Film director and actor Stanislav Govorukhin died this morning at the Barvikha sanatorium. According to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin, Govorukhin fought the disease to the last.
Stanislav Sergeevich always repeated: “the biography of an artist is his works.” He made more than 20 films, most of which were included in the “golden fund” of Russian cinema.
Photo: TASS/Mikhail Metzel
The editors of the Moscow 24 portal recall the director’s most striking films.
Stanslav Govorukhin was born on March 29, 1936 in the city of Berezniki, Sverdlovsk region. His father was a Don Cossack, his mother a dressmaker. His parents divorced before he was born, and his mother raised the boy alone. In 1958, Govorukhin graduated from the geological department of the Kazan State University named after Ulyanov-Lenin and worked as a geologist for about a year. And in 1966 he graduated with honors from the directing department of VGIK (workshop of Yakov Segel).
“The meeting place cannot be changed,” 1979
Photo: still from the film “The meeting place cannot be changed”; Director - Stanislav Govorukhin, script - Vainer brothers, production - Odessa Film Studio
“The meeting place cannot be changed” is considered the most famous picture of Soviet cinema about the working life of the MUR. The main characters' remarks instantly scattered into quotes, and Zheglov and Sharapov became folk heroes, the personification of justice. The film uses materials from real criminal cases. And the “Black Cat” gang had a real prototype - Ivan Mitin’s gang from the Krasnogorsk Mechanical Plant, a criminal group operating in Moscow and the Moscow region in the early 1950s.
By the way, the trademark of this film is a black cat, which the director himself drew with charcoal on the wall in all episodes. And he wanted to call the film that – “Black Cat”. Only they didn’t allow it. But in 2017, Govorukhin published the book of the same name “Black Cat. Director's Notes."
Stanislav Govorukhin has made many feature, artistic, journalistic and journalistic films. Among his most famous directorial works in feature films: “Vertical” (1967), “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed” (1979), “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn” (1981), “Ten Little Indians” (1987), “The Voroshilov Shooter” "(1999), "Bless the Woman" (2003), "The Passenger" (2009), Weekend (2013), "The End of a Beautiful Era" (2015) and others.
The film “Meeting Place...” was opened for the viewer by Udovichenko
The friendship between Vysotsky and Govorukhin, which began on the set of the film “Vertical,” continued until the death of the great bard. Govorukhin persuaded Vysotsky to star in this film. Vladimir Semenovich already had serious health problems at that time.
“It’s impossible to convey how much this man meant to me.” The day of July 25, 1980, a black line divided my life into two unequal parts: “before” and “after.” The one “before” is illuminated and consecrated by the bright image of Vysotsky... He so wanted to star in the film “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed”, he was so nervous - would he be approved for the role?.. The first day of filming coincided with Marina Vladi’s birthday. We celebrated at our friend's dacha near Odessa. Suddenly Marina takes me to another room and, almost crying, begs: “Take someone else instead of Volodya, and let him go!” Vysotsky comes in: “Understand, I have so little left, I can’t spend a year of my life on this role...” What happiness for all of us that I didn’t agree then. “I didn’t give up,” Govorukhin recalled.
For creating the image of police captain Gleb Zheglov, Vysotsky was awarded the USSR State Prize. But already posthumously, in 1987.
This film introduced the viewer to the young actress Larisa Udovichenko, who got the role of “Bond Manka”. When Udovichenko came to audition for “The Meeting Place...”, Govorukhin did not even realize that she had previously starred in his film “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe.” True, the scene with her participation was later cut from the film. Udovichenko did not pass the test the first time.
- I sent the young lady home. Then I tried all kinds of actresses for this role - not a single one was suitable, all of them showed some kind of falseness. Finally, when filming had already begun, I decided to call that strange girl without any tests. As you can see, I was not mistaken,” Govorukhin recalled.
"In Search of Captain Grant", 1985
Photo: still from the film “In Search of Captain Grant”; Director - Stanislav Govorukhin, script - Stanislav Govorukhin, production - Odessa Film Studio
Govorukhin's serial television adventure film based on Jules Verne's novel “The Children of Captain Grant” was first shown on the First Program of the Central Television of the USSR State Television and Radio in May 1986. The biography of Jules Verne and the plot of the novel itself are quite freely interpreted by the filmmakers.
Filming took place in Bulgaria, Crimea and the Black Sea. The film uses Isaac Dunaevsky's overture from the film "The Children of Captain Grant", the first Soviet film adaptation of the 1936 novel.
