning, that’s generally wonderful. Sometimes I sit and try to cram as much information as possible into one stanza. It turns out very voluminous, you have to leave four lines instead of eight. And if you can write briefly and informatively, that’s it.”

Irony and satire at all times and in "The Tale of Fedot the Archer." Late version of the ending of "Fairy Tale"

“A wonderful, modern, ironic work. As far as the realities of our time are described there, such recognizable images,” the famous theater and film actor Daniil Spivakovsky said about “The Tale.” Actually, the heroes of the fairy tale are traditional fairy-tale heroes - the Tsar, the Princess, Baba Yaga, the buffoon-player, Fedot (Ivan the Fool), Marusya (Vasilisa the Wise or Vasilisa the Beautiful), two magical servants. And a play was written based on the Russian folk tale “Go there - I don’t know where, bring that - I don’t know what” (it was included in the collection “Russian Folk Tales” by A. N. Afanasyev, published in 1984-1985). Only the heroes are aware of modern technologies, achievements of science and art, and easily talk about historical events of the 20th century. Often this interweaving of eras looks truly comical in Filatov’s work. What else is so modern about a fairy tale?

Perhaps allegories, as in the fairy tale “How one man fed two generals” by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin. After all, Filatov himself admitted: “Not so long ago I was irritable towards those around me, towards the system, towards everything that was around me.” True, he later wrote: “After what I had to go through, what I experienced, it all went somewhere, and I realized for myself that life is much brighter than I pictured it for myself.”

Perhaps the essence of the fairy tale is modern in its similarity with the meaning of the proverb “You can’t blame the mirror if you have a crooked face,” which N.V. Gogol noted much earlier as an epigraph to “The Inspector General.” In the last lifetime edition of the “Fairy Tale”, the author added to the overthrow of the king, his expulsion and a merry feast a scene with the men, in which they dreamed of a further better life with the help of Tavo-what-cannot-be. But it turned out that the men’s dreams were very primitive - shag, a tobacco pouch, a bench, and another “cast” man dreamed of the death of his lucky neighbor Kolka. On the second visit, the men thought more seriously and asked for a sash, a lollipop and a bell for their hat, the fourth man again remembered Kolka. The third attempt to describe the dream came down to ice cream, sitr and pickle, and again curses on the neighbor Kolka. Thus, the people are unsightly described by Filatov - fools, petty people and envious people (perhaps such an ending was written by the author under the influence of the revelry of the early 90s). Sarcasm towards rulers and pity towards the people are the acute social themes of “Fairy Tales”, including modern ones.

Russian folk and literary tales

However, many folklore and literary tales ridicule the despotism and greed of rulers, the sycophancy and careerism of their assistants, the envy and stupidity of old women (stepmothers) and men, the anger of Baba Yaga, etc. The play about Fedot is similar in plots, characters, and meanings to the fairy tale “Fok of all trades, the doc” by Evgeny Permyak (1902-1982), the folk tale “The Magic Ring” adapted (“Vanka the Good”) by Boris Shergin (1896-1973), Russian the folk tale "The Flying Ship" from the collection of A.N. Afanasyev, the fairy tale by Leo Tolstoy "The Worker Emelyan and the Empty Drum", the play "The Flea" by Evgeny Zamyatin (1925), etc. At any time, in any era, these heroes, these plots we understand, they seem modern to us. And the author’s style (which refers to literary fairy tales) complements our overall impression - we smile, we compare, we learn, we are educated, we assimilate our national code. Filatov's "Fairy Tale" undoubtedly corresponds to this genre.

A wave of fabulous creativity of “developed socialism”

In the 60-70s of the 20th century, a wave of ironic fairy-tale family animation arose in the USSR. In 1965, the cartoon “Vovka in the Far Far Away Kingdom” was created (directed by Boris Stepantsev, scripted by Vadim Korostylev). In 1972 - the cartoon “Foka the Jack of All Trades” (directed by Roman Davydov, scripted by Leonid Belokurov). In 1979 - the cartoon “The Magic Ring” (director Leonid Nosyrev, scriptwriters Boris Shergin, Yuri Koval, L. Nosyrev) and the cartoon “Flying Ship” (director Harry Bardin, scriptwriter Alexey Simukov). Of course, these are not all masterpieces of Soviet animation; these are film adaptations of the works mentioned above in connection with the study of L. Filatov’s work. His “The Tale of Fedot” was also filmed in 2008 (directed by Lyudmila Steblyanko, script by Leonid Filatov, Roman Smorodin, Lyudmila Steblyanko).

What brings them together? Musicality, brightness, comedy, refined phrases, catchphrases, aphorism, inclusion in modernity. Such brilliant creative works are loved by the people (both children and adults). For example, the cartoon “The Magic Ring” was viewed on the Internet on a well-known video resource more than two million times, “The Flying Ship” - almost one and a half million views, “Vovka in the Far Far Away Kingdom” - almost five million from one user and another four million from another. Well, our “Fairy Tale” is almost three million. Nowadays we expect “fun”, dynamism, and brightness from domestic and foreign animation works, but in the 60s such experiments were just beginning to be staged in animation. Time shows that neither the plots, nor the characters, nor their forms are outdated, but on the contrary, they have received multiple developments.

