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- "A happy ending in Russian is not the same as in the rest of the world — we need a lyrical ending"
"A happy ending in Russian is not the same as in the rest of the world — we need a lyrical ending"
No matter how much the actors complain about the hard work, they enjoy the difficult material, director Anton Maslov is sure. On the set of his upcoming film about Kolobok, Gosha Kutsenko and Dmitry Zhuravlev performed tricks themselves and fought with swords and clubs. He predicts a great future in cinema for the latter. Anton Maslov told in an interview with Izvestia about how he decided to film the president's favorite fairy tale, what awaits the "Vampires of the Middle Lane", as well as about the results of the MIFF, the flag of the Russian Federation from Artemy Lebedev and the sports drama about fencing with Yulia Peresild and Yuri Stoyanov.
"Shamirov has a special style — films about people with amazing souls"
— In 2025, your film "Hello to My Husband" with Julia Peresild won the Russian Premieres competition at the Moscow International Film Festival. And this year, you were already part of the jury evaluating the nominees. How was the festival going for you in your new role?
— The competition turned out to be very unusual: young and already well-deserved directors participated. It was very interesting to see what they shot. The program featured a vivid attraction movie, for example, "The Red Ghost 1812". There was also a separate Yakut philosophical cinema, historical dramas, interesting documentaries and very cozy, warm films.
Director Anton Maslov, who received an award for the film "Hello to my Husband"
In the Russian Premieres competition, Viktor Shamirov presented the film "The Temperature of the Universe" about astronauts. All the members of our jury unanimously came to the conclusion that this is the winner. It is visible to the naked eye that we are dealing with the work of a master.
— And what distinguished his work?
— Shamirov has a special style — films about people with amazing souls. You start looking at his paintings and you immediately get hooked, it's impossible to break away. He knows how to tell stories about little people with big hearts. I come from the Chelyabinsk region, from the city of Zlatoust, and I immediately feel what the director wanted to say.
"I am for honesty in front of the audience"
— Your new film "The Last Hero" will be released in the summer. Kolobok". Gosha Kutsenko, who plays the Wolf there, once said in an interview with Izvestia that he dreamed of working with you, but did not expect this tale to turn out to be a serious stunt movie. Why did you put the characters in unbearable conditions?
— Well, listen, I'm for honesty in front of the audience, I don't want to deceive him. My task is for him to see this hero as the leader of the bandits, and not as a mummified one. The wolf, played by Gosha Kutsenko, is a vivid super persona. He had battles to prepare for. And the unbearable conditions are his job, and his favorite.
Filming of the movie "The Last hero. Kolobok"
Artists can say as much as they like that it was hard for them, but in fact they enjoy the fact that they get such material. I saw Gosha getting tired, his arm hurt, but he got up and went to do a double. He is already 55+, and he performed all the tricks himself.
— Who did he have a battle with?
— With Dima Zhuravlev's hero, the baker Tikhon. He's restless, he didn't give Gaucher any age adjustments at all. They fought with swords, clubs, and threw knives. Gosha was angry at first, but then he realized that he was actually being pushed to the right place. And I did all the tricks myself.
— Dmitry Zhuravlev has grown from cameo roles in TV series to the main role. Why did you give him a breakthrough in cinema?
— In Kolobok, he will open up new facets of his talent to the audience. Dima is a soul. There is no better person who would be suitable for this role. He's a country boy, chopping firewood and baking bread himself. Dima even spent the night in Belogorye on the set. I slept on the stove. I cooked it myself. I put the dough in the morning, and the bread was ready for filming.
Dmitry Zhuravlev on the set of the movie "The Last Hero. Kolobok"
Dima is a real Russian man, a hero. He did all the tricks himself, too. He didn't whine at all. He did everything possible. I had to shoot some funny stunt falls. And he asked me to let him do these stunts himself. I didn't allow it. But he convinced me. He only had one take. And Dima did it so that the scene immediately became more colorful and funnier. He's a versatile guy, and he's still underrated in the movies. But as soon as our "Bun" is released, it will be impossible to come to an agreement with Dima.
— When you started this story, did you know that "Kolobok" is the president's favorite fairy tale?
— Of course, yes.
— Isn't that why they started filming this fairy tale?
— Well, if Vladimir Vladimirovich watches my movie, I will be very pleased. And if one day he says that he likes not only the fairy tale, but also the movie, it will be doubly pleasant.
"I would love to make the movie "Vampires of the Middle lane"
— Thanks to your efforts, bloodsuckers have become comedic characters in Russian cinema. The series "Vampires of the Middle Lane" became popular and went through several seasons. Are you planning to return to this project?
— I would love to make a movie "Vampires of the Middle lane" somewhere in St. Petersburg. Well, then we'll see where fate takes us.
A shot from the TV series "Vampires of the middle lane"
— Who should hear this idea of yours?
— First of all, the producers. They have to understand whether it's interesting or not. And the viewer needs to take a break from vampires a little bit to have a desire to see them again.
— You've got the whole country hooked on Fitness. Now you are filming the sports drama "Fencing Teacher". What is this painting about?