"Ten Little Indians", 1987
Photo: still from the film “Ten Little Indians”; Director - Stanislav Govorukhin, script - Stanislav Govorukhin, production - Odessa Film Studio
This film became the first psychological thriller of Soviet cinema. In the film adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel of the same name, the director retained the pessimistic nature of the novel's ending; neither the characters nor their past were changed.
By the way, in this picture you can see Govorukhin himself: the film begins with a frame where someone’s hand places porcelain little Indians on a silver tray. In the reflection of the tray you can see a person's face. It was Stanislav Govorukhin, smoking a cigar.
Govorukhin is a former candidate for President of the Russian Federation. In the presidential elections held on March 26, 2000, he received 0.44 percent of the vote. And on December 8, 2011, he was elected head of Vladimir Putin’s campaign headquarters in the 2012 presidential elections. In 2013, he was elected co-chairman of the Central Headquarters of the All-Russian Popular Front (ONF) for a five-year term. And since 1993, he was a deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation from the United Russia party.
Stanislav Govorukhin: “It’s time to leave with dignity”
In his life, Stanislav Govorukhin walked with his head held high, and most importantly, he lived in accordance with his principles.
Sometimes he made mistakes and suffered, repented and sinned again - in a word, he was an ordinary person with his own shortcomings. Who knows - if we had elected him as president in 2000, maybe we would live differently today? Shortly before his death, Stanislav Sergeevich admitted: “I think that at the High Court I will be charged with many minor, everyday charges, and this will probably be enough to fry in a frying pan. But there will be no main accusations: you did not love your homeland, your people, your parents. And there will be no accusations of treason.”
The future geologist Govorukhin was walking along one of the streets of Gorky, immersed in his thoughts, when he came across a fence that was not there before. Pushing through the crowd of onlookers, he saw some men moving benches, women arranging various objects, and a nervous lady rushing about to the side, memorizing something from a sheet of paper. Not otherwise, they are going to make a movie! And in all this bustle, like a king, the director sits on a chair, points his finger and commands. The rest of the way the young man thought about how he didn’t want to become a geologist...
Stanislav entered the geology department of Kazan University out of respect for his mother: she wanted her son to get a “real” profession. How could he argue with a woman who alone raised him and his older sister during a difficult time of hunger? His father, a Don Cossack, left his wife before the birth of his son. Stanislav later found out that he was repressed and died in Siberia. Govorukhin probably inherited his love of freedom from his father.
Immediately after graduating from university, the future director got a job at the newly opened Kazan television studio. For a small salary, he worked in several positions at once: director, program editor, cameraman, screenwriter, and at the same time worked as a correspondent for “Soviet Tataria” and “Gorky Worker”. During a trip to Hungary, I wrote an article about Budapest and even received a fee. The article was simple, but it infuriated party officials. How could a Soviet person write anything for a foreign publication? Without permission from above? And even get a fee for it!
After a tough conversation in the regional committee, Govorukhin realized: he had nothing to do in Kazan. They won’t give you a diploma, they won’t hire you. He packed his things, left for Moscow and entered VGIK. And in the capital the Khrushchev thaw was already raging with might and main...
The word “Odessa” sounded like music to the romantic Govorukhin. He had never been to this city, but he always knew that he would be happy in it. Therefore, when, after graduating from university, he was offered a position as an assistant director at the Odessa Film Studio, he did not hesitate for a second. This decision became fateful. The first, test work of the young director was to be the film “Height”. After reading the script, Govorukhin realized that it was very weak, and only a miracle could make it successful.
And he came up with a brilliant move - he invited Vladimir Vysotsky to play the main role, thanks to whose talent and songs the film, released in 1967, was a great success. The director himself found a good friend and kindred spirit in Vysotsky: 12 years later, their brilliant duet gave the world another film masterpiece, “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed.”
But Govorukhin found more than just a friend on the set of his first film. His experienced eye as a connoisseur of women noticed the editor’s young assistant, 17-year-old Galina. According to eyewitnesses, Galya was the only one who was not fascinated by Vysotsky’s voice and personality. However, at first she was not impressed by the charisma of 30-year-old Govorukhin. "Old and bald!" — she snorted in response to her friends’ hints. However, out of curiosity, she agreed to go on a date with him.
