On the night of June 15, Alexei Batalov, one of the most talented actors of Soviet cinema, died on the 89th year of his life.
Alexei Batalov was a very versatile actor: he played equally well the roles of intellectuals and workers. All his works are imbued with incredible depth and restrained emotion. In memory of the great artist we remember his best roles.
The Big Family (1954)
After the film "Big Family" was released, the young actor Alexei Batalov literally woke up famous. The picture of the family of shipbuilding workers was filmed by director Joseph Kheifits under Vsevolod Kochetov's novel Zhurbiny. Subsequently, Alexei Vladimirovich admitted that he could not read this book to the end; she seemed boring to him. But the beginning performer was insanely carried away with the process of filming, that's when he decided to dedicate his life to acting.
The Rumyantsev case (1955)
In this slightly naive detective, 27-year-old Aleksei Batalov played the role of the driver Sasha Rumyantsev, who, as a result of his manager's criminal machinations, was arrested. This role was very close to the actor, because he loved to mess with cars, and if he did not go to the artists, he would necessarily become a driver.
The cranes are flying (1957)
An impassioned film about the war and about love received the "Golden Palm Branch" at the Cannes Film Festival. The brilliant game of Alexei Batalov and Tatyana Samoilova conquered the whole world and was so piercing that the actors were named Russian Clark Gabble and Vivien Leigh.
My dear man (1958)
In the film, which was recognized as the best picture of 1958, Alexei Batalov played the role of the physician Ivan Prosenkov. After a long separation the young surgeon is forced to operate his lover, finding it in a military hospital. This character, honest, uncompromising, compassionate, for many years was an ideal for imitation of Soviet citizens.
The lady with the dog (1959)
Joseph Kheifits, the director of the screen version of the Chekhov story "Lady with a Dog", ventured to invite Alexey Batalov to the main role. Other members of the artistic council were shocked by this decision: it seemed to them that the actor, for whom the role of a simple Soviet guy was already entrenched, could not cope with the role of a cynical intellectual. However, Yefim Yefimovich insisted on his own, and Batalov set to work. Subsequently, Batalov repeatedly said that his success is due to Kheifitsu:
"Like Pope Carlo ...: took one log from the pile and cut out of him the actor Batalov"
Intuition did not fail the director: the picture entered the gold fund of world cinema, she was admired by Mastroiani and Fellini, and Ingmar Bergman called "The Lady with the Dog" his favorite film.
Nine days of one year (1962)
In this film, Alexei Batalov got the difficult role of nuclear physicist Dmitry Gusev, who is on the verge of death, but continues his scientific experiments. Initially, director Mikhail Romm refused to take the actor in this picture:
"I need another actor, more emotional, and Batalov some kind of frozen one"
Yet the screenwriter Dmitry Khrabrovitsky managed to convince the director that only Batalov will be able to translate such a complex and profound image on the screen. Subsequently, Romm wrote:
"Gusev Batalov understood the image as his personal destiny. Therefore, he took on the role of unusually deep and with great honesty. He brought a sense of disastrous death, too much death, while I kept thinking that he did not need to play death at all "
Three fat men (1966)
In this children's film on the story of Yuri Olesha Batalov tried himself as a director. In addition, he played the role of the rope-walker of Tibul, for the whole year he studied acrobatic tricks. Subsequently, the actor criticized this work, although the film won the hearts of all Soviet children.
Running (1970)
In the film adaptation of the eponymous novel by M.S. Bulgakov Batalov played the role of the intellectual Sergei Pavlovich Golubkov. By the way, in his childhood Batalov was personally acquainted with Bulgagov, who often visited his parents. Alexei Vladimirovich played for a long time with the stepson of the famous writer.
The Star of Captivating Happiness (1979)
This picture about the exploits of the wives of the Decembrists captivated the audience with a whole host of famous actors: Igor Kostolevsky, Oleg Yankovsky, Oleg Strizhenov starred in it. Batalov got the role of Prince Trubetskoi, an extremely ambiguous character of Russian history. Again, the actor brilliantly embodied the contradictory image on the screen.
Moscow does not believe in tears (1979)
It's hard to believe, but many actors refused to play in this legendary film, finding the script uninteresting. Alexei Batalov also did not see himself in the role of locksmith Gosha; At that time, he generally thought about ending his acting career and concentrating on teaching activities. However, the director Vladimir Menshov managed to persuade the artist to start shooting. As a result, the film had a stunning success and even won an Oscar, and Gosha's role became Batalov's calling card.