This tape, filmed by Sergey Bondarchuk, on the order of the leadership of the Soviet Union specifically for the 30th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, was recognized as a survey of the magazine "Soviet screen" of the best picture of 1975. And, as the time has shown, fully deservedly. After all, after almost half a century, after the output, it still like the audience. Interesting facts about the film "They fought for their homeland" - in the material 24cm.
Places from book
The painting "They fought for their homeland" for Sergey Bondarchuk became no longer the first experience of the adaptation of the works of Mikhail Sholokhov. Back in the 59th, the cinematographer made his debut as a director with the "fate of a person" ribbon, created according to the story of the writer. Probably, this played its role in the fact that the author of the novel about the heavy and tragic episode of the Secondary Great Patriotic War - the retreat of Soviet troops in the Don area - quickly agreed to shoot.The writer, however, put Bondarchuk the condition: Sholokhov demanded that work on the ribbon was carried out directly in those places where the events of the military years described in the book-source book were unfolded. That is, as the main locations by cinematographers, the steppes of the Volgograd region were offered, where the last and headed, in order to choose the nature suitable for the idea.
As a result, the choice of director tape stopped at the vicinity of two settlements - the farmland farmroom and the village of the city. It was built by large-scale scenery: a few butt chofa rustles, a dam and crossing the river, which were to be for the most part "go under a katokovna rink".
And abundant by the "scars" - the trenches and traces of the explosions remaining since the time of reference in these parts - the surrounding landscapes only added to the trolley and slightly simplified the work of artists and decorators.
However, grabbed in the surrounding area and others left after the war "greeting." The sappers that tested for cinematographers of surrounding lands for the remaining ammunition, depends some of the unexploded shells and mines. And during the preparation of defensive frontiers for filming, during the dig of the trenches, there were quite a few of the remains of fallen soldiers - all such finds Bondarchuk demanded to transfer to local authorities for reburial.
It is noteworthy that in order for the artists and the group to do every day to dangle from the hotel located far from the place of shooting, Sergey Fedorovich ordered to equip a mobile base. Which was created on the basis of the converted ship, then still served by the Soviet and Russian cinematographers.
By the way, you should not forget about such an interesting fact about the film "They fought for their homeland," as the sad fate of one of the local residents, which became the result of the large-scale survey process unfolding in those edges.
Working on the film, the creators of the military ribbon decided for the "livestock of the picture" a farmland burning. Therefore, all the events had bought at the owners, and the latter was assisted in moving to a new place.
The problems of cinematographers appeared only with one local resident. The host of a large five-rank, which has recently built, who did not burn with the desire to part with just built by real estate. But when shooting started and pyrotechnics began to fully demonstrate their own skills, the man still surrendered. And, having received the money, went away.
Then only one elderly woman was not touched, whose non-Turkish Hut Mazanka stood on the severity, near the shore of Don, and therefore the filmmakers were not interested. So it remained after the end of the filming, the old woman was completely alone to live in his hometown in his hometown, without neighbors, for the help of which could count on the same time.
Frontoviki actors
For Sergey Bondarchuk, who himself fought, the topic of war was incredibly close. And therefore, working on the ribbon "they fought for their homeland", the director tried that under his beginning the actors who would not have to explain, through which horror three dozen years ago the Soviet people were held. Therefore, the cinematographer decided to attract exclusively artists to the project, not at the time of the time of the knowledgeable, including former front-line.
So, in the titers of the film, the names of Georgy Borkova, Innokentia Smoktunovsky, Vyacheslav Tikhonov and many others appeared. Moreover, with some actors, initially not wanting to be removed, I had to hold preventive conversations.
For example, in a conversation with the rejected first, Sergey Bondarchuk, who was refused, at the role of Yuri Nikulin, pressed on his consciousness as a veteran - said that as a former front-line artist was obliged to play in the tape.
And Shukshina was already convinced already in Goskino - artist, who at that moment just planned to shoot his own movie about Stepan Razin, promised to allocate funding on the project only if Vasily Makarovich himself agrees to accept the offer of Bondarchuk.
Training
Despite the fact that the artists chosen on the main roles knew about the war or from personal experience, or on the example of their relatives, friends, friends, to the process of training the acting staff Sergey Fedorovich took full-time dedication.The director demanded from executors of roles in the film together with the soldiers provided by the Ministry of Defense with soldiers to dig the trenches and trenches, preparing the "scenery" for future battles, and wear the form even out of filming - set up to the desired way.
By the way, it is worth noting and such an interesting fact about the film "They fought for their homeland": in the dangerous moments of the cascaders, the director was not in a hurry, hoping to achieve a more thoughtful and genuine game from the wards.
So, the young Andrey Rostotsky Bondarchuk sent under the tank in the scene, where the actor's character dies under the caterpillars of enemy technology, without any doubles. Well, Vyacheslav Tikhonov almost out of the fire, when "for the sake of greater expressiveness of the episode" Sergey Fedorovich ordered Tankists to shoot in the direction of the latter by idle, - but the contusion from Kinogere was turned out to be very convincing.
Technique
But not only the acting carriage for a more reliable game directed by the director. Separate attention Sergey Bondarchuk paid and involved in the filming of military equipment, because the battle scenes with the participation of aircraft and tanks in the picture were planned large-scale and impressive.
Actually, because of the unprecedented scope of the future "fighting", cinematographers in the matter of equipping tracked and the covered machines were forced to be trembling: the required number of tanks of the Times of the Great Patriotic War - and even on the go - it was simply impossible to get it.
Therefore, I had to get out, removing the Soviet T-44 instead of the trophy German "tigers". Fortunately, after "easy refinement with a file", the latter became externally, few distincts from the cones from the "stable" Banzerwaff. Unless not count the moves with a different number of rollers. And with the "Messera" a similar problem was drawn. So instead of them in the sky above the heroes of the painting of Gudel Czechoslovak L-29.
Of course, at such a scale with the technique there were other difficulties. That stuck on the tank a log operator is barely beaten, then the driver-driver, who did not distinguish the team, will not turn into the other direction, almost suppressing the mass. Even the walkie-talkie, which had to be used to coordinate due to the giant sizes of the "film crew" from such force majors.
Fortunately, serious inappropriate cinematographers managed to avoid, despite even the fact that the work involved about five tons of TNT.
Tragedy
However, completely without sad events did not cost. On October 2, 1974, on board the most converted to the needs of the film crew "Danube", the role of Peter Lopakhina Vasily Shukshin died in the picture. Because of this, working on the picture had to suspend the scheduled period. And to hire the scene with the participation of the actor's character already later, in the pavilions, inviting the old familiar artist on Vgika Yuri Solovyov.The latter first refused to proposed "honor", believing that they were unable to compare with Vasily Makarovich. However, the bell of Bondarchuk made Solovyov agreed - he simply could not refuse Material.
Arrived due to the death of the artist problem and with voice acting. Moreover, it took two characters at once. And the Lopakhina itself, who speaks in the picture by the voice of Igor Efimov. And he was heard - the playing of her Lydia Fedoseeva-Shukshin was not able after the death of the spouse to continue working in the project, and she was replaced by Natalia Gundarerev's scenes.
Rental
Completing the story about interesting facts about the film "They fought for their homeland," it is worth mentioning that in the Soviet rental, I expected a deafening success - I looked at 40.6 million people. And almost 1.5 million added the Polish People's Republic. And let the picture did not appreciate the picture in Cannes, the desire to get to the festival "Mirror" of Tarkovsky, simple viewers a picture fell in his soul, for forced to remember the war, heroism and a feat.