— This is a big sports drama, my first sports film. The history of the victory of our fencing team in a very difficult period is a time of restrictions at the international level for our athletes. The main roles are played by Julia Peresild, Yuri Stoyanov, Sofya Kashtanova.
— Why did you decide to make a film about the abolition of Russia in the international arena?
— We have amazing sports dramas.: "Legend No. 17", "Upward movement". And it's all about the big wins in the past. There is nothing about ours today. And we live in a time of difficult trials for our athletes. They can't stand for their country — there's no flag, no anthem, nothing. And this story is not just about sports, it's about all of us. We are all in a state of cancellation, freezing, denial. Although it is useless to try to isolate Russia. I think we're going to make a great movie, hopefully.
— There are artists who follow you from one project to another. You have already worked with Julia Peresild and Yuri Stoyanov. Is it important for you to have a mascot on the court?
— It's important for me to have very strong artists. Julia and Yuri Nikolaevich are like that. They know me, they feel me right off the bat.
— Who else would you like to work with?
— With Irina Muravyeva, with Alexander Zbruev. I really want to offer Vladimir Mashkov some kind of complicated story. He's a great artist.
"My daughter is six years old, and she has already watched I Walk through Moscow seven times.
— You have a theory that our viewers don't believe in a happy ending. And why is it mandatory for you?
— Because I love this kind of movie. Well, again, a happy ending in Russian is not the same as in the whole world. We don't just hug and kiss at the end — the lyrical ending suits us.
Danelia, Ryazanov, Menshov and even Gaidai — all these masters worked well with the grand finales. And they were all sad. So the Russian happy ending is sad. This is our mentality. Russians believe in tomorrow, and this is our superpower.
"Fencing Teacher"
— Young people are not interested in Soviet cinema, it is slow for them. They would like action, fights, a quick change of pictures.
— I disagree. The new generation is very different. Once a week, we have a ritual in our family — the morning of Soviet cinema. My daughter is six years old, and she has already watched "I Walk through Moscow" seven times. She likes. She doesn't fully know Winnie-the-Pooh, but she fell in love with Petrov's music from Danelia's film.
Children are different. In transition, kids need a movie attraction. It's an adrenaline rush— hormones, love. That's why they look for thrills, sayings, and vivid thoughts in movies. It is ok. We wanted the same thing when we were their age.
— Now the state has a request to shoot patriotic content. And such films appear. But why don't they become hits?
— It's very simple. You can't do something for show, you have to love what you're shooting, believe in it. There is a cool recent example of a patriotic movie — "Lilies of the Valley". Sincere, sometimes naive, but the audience responded.
A shot from the TV series "Lilies of the Valley"
I see a strange contradiction: on the one hand, viewers don't want to see patriotism on the screen, but at the same time they expect it. Someone will make such a movie, they will say about him: "Oh, look what he's doing in general!" And if he doesn't, the same thing will happen. Just read the comments on the Internet.
It's not about the filmmakers, it's about the audience, who are also very different. Patriotic cinema is often spoken of in a bad connotation. I don't understand why this is happening. It seems to me that this is stupid and wrong. It must be created. I think that patriotism often has bad marketing. No matter how it sounds.
— Have you come across anything like this?
— Here's a story for you. We are currently shooting a movie, and we need the Russian flag in good quality. Do you think we've found him? No. We sew it ourselves. It is impossible to buy the Russian flag. How is that even possible? There are no good flags. The marketplaces sell shiny, synthetic, printed in China. They're the wrong colors, the wrong palette.
That is, if you want to buy, you will have to go to Artemy Lebedev, who will make a high-quality Russian flag. You must understand that patriotism is being collected bit by bit, starting from the flag and ending with everything else.
— Where would you start?
— With the popularization of our symbols. The anthem should be sung by big stars before every Russian Championship. Artists with beautiful voices, opera singers. Yes, and before any competitions it is necessary to perform it.
— And we have a SHAMAN singing the national anthem. He made a real hit out of it, which broke even the American charts.
— I understand that, but I think that it is necessary to gently instill love for your country from childhood. To teach to be proud of this love. Everything should be sincere, from the heart. I do not know how to teach patriotism correctly, but I think it is love for the symbols of the motherland, its culture, music, and cinema — the right soft power that gradually makes it possible not to be shy about the fact that you love your country. Don't be shy about carrying a flag and not being pointed at. That's super important, because it's still being shown.
"I believe I have some kind of training mission."
— Most directors are closed and keep it a secret how movies are made. On the contrary, you have a channel called "Oil on fire", where you talk about the interior kitchen.
— Colleagues don't want to tell anyone about the "gold mine" they found in the profession. I want to share my knowledge and experience. I'm telling you about the cinema kitchen. After all, in addition to those who are in the frame, there are many talented people behind it: production designers, costume designers, makeup artists, assistant directors and others. I believe that I have a kind of learning mission. I think she's helping someone. I want the young guys to know what to be ready for. Plus, I'm announcing internships on the channel. Now I will invite young directors to the Fencing Teacher site.
— Your wife, screenwriter Maria Maslova, publishes breakfast recipes on her social networks. Maybe the next movie will be about chefs?
— Ha ha. I can't tell you if you guessed it right yet. But we'll find out soon enough.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
