Two muses of a famous director
Many fans of the work of Sergei Bondarchuk believe that the master was legally married twice: with the magnificent Inna Makarova, remembered by the audience for the films “Young Guard”, “My Dear Man”, “Height”, etc., and with one of the most beautiful women of Soviet cinema, Irina Skobtseva, who became famous after the roles of Desdemona, as well as Helen Bezukhova in the film “War and Peace”. However, in the life of the famous director there was another woman with whom he tied the knot under rather unusual circumstances. This story, which could well have become the basis for a soap opera script, was little known until Inna Makarova told journalists its details in one of her interviews.
Directing
The directorial biography of Sergei Bondarchuk started in 1959, when he was appointed director of the Mosfilm film studio. In the same year, his directorial debut took place: the film “The Fate of a Man,” based on a story by Sholokhov, was released, where Bondarchuk also appeared as the main character of the film, where he played together with Ellina Bystritskaya. The film was very warmly received by the country's audience and won the Lenin Prize, the Grand Gold Prize of the Moscow International Film Festival and many other awards.
Sergei Bondarchuk in the film “The Fate of Man”
Sergei Fedorovich often starred in films that he himself directed. The artist wonderfully conveyed the character of the hero Pierre Bezukhov in the epic film “War and Peace” in 1966.
But critics note that Bondarchuk’s most successful roles are in the films of the 1970s. This is Astrov in Andrei Konchalovsky’s “Uncle Vanya,” Academician Kurchatov in the film “Choice of Target,” Father Sergius in the film of the same name, Montanelli in the film drama “The Gadfly.”
Sergei Bondarchuk in the film "Gadfly"
An unconditional achievement in the world of Russian cinema is Sergei Fedorovich’s epic film “War and Peace.” The film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's great work brought the director worldwide fame. Bondarchuk devoted 6 years of his life to this work. The first episode of “Andrei Bolkonsky” was released in 1966. Then every year there are three more episodes. Bondarchuk's "War and Peace" brought the director an Oscar and a diploma from the Venice Film Festival. The film was shown in 117 countries around the world.
Sergei Bondarchuk in the film "War and Peace"
Soon the master directed the film “Waterloo,” where he confirmed his talent for staging grandiose battle scenes combined with careful psychological study of characters. The director’s next masterpiece was the film “They Fought for the Motherland,” released in 1975. For the first time in Soviet cinema, Sergei Bondarchuk showed the bitterness and drama of the retreat of the Soviet army. Many officials did not like this, but the film turned out to be so good that it won the State Prize of the RSFSR.
In 1978, Sergei Fedorovich was able to realize his dream and filmed Anton Chekhov’s story “The Steppe”. And in 1982, Bondarchuk’s new film “Red Bells” appeared, based on the works of John Reed. For this work the director was awarded the USSR State Prize.
Sergei Bondarchuk in the film "Quiet Don"
In 1989-1990, Bondarchuk, together with Italian producer Enzo Rispoli, worked on staging the epic film “Quiet Don”. This was the director's last film. Unfortunately, during his lifetime, Sergei Fedorovich never saw the release of “Quiet Don” on the screens. It was only in 2006 that the film was completed and dubbed. In late autumn 2006, the 8-episode film was first shown in one of the capital's cinemas, and then appeared on the big screens of the country.
Zhenya from Rostov-on-Don
As you know, Bondarchuk was born in Yeisk and studied the basics of acting at the Rostov-on-Don Theater School. There he met Evgenia Belousova, who was a student in the vocal department. This was a beautiful girl from a famous and wealthy family with great connections. When the war began, Sergei and Evgenia traveled together to the fronts and performed concerts in front of the Red Army soldiers. Then Bondarchuk went to fight, but after the victory the young people settled in a luxurious apartment located in the center of Rostov. Their happiness did not last long, and they never formalized their relationship in the registry office.
Early love
Sergei was born in a small village in Ukraine. But when he was still little, the family moved to Russia. The father of the future director worked as an engineer and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. My father didn’t want to hear that Sergei was planning to become an actor. But the guy showed firmness and after graduating from school he entered the theater school.
There Sergei met his first love - the girl’s name was Evgenia. She was the daughter of the city attorney and had a lively character. This is what attracted the 19-year-old boy.
Youthful love, first dates - all this was disrupted by the war. Sergei went to the front. The war separated him from his beloved girlfriend and unborn son.
Time changes a person, and even more so time spent in battle. After the end of the war, Bondarchuk became a different person and never returned to Rostov-on-Don. He didn’t even know that his little son Alexey was waiting for him there.