“The Tale of Fedot the Archer”: characters, their characteristics

The heroes of the “Fairy Tale” are quite in the spirit of our traditional perception. The buffoon (leader) is a storyteller. But Filatov’s is subjective, his judgments are diverse, he has a broad outlook for an amuse-bouche. Fedot (Fedot the Sagittarius, Foka, Ivan the Fool) is a hardworking, honest, kind man, ordinary. The tale notes (as in a dramatic work) the development of his self-awareness from a fool to a defender of the people. Marusya, Fedot's wife (Zabava, Marya the Artisan, Vasilisa the Wise) is simply a good housewife, a loving wife, a beauty, a spiritual support for her husband, a wise teller. The king - an image collected from several fairy tales (from "Phoki...", "The Flying Ship", "The Magic Ring") - is not smart, but not stupid either, demonstrates his power, but not everyone is afraid of him. The princess (the king's daughter, as in “The Magic Ring,” as in “Fock...”, like Zabava, but only with a different character) is capricious and capricious, but she is waiting for love, like all girls. The General (Polkan, Commandant, Duma clerk Empty Head) is a careerist who loves power and money, but is not devoid of sensitivity. Baba Yaga (a classic character, too comical, like the grandmothers Yozhki and Vodyanoy in “The Flying Ship”) is not scary, good-natured, peace-loving, but remembers her craft. Two fellows (Two from a casket, identical in appearance, from “Vovka in the Far Away Kingdom”) - magical servants ready to please their master. The ambassadors (as in “Fok…”) are completely unsightly, pretending to be important. And the nanny, a completely new character, who apparently finally answers the logical question of who is raising and looking after the widower’s daughter (her character is similar to Marimyana, the queen from the “Magic Ring”) - grumbling, rude, straightforward.

Did Filatov read these fairy tales, did he watch these cartoons? It seems that these works undoubtedly influenced his work. In addition, it is obvious that the general cultural upsurge in the country united, in one way or another, talented, serious, professional directors and screenwriters of that time.

Fairy tales and the Russian language. Filatov is a daring fellow.

Subtle, but very distinguishable images for the widest reader, difficult-to-understand phraseological units and complexly hidden meanings under the text - this is the calling card of Leonid Alekseevich and his “Tales of Fedot the Archer”. The simplest and most concise form expresses a clear moral in a very complex way. Determining why we understand everything so easily despite such complex authorial occasionalisms is an important and interesting task. The fantastic expression of dozens of meanings through ordinary Russian words with elements of play is a sign of talent, of the “intelligentsia” breed.

The originality of L. Filatov's linguistic personality, identifying the character and striking features of his idiostyle, specific features in the field of vocabulary and phraseology is the task of scientific research. Until now, “The Fairy Tale” attracts the interest of thousands of Russian people, is staged by creative teams, and remade for corporate stories. The plot of “The Fairy Tale” is not particularly intricate; there is reason to believe that the author’s main merit is the successful use of linguistic units in the so-called “Russian style.” This is the talent of the author, this is the secret of the success of the work. December 24, 2016 marks the 70th birthday of actor and writer L. Filatov. His linguistic personality is of considerable interest, including in folklore discourse. The researcher is faced with the task of finding out how modern Russian people perceive vocabulary in an archaic version, what other attractive features of L. Filatov’s language are noted in the work, what tendency can be traced in society in the use of words “antique”.

Modern life. Democracy and freedom of speech.

So, since 1985, “The Tale of Fedot” has been published and reprinted several times in various collections, until 2015. It is popular and relevant (let’s not be afraid of this word) to this day. Even M.S. Gorbachev often quoted Filatov’s “Fedot the Archer.” Gorbachev especially liked the phrase: “I spread butter on a sandwich, and immediately thought: “How are the people?” Moreover, the author of this satirical work and that president knew each other. “The Fairy Tale” is already 30 years old, presidents have changed in Russia, but even now any Russian person will smile (if not grin) at these lines. And there are an unprecedented number of such lines in “The Tale,” even very bold ones.

Alexander Mitta (Soviet and Russian film director, screenwriter, actor) said in an interview: “Leonid Alekseevich was not only a talented actor, but a very significant person. He was a very friendly, very active person, he was one of the brightest people I have met in my life... He was uncompromising in his work. He was burned out at work. This happened in his acting life, and in his poetic, and in his writing. His life was too stressful, but he couldn’t live any other way. Everyone loved him."

Leonid Filatov was both a poet and a citizen. Integrity and patriotism are his inalienable qualities.

Let's not argue - in Soviet times there were excesses and unnecessary prohibitions. Therefore, at that time, a person like Filatov could well write such lines not only specifically for films, but also in relation to life:

"...I won't compromise
For the sake of peace...
Sorry miss
Sorry miss
But I love freedom!..”

(“SORRY, MISS!..”, for the play “Martin Eden”, 1984)

“...With such an abundance of freedoms
You can literally live without worries,
And if you get tired of freedom -
You have the right to silently protest!”

(“SONG ABOUT FREEDOM OF SPEECH”, for the film “The Trust That Broke”, 1988)

But everything is relative. It is unlikely that Leonid Alekseevich would now sing the praises of a developed civilized society...