Director Alla Surikova celebrated her anniversary in Tula

Biography of Alla Surikova

Alla Surikova is a Soviet film director who received the unofficial title of “queen of comedies.” Among her films are such masterpieces as the tragicomedy “Be My Husband”, the Soviet parody western “The Man from the Boulevard des Capuchins” and the melodrama “Moscow Holidays” filmed in the 90s. It is believed that it was in Surikova’s head that the idea of ​​the children’s film magazine “Yeralash” was born.

Film director Alla Surikova

Recognition and awards[edit | edit code]

• 1987 - CF “Odessa Alternative” (Jury Prize, film “The Man from Boulevard des Capucines”)
• 1987 — IFF “Women in Film” in Los Angeles (First prize, film “The Man from the Boulevard des Capucines”)
• 1991 - CF “Women’s World” in Naberezhnye Chelny (Prize for best director, film “Crazy”)
• 1992 - Honored Artist of the Russian Federation[10]
• 1998 - OKF "Kinoshok" in Anapa (Distributors Jury Prize, film "Monday's Children")
• 2000 - People's Artist of the Russian Federation[11]
• 2004 — Khanzhonkov House Award (in the category “Film Event of the Year”, the film “About Love in Any Weather”)
• 2005 - CF “Vivat Cinema of Russia!” in St. Petersburg (Prize “For Fidelity to the Comedy Genre”)
• 2005 - IFF of children's films in "Artek" (Diploma for the most exciting film, the film "The Secret of the Wolf's Mouth")
• 2005 - Festival of Satire and Humor in St. Petersburg (Golden Ostap Prize in the category “The Brightest Comedy”, the film “About Love in Any Weather”)
• 2006 - CF “Vivat Cinema of Russia!” in St. Petersburg (Special prize “Unfading Audience Love”)
• 2009 — Laureate of the National Award for Public Recognition of Women’s Achievements “Olympia”
• 2009 — Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation in the field of culture for the television documentary series “Provincial Museums of Russia”
• 2016 - Order of Honor[12]

The early years of Alla Surikova

Alla Isaakovna Surikova (last name of her first husband, the director’s maiden name is unknown, perhaps she did not advertise it because of her Jewish roots) was born on November 6, 1940 in Kyiv. Her father worked for many years as an engineer at Kiev Television, her mother was an ophthalmologist.

Alla Surikova in childhood

But the main person for Alla was Uncle Yakov Osipovich Zaslavsky, an actor who shone on the stage of the Lviv Theater. He was especially good at Khlestakov from The Inspector General. For the first time seeing her uncle on stage, Alla immediately began to dream of the stage and dreamed of entering the theater. And she learned Gogol’s great play by heart.

The parents did not approve of the girl's choice. After school she had to enter the Institute of Light Industry. She failed the entrance exams and got a job at an aircraft factory as an assembly mechanic. Physical labor was not very good for her, and the girl was soon fired.

Alla Surikova in her youth

In 1961, Alla entered the Faculty of Philology of Kyiv University, where she immersed herself in an atmosphere of creativity. In their free time, students argued about poetry and wrote poems themselves. Surikova studied mathematical linguistics under the guidance of Lev Arkadyevich Kaluzhnin.

Notes[edit | edit code]

1. Jumble No. 13 – Video Dailymotion (Russian). Dailymotion. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
2. Directing department/Higher courses for screenwriters and directors
3. Higher courses for screenwriters and directors
4. Higher courses for screenwriters and directors
5. "Reflection"
6. Supreme Council of the Civil Power Party // Official website of the Civil Power Party, 2007 (archived version)
7. Team of the festival "Edge of the World" (undefined)
   . // Sakhalinfilmfestival.ru. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
8. Yeralash. Well, who draws like that?
9. Yeralash. You're lying about everything
10. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of February 21, 1992 No. 171 “On awarding honorary titles of the Russian Federation to creative cinema workers” (undefined)
    (inaccessible link). Retrieved September 1, 2020. Archived September 1, 2020.
11. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 6, 2000 No. 1846 “On awarding the honorary title “People’s Artist of the Russian Federation” to A. I. Surikova.” (unspecified)
    (inaccessible link). Retrieved September 1, 2020. Archived September 1, 2020.
12. Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of December 26, 2020 No. 711 “On awarding state awards of the Russian Federation”