Resentment
When “The Young Guard” began its victorious march through the cinemas of the USSR, collecting full houses, Evgenia Belousova realized that Sergei, who had tasted loud cinematic fame, would not return to her. She bitterly told her friends that Bondarchuk lived with her “with an eye,” hinting that the former mechanic from Yeisk used her family’s position and connections to quickly get “in the public eye.” Being a single mother, she nevertheless did not experience financial problems, since her father, a prosecutor, provided for his daughter and grandson. However, Evgenia was tormented by the fact that her son was not officially recognized as Bondarchuk.
"Foundling"
As Inna Makarova later said, one day she returned home and found her husband completely lost, with a little boy sitting next to him. It turned out that this was Bondarchuk’s son Alexey. He was brought to the capital by his mother, who wanted to remind Sergei of his obligations to the child. Makarova, who did not yet have children at that time, accepted the baby and was even ready to start raising him. But Evgenia Belousova had completely different plans. The woman sought to achieve official recognition of the child, and perhaps secretly hoped to return Bondarchuk to the family.
Divorce
After some time, when Makarova and Sergei Bondarchuk’s eldest son, Alexey Bondarchuk, became friends, the boy’s mother came to their apartment with a commission demanding that paternity be recognized as a fact that does not require proof. Moreover, Belousova went to court and stated that she and Sergei were “signed up,” but the documents were lost during the war. On this basis, she demanded that the marriage of Makarova and Bondarchuk be declared invalid. The connections of Evgenia’s family in the prosecutor’s office played a significant role in the fact that the case was set in motion. Be that as it may, Sergei Fedorovich decided to acknowledge paternity. In those days, this could only be done by entering into an official marriage with the child’s mother. Bondarchuk had to divorce Makarova and go to Rostov-on-Don. There he entered into a fictitious marriage with Belousova and registered Alexei “in his name.” For a whole year after this, Evgenia did not give Sergei a divorce, hoping that he would come to his senses and return to her with his son. However, for Bondarchuk their relationship was a long-past stage, and he dreamed of forgetting about them.
Habit of getting married
We will never know what he talked about in confession. But like any believer, he had something to repent of.
For many years, official sources reported on two marriages of Sergei Bondarchuk and three children - Natalya from Inna Makarova , with whom he became close on the set of “The Young Guard”, as well as Elena and Fedora from Irina Skobtseva , whom the actor met while working in the film “Othello” (she, of course, was Desdemona, he was the Venetian Moor). “He took my hand in the frame. And so, hand in hand, we walked together for almost forty years, until his last breath,” Irina Konstantinovna recalled many years later.
Sergei Bondarchuk and Irina Skobtseva on the set of the film “Othello”. Photo: RIA Novosti
The cinematically beautiful love story was not really cloudless. Lightning flashed and thunder roared. It was raining mercilessly... Everything happened in their lives, especially in the first years.
Suffice it to say that at the time they met, Bondarchuk was married to Makarova, and the family had a daughter. And in Rostov-on-Don, his son Alexey had already gone to school... According to Inna Makarova, the story was completely ugly. In short, Bondarchuk had to divorce Makarova in order to officially sign Alyosha’s and recognize him as his son - such were the laws. And then marry Makarova again...
So this was Bondarchuk’s fourth marriage stamp with Skobtseva.
I don’t want to retell what Inna Makarova recalled about their notorious triangle. Whether all this is true or a fiction based on envy (why would suddenly - after so many years - Makarova seem to be happy in her second marriage), all these stories with women fighting for him did not add health to Bondarchuk either.
Article on the topic
Home Desdemona of our cinema. Life and cinema of Irina Skobtseva
Growing up
After the divorce from Belousova, Bondarchuk and Makarova got married again and raised their daughter Natasha. Although Sergei no longer visited the boy, he regularly sent money, quite a lot, for his maintenance. At least that’s what Belousova’s friends say.
Those who knew Alexey Bondarchuk, the son of Sergei Bondarchuk, in childhood, recall that he grew up as a quiet and downtrodden boy. Perhaps this was due to the fact that the child often heard from his mother about how unfairly his father treated him, and understood that he did not need him. His mother worked at the Helicopter Plant's House of Culture and often brought the boy to rehearsals. Nevertheless, Alexey did not follow in the footsteps of his parents and chose a career far from the world of art.
Meeting with Bondarchuk Sr.
While the boy was growing up, Inna Makarova kept in touch with him. This was not even prevented by the fact that the actress and director divorced in 1959. The master’s new wife, Irina Skobtseva, did not encourage her husband’s relationship with his former family. Even Natalya Bondarchuk (daughter of Sergei Fedorovich and Inna Makarova) saw her father extremely rarely, although she lived in the same city with him. Perhaps she did not know about the existence of Alexei Bondarchuk. At least, members of the film crew of the film “War and Peace” claimed that the appearance of the guy was a real surprise for her. And the father did not immediately recognize his first-born. He even first demanded that the stranger be taken away from the set, and was confused when he realized that in front of him was Alexey Bondarchuk.
The conversation between the star father and son did not go well. The dejected young man returned to Makarova’s apartment, where he stayed a couple of times when he came to the capital. Nevertheless, Bondarchuk Sr. issued his son a pass to the set so that they had the opportunity to communicate.
Subsequently, the man complained to Makarova that the guy was behaving obscenely and harassing actresses. In response, she asked him: “Who was supposed to raise him?”, thereby reproaching him for the lack of proper attention to children born before his marriage to Skobtseva.
Illegitimate son
For a long time, many were sure that Sergei Bondarchuk had only two legal wives: Inna Makarova and Irina Skobtseva. However, in fact, Bondarchuk entered into another marriage with a certain Evgenia Belousova. The future director met her at the Rostov Theater School. The girl studied at the vocal department of the mentioned educational institution. The young people quickly became close. In 1941, when the Great Patriotic War broke out, there was no time for love. However, Bondarchuk and Belousova did not break up even then: they traveled together to give concerts along the front lines. But after the victory, the relationship really went wrong. Sergei Fedorovich left for Moscow and never returned.
Apparently, the director did not even know that his former passion was expecting a child. And Evgenia herself did not make herself known for some time. In 1947, Bondarchuk married for the first time: actress Inna Makarova became his chosen one. And soon Belousova showed up. The woman came to the capital and demanded that Bondarchuk recognize his young son Alexei. In those years, there was no other way to formalize paternity than marriage, so Sergei Fedorovich divorced Makarova and went to the registry office with Belousova. Subsequently, the director again registered a relationship with Inna Vladimirovna.
Future life
Alexey Bondarchuk, the son of Sergei Bondarchuk, whose photos regularly appeared in newspaper chronicles, returned to his hometown with a grudge against his father. The young man realized that they were strangers and that he would never be accepted into the family. The director himself chose to forget about his offspring, especially since at that time he was working a lot and was at the top of his cinematic career.
Meanwhile, Alexey Bondarchuk, although he did not live in luxury, could hardly be called poor. Together with his mother, he continued to live in one of the most prestigious residential buildings in Rostov-on-Don, built by Stalin, where the party elite traditionally settled. The young man graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages at a local university. He spoke excellent French, taught for some time and managed to marry twice. His first wife was a student at a local music school, but this marriage did not last long. Then Alexey entered into a second marriage with a girl from the “nomenklatura family.” She gave birth to his son, who is one of the eldest grandchildren of the great director Sergei Bondarchuk.
Everything secret becomes clear
For the first time, Alexey Bondarchuk appeared before the general public at his father’s funeral. Neither Inna Makarova nor Evgenia Belousova were there. According to Natalya Bondarchuk, during the funeral service in the church, Alexey even wanted to say something unpleasant about Sergei Fedorovich, but she did not let him do it. In any case, it was clear to everyone that he harbored a grudge against his father, which did not go away even with his departure. By the way, at Alexei’s funeral his younger brother Fyodor saw him for the first time. Then they were unable to talk and communicate. However, many years later, in 2006, the son of Skobtseva and Bondarchuk once visited a Rostov relative. This happened during Fedor’s trip to Rostov-on-Don for the filming of the film “Vise”. The famous director did not stay long visiting his brother and his mother. Apparently, he did not have the most pleasant impressions of communicating with his relative, so in the future Fedor always tried to avoid questions about the Rostov branch of the Bondarchuks.
Refusal of inheritance
Both at the time of Sergei Bondarchuk’s passing, and today, according to Russian legislation, after death, a citizen’s inheritance can be claimed in equal shares by the wife and all children for whom the paternity of the deceased has been established. However, Alexey Bondarchuk did not submit an application in order to receive the part of his famous parent’s property due to him. Apparently, all his life the man needed his father’s love more than his money or protection, although, according to those who knew his family, he always experienced a lack of finances. Moreover, Alexey never sought to advertise his relationship with the famous directors Sergei and Fyodor Bondarchuk. At the same time, he rapidly slid down the social ladder and even twice came to the attention of law enforcement agencies. The first time, Alexey Bondarchuk, whose photo was never published, was fined for petty hooliganism, and the second time, for selling fruit on the street in 1999.