Film career

After graduating from university, Alla Isaakovna tried to enroll in graduate school at VGIK, but failed the exam in film dramaturgy.
For some time she worked as an assistant director at the film studio. Dovzhenko, in particular, in the films “Do you know how to live?” (1970) and "Little School Band" (1968). In the early 70s, the film magazine for adults “Wick” was popular - small sketches on a topical topic. Alla Isaakovna decided that it would be good to do the same, but for children. She approached Goskino with this idea. Her initiative was approved by Rolan Bykov. Boris Grachevsky was appointed director of Yeralash. In 1973, Surikova graduated from the two-year Higher Directing Courses, her director was Georgy Danelia himself. Alla Isaakovna’s diploma work is the short film “Little Lies and Big Troubles”, which was awarded the Goskino Prize of the Ukrainian SSR “For Best Director”.

Alla Surikova graduated from directing courses

Surikova’s debut film work was the film “Vanity of Vanities” (1979). The film was about an unhappy marriage. The husband, played by Frunzik Mkrtchan, filed for divorce. But the wife (Galina Polskikh) was not going to give up. She did everything to get her husband back and restore harmony in the relationship.

The light, light comedy was watched by more than 30 million viewers; the film was awarded a prize for directing at the Mosfilm Youth festival.

The next striking work in Surikova’s career was the comedy “Be My Husband” (1981). Filming was difficult because the leading actor, Andrei Mironov, was besieged by crowds of fans. Surikova demanded that the women be removed from the camera, to which Mironov replied: “You can’t hang them all.”

Film by Alla Surikova “Be My Husband”. Trailer Perhaps Surikova’s most famous film is “The Man from the Boulevard des Capuchins” (1987). The script lay on the Mosfilm shelf for 6 years until Andrei Mironov became interested in it. The actor himself, who took on the main role, never saw the film; he died on tour in Riga before the film was released.

Filming was complicated by Oleg Tabakov, who was then already heading the Moscow Art Theater School and could not fit into the schedule. He had to be filmed separately, and then close-ups were inserted into scenes with other actors.

Alla Surikova on the set of the film “The Man from the Boulevard des Capucines”

The result was the first Western in Soviet cinema, in which there were many fights and stunts without a single corpse. The film was watched by 60 million viewers, and it even won a prize at the International Women in Film Festival in Los Angeles.

In the 90s, Alla Surikova released several more striking films, the most famous of them being “Moscow Vacations” (1995) and “I Want to Go to Prison” (1998). Also during this period, Surikova made a documentary film about the composer Nikita Bogoslovsky, “I Have the Honor to Present.”

Alla Surikova in the program “Visiting Dmitry Gordon” In 2000, her services were recognized not only in Russia, but also abroad. In her homeland she was awarded the title of People's Artist of Russia, and at the Cannes Film Festival she was awarded the prize “For Contribution to Literature and Cinema.”

In the 2000s, Alla Isaakovna taught at the All-Russian Institute for Retraining and Advanced Training, as well as at the Higher Courses for Scriptwriters and Directors.

Filmography[edit | edit code]

Director's work[edit | edit code]

1. 1976 - Suppose you are a captain...
2. 1979 - Vanity of Vanities
3. 1981 - Be my husband
4. 1982 - Look for a woman
5. 1985 - Sincerely yours...
6. 1987 - The Man from the Boulevard des Capucines
7. 1989 - Two arrows. Stone Age Detective
8. 1990 - Here I come (television, video, short film, Russia)
9. 1991 - Crazy
10. 1991 — Casus improvisus
11. 1993 - Porcelain idea (video, Russia)
12. 1994 - Give a miracle a chance (video, medium-length, Russia)
13. 1995 - Moscow holidays
14. 1997 - Monday's Children
15. 1998 - I want to go to prison
16. 2001 - The Ideal Couple - director, actress in the series “On the White Boat”
17. 2002 - Just once
18. 2004 - If tomorrow we go camping
19. 2004 - About love in any weather
20. 2004 - The Secret of the Wolf's Mouth
21. 2006 - You won't leave me
22. 2010 - The Man from the Boulevard des Capucines
23. 2014 - Full speed ahead!
24. 2016 - Love and Sax

Short films[edit | edit code]

1. 1971 - Sunny Bunny
2. 1972 - Living Hat
3. 1974 - Liar, or Little Lies and Big Troubles (short film, USSR)
4. 1977 - Well, who draws like that?! (in Yeralash 13th issue) (short film, USSR)[8]
5. 1995 - You're lying all the time! (in the film Eralash issue 112) (short film, Russia)[9]

Documentaries[edit | edit code]

1. 1975 - The Birth of Dance (documentary, television, USSR) (together with P. Virsky)
2. 1997 - Nikita Bogoslovsky: “I wouldn’t change my biography” (documentary, television, Russia)
3. 1999 - 2000 - Provincial museums of Russia (a series of documentaries, 50 episodes of 26 minutes each)

Clips[edit | edit code]

1. 1993 - Lady Hamilton (video clip for the song of the same name by composer Vladimir Bystryakov with the participation of Nikolai Karachentsov and Olga Kabo).