Personal life
The first wife of Sergei Bondarchuk was Evgenia Belousova. It is not known for certain whether the spouses were officially married, or whether the marriage was civil. After the war, Bondarchuk and Belousova separated. The director went to the capital, she remained in Rostov. From this union came Bondarchuk’s first son, Alexey.
Sergey Bondarchuk and Inna Makarova
The director’s second wife was actress Inna Makarova, whom Bondarchuk met on the set of the film “The Young Guard.” This marriage produced a daughter, Natalya, who became a director, like her father. When Sergei found out about the existence of his eldest son, he divorced Inna and entered into a fictitious marriage with Evgenia Belousova - the wedding was needed in order to recognize his son according to the laws of that time.
Sergei Bondarchuk and Inna Makarova with their daughter Natalya
The divorce from his new wife was lengthy; Evgenia simply did not appear in court. Immediately after the necessary legal registration, Bondarchuk married Inna Makarova again. The couple received enormous public pressure; the spouses were sent anonymous letters and gossip was retold. When Inna Makarova talks about her relationship with Bondarchuk, she bitterly clarifies: “We were scammed.”
The divorce was postponed, despite the actual end of the relationship, Bondarchuk did not want to leave. After the official divorce, the director continued to move towards rapprochement, but Inna did not reciprocate; Sergei Fedorovich continued his affair with his young co-star.
Sergei Bondarchuk and Irina Skobtseva
At the end of the 50s, Sergei Bondarchuk married Irina Skobtseva, with whom he lived for 35 years. The artist met the young actress during the filming of the film Othello. This marriage produced two children - Alena Bondarchuk (died in 2009) and Fyodor Bondarchuk. There were unpleasant rumors about Irina; the actress was accused of adultery. Sergei’s colleagues believed that the young actress “wound” the director for selfish and career reasons. The acting community was sure that Alena was Bondarchuk’s stepdaughter.
Sergei Bondarchuk with his family
Sergei Fedorovich filmed his wife in all the films he directed after meeting Irina. In the film “Velvet Season”, Alena joined the married tandem, who also played the daughter of her parents’ heroes in the film, and in “Boris Godunov” the creative family appeared in full force.
Scandal
A few years after the death of his father, Alexey Bondarchuk again came to the attention of journalists. Representatives of the yellow press learned that the scion of a famous cinematic dynasty had become a vagabond. Before that, he, his mother and wife lived on their meager pensions and barely made ends meet.
The man’s tendency towards such deviant behavior had been observed before, especially since he was often seen in a tipsy state, when he had little understanding of what he was doing.
In general, in the biography of Alexei Bondarchuk (see photo with his sister above) there are many blank spots. The man led an extremely secluded life, so none of the neighbors could say exactly where and with whom he ever worked. Those around him only knew that he had a very intelligent son who became a mathematician. As for Bondarchuk Jr.’s wife, the woman who repeatedly tried to cure her husband of alcohol addiction worked for many years at the House of Cinema.
In one of her interviews in 2011, actress Inna Makarova told reporters that during a trip to Rostov-on-Don she wanted to meet the son of her ex-husband, with whom she always tried to maintain warm relations. However, this did not happen, as it turned out that her failed stepson had become depressed and was practically never at home. Makarova was very sorry that she could not see the man and help him in any way. For all of “Alyosha’s” troubles, she blames Sergei Fedorovich, who did not accept his son, as well as Alexei’s entourage, which instilled in him from childhood that he was the son of a great man and should live up to the status of his father. Such a moral burden was too much for Bondarchuk Jr. to bear, and he began to seek solace in wine. What this leads to is known to everyone.
Now you know the biography of Alexei Bondarchuk. It is extremely difficult to find any information in the public domain about the personal life, children, and even about the career of the son of the great director Sergei Bondarchuk. Perhaps he would have become no less famous than his star brother Fedor. However, the man did not have the paternal support that the director’s other children received, or perhaps the reason was the victim complex instilled in him by his mother. Today no one can say for sure. One thing is clear - every person is the architect of his own happiness, so no one should be blamed for his failures.
Gossip Man calendar: 8 works by Sergei Bondarchuk
On September 25, 1920, Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk was born. On the 94th anniversary of his birth, we remember the films he left behind. Of course, he has many wonderful roles to his credit (including, say, Roberto Rossellini). But today we invite you to talk about his directorial works. Moreover, in many of his films he starred himself and filmed members of his family.
Sergei Fedorovich made his debut as a director in 1959 with the film “The Fate of a Man”
based on the work of Mikhail Sholokhov. Bondarchuk also played the main role himself. The film won the main prize of the Moscow International Film Festival, and was also recognized as the best film according to the results of a survey by the magazine “Soviet Screen”.
Still from the film “The Fate of Man”
In 1961, work began on a film adaptation of Leo Tolstoy's novel War and Peace.
. Filming began in 1963. And by 1965, the first part of the epic canvas was ready. In total, Bondarchuk created five parts, which included the entire novel. The film adaptation turned out to be detailed and classic - no radical interpretations, everything is exactly as it is usually told in a school literature course. The film adaptation became the second Soviet film to win an Oscar. This was a victory for USSR cinema - especially since, they say, it was decided to take on Tolstoy’s novel after the Americans filmed their version of the legendary work. Sergei Fedorovich himself played the role of Pierre in his film.
Still from the film “War and Peace”: Andrei Bolkonsky (Vyacheslav Tikhonov) and Natasha Rostova (Lyudmila Savelyeva) at the ball
“War and Peace” Bondarchuk proved that he is a true master of battle scenes. He confirmed this talent in his next work - the Italian-Soviet film “Waterloo”
. The picture turned out to be large-scale - 15 thousand infantry soldiers and two thousand cavalrymen were involved in the filming. But this is extras. And the main roles were played by stars of the first magnitude - Rod Steyer, Orson Welles and others. The film received two BAFTA awards - in the categories “Best Costumes” and “Best Artwork”.
Still from the film "Waterloo"
Bondarchuk's next work was also warmly received not only by Soviet, but also by world critics. Film "They Fought for the Motherland"
(again based on Sholokhov’s work, based on his unfinished novel) participated in the competition at the Cannes Film Festival. This picture was the last for the great Vasily Shukshin. He died in 1974 while filming was in full swing. Due to the actor's death, work on the film was suspended for some time.
Still from the film “They Fought for the Motherland”
After “They Fought for the Motherland,” Sergei Fedorovich made a chamber film, which few people remember today - he went down in history, first of all, as a master of epic canvases. But in 1977 he filmed Chekhov’s story “The Steppe”
. The film was not nominated for any awards and was released in cinemas without any fuss. But perhaps that is precisely why it is valuable.
Still from the film “Steppe”
After “The Steppe,” Bondarchuk took on a new international project—the “Red Bells”
. Its first part is based on the book Mexico Risen by John Reed (author of the famous Ten Days That Shook the World). The first film in the duology, “Red Bells, Film One - Mexico on Fire,” received the Crystal Globe at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. The second - "Red Bells, the second film - I saw the birth of a new world" - was left without any major awards. And just the second reveals the history of the revolution in Russia, told by an American journalist. Both works were received ambiguously, especially compared to the brilliant films of Sergei Fedorovich that preceded them.
Still from the film "Red Bells, film one - Mexico on Fire"
Still from the film “Red Bells, film two - I saw the birth of a new world”
After a very uneven “revolutionary duology”, Sergei Fedorovich created a film that viewers and critics received with delight: it’s about “Boris Godunov”
. Needless to say, he not only directed the film, but also played the main role in it. The film was once again entered into competition at the Cannes Film Festival, and although it was not awarded the Palme d'Or, participation in the show itself meant a lot.
Poster for the film “Boris Godunov”
Sergei Fedorovich's last work had a difficult fate. He planned to make a film based on “Quiet Don” (before him, his teacher, Sergei Gerasimov, created his own film version of this novel, it is considered a textbook) back in the 1980s, but money for the film adaptation was not immediately found. The director was helped out by Italian producers. However, they set conditions: in particular, they themselves began to select actors for the main roles. Gregory was played by Rupert Everett, Pantelei's grandfather F. Murray Abraham, and Aksinya by Delphine Forest (before she was cast in the role, she was not familiar with the novel). Work on the film began in 1986. Filming began in 1991. By 1993, Bondarchuk had finished editing the director's version of the film, but all the working materials were confiscated by the creditor bank. 10-episode "Quiet Don"
went on the shelf, Sergei Fedorovich did not live to see its premiere (he passed away in 1994). Nevertheless, the picture saw the light of day. In 2005, it was bought, and the director’s son Fyodor Bondarchuk completed some scenes (primarily landscapes). Thus, work on the last film of the classic of our cinema was completed.
Still from the film "Quiet Don"
Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk made films that became part of history. Thanks to his films, familiar characters were revealed to viewers from new sides. Bondarchuk almost always managed to do what not all directors can do - create a self-sufficient work of art, while maintaining respect for the literary source. That is why his works will be watched and reviewed many years later.
Sergei Fedorovich Bondarchuk was born 94 years ago