Other[edit | edit code]

1. 1968 - Little School Orchestra (TV) - assistant director
2. 1970 - Do you know how to live? - Director assistant

Script work[edit | edit code]

1. 1974 - Liar, or Little Lies and Big Troubles (short film, USSR)
2. 1976 - Suppose you are a captain... (USSR) (together with V. Gorlov)
3. 1991 - Casus improvisus (television, USSR) (together with A. Buravsky, V. Shuvalov)
4. 1994 - Give a miracle a chance (video, medium-length, Russia) (together with R. Tsitalashvili, A. Kurlyandsky)
5. 1999 - Provincial Museums of Russia (cycle) (documentary, Russia) - author of the idea

Producer[edit | edit code]

1. 1999 - Provincial Museums of Russia (cycle) (documentary, Russia) - producer and artistic director
2. 2001 - Only once... (television, Russia)
3. 2004 - About love in any weather (Russia)

Personal life of Alla Surikova

There were three marriages in Alla Surikova's life.
She dated her first husband, medical student Vadim Surikov, for three years and was married for another 5 years. In June 1965, their daughter Kira was born. Kira Surikova, who wrote stories since childhood, became a writer, although she played several episodes, for example, in the film “Monday’s Children.” Kira gave Surikova three grandchildren: Ivan and Nikolai and Artem. According to Alla Isaakovna, her first marriage broke up because she and her husband were too young and could not cope with the “everyday life”.

Alla Surikova with her daughter Kira

Surikova met her second husband, Muscovite and sound engineer Evgeniy, in the editing studio of the film magazine “Yeralash”. The sound and video on the tape did not match, and it took days to edit the rough version. Working together brought Alla and Evgeny closer. They lived together for 7 years. But Evgeniy could not come to terms with the fact that for his wife, cinema always came first. This impressive man turned out to be film engineer Alexander Potashnikov. He went with Surikova to Feodosia to film “The Man from Capuchin Boulevard.” He helped on the set, cleaned the hotel room, and cooked food. Andrei Mironov jokingly advised the director to marry Potashnikov, otherwise he would marry him.

Subsequently, Alexander became the director of the Positive studio, which was founded by Alla Isaakovna. She was engaged in creativity, he solved financial and economic issues.

Alla Surikova with her third husband Alexander Potashnikov

In between marriages, Surikova led a stormy personal life. She had an affair with Rolan Bykov. There were rumors in the cinematic community that she tried to get closer to Andrei Tarkovsky, but he preferred her friend, writer Victoria Tokareva.

Alla was so captivated by her film work and personal life that she forgot about her daughter for a while. Kira stayed in Kyiv with her grandmother. In the mid-70s, she brought her granddaughter Surikova and ordered her to raise the girl herself from now on.

Colleagues assess Surikova's personality ambiguously. She has a great relationship with all the actors who have appeared in her films. But operators, artists and administrators claimed that Surikova sometimes refused to pay a fee for the work done.

Alla Surikova now

Among Alla Surikova’s latest films is the 2009 comedy “The Man from Capuchin Boulevard” (a remake of the original film, which received a lot of negative reviews), and the very lukewarm comedy “Full Speed ​​Ahead!”
with Oscar Kuchera, as well as the melodrama “Love and Sax”. Film by Alla Surikova “Love and Sax”. Trailer On May 19, 2020, in the Small Hall of the House of Pioneers in Moscow, a series of documentaries about the Russian exploration of the North and the Northern Sea Route was shown. Alla Surikova was the artistic director of the project. In June, preparations began for the “Smile, Russia” film festival, which this time they decided to hold in Tula. Alla Surikova, president of the festival, promised a screening of new films, creative meetings with poets, actors and comedians.

Alla Surikova in Tula at the film festival in 2020
On July 22, Alla Surikova became the guest of honor at the Open Source festival in Essentuki. Besides her, Pierre Richard and Maxim Averin walked along the red carpet, presenting their fans with flowers.