They walked along French Boulevard, Stanislav told interesting things that you won’t read about in any book. Galya suddenly realized how in love he was with cinema, and unnoticed by herself she fell under his charm. But at the end of the walk, Stanislav disappointed the girl by kissing her on the cheek goodbye: she expected more!
Galina heard rumors about the director’s stormy personal life, of which she began to be jealous of her lover. With her, he still only walked by the hand and really kissed her only a couple of times. Unable to withstand the intensity of passions, Galina jumped out to marry another of her beaus from among the actors. According to rumors, she ran away from her young husband on her wedding night: she could not betray her love for Govorukhin.
And he called the girl for a serious conversation and explained that he loved her and was waiting for her to come of age. “Now you’re an adult and decide for yourself whether you need me or not!” - said it suddenly and bluntly. Galina rushed into his arms, never to be separated from him again. In 1966, they formalized their marriage, which lasted more than half a century.
Confident that “only mountains can be better than mountains,” on July 26, 1969, Stanislav Govorukhin and his friends went on a helicopter ride over Elbrus. There was some kind of technical glitch and the helicopter crashed into a rock. By luck, Govorukhin managed to survive. Since then, Stanislav, like many people who have looked death in the face, has revised all his views on life. From then on, he celebrated his second birthday on July 26th.
New life experiences opened up unprecedented creative heights for the director and screenwriter. Working at the Odessa Film Studio for 20 years, he filmed “The Life and Amazing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe”, “The Meeting Place Cannot Be Changed”, “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn”, “In Search of Captain Grant”, “Ten Little Indians”.
In 1987, Govorukhin unexpectedly told Galina that they needed to pack their things - they were moving to Moscow: he accepted the invitation to become the director of Mosfilm. The devoted wife was ready to follow him through fire and water. She only regretted that, due to a disease she suffered in her youth, she could not give Stanislav children. But she was grateful to her husband: after the news of infertility, he stayed by her side. Galina did everything to improve his relationship with Sergei, the only son from his first marriage to the actress of the Kazan Drama Theater Yuno Karaeva.
If in childhood the boy almost hated his father because he did not take any part in his life, then in his youth, having worked as a welder, laborer, and foreman, he submitted documents to VGIK, following in the footsteps of his parent. Sergei worked as a war correspondent in Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Yugoslavia. It was as if he wanted to prove to his father that he was worthy of his attention. Sergei Govorukhin became widely known as a screenwriter, director, and producer.
His participation in one of the combat operations led to the loss of his leg, and in 2011 at the age of 50 he died of a stroke. Until the last days of his life, Stanislav Sergeevich repented that he paid little attention to his son in childhood, and later criticized his adult creative works. He transferred all his unspent paternal love to his grandchildren: Stanislav and Vasily, the sons of Sergei Govorukhin from different marriages, and his illegitimate daughter Varvara.
Along with the fame of a talented director and screenwriter, Govorukhin earned a reputation as a ladies' man. Every day he met young beautiful actresses on the set, and he was pursued by student fans. Friends and colleagues recall that Govorukhin’s charm had an irresistible effect on the fair sex. What can we say about those who dreamed of making a career in cinema with the help of a famous director!
Among the actors, there were legends about the patience of his wife Galina, who forgave Govorukhin’s minor affairs. Perhaps the most striking romance can be called the director’s relationship with 19-year-old Svetlana Khodchenkova, then an aspiring actress, whom he invited to star in his film “Bless the Woman” (2003). Govorukhin fell seriously in love and was even ready to file for divorce. However, this did not happen. Later in an interview, Govorukhin admitted that with her weight loss and desire to meet Hollywood standards, Khodchenkova became “like a herring” and disappointed him. Although this did not stop him from casting the actress in the film “Not by Bread Alone” two years later.
The master’s new favorite was the 25-year-old actress of the film “The Passenger” (2009), Anna Gorshkova, who was noted for her penchant for shockingly revealing outfits and an emphatic demonstration of her relationship with the director. But she was soon replaced by 22-year-old actress Elena Dudina. They say that in her the master saw his ideal of female beauty - young Irina Alferova. Govorukhin courted him beautifully and invited the aspiring actress to star in the film “Hearts of Four.”
It was rumored that for the sake of her career, Dudina accepted the advances of an elderly director, but secretly married a young colleague. Having learned about this, Govorukhin cut out all the scenes with the participation of the traitor from the film and returned to his forgiving wife. Of course, Galina accepted him, declaring to everyone that she was happy for her husband, since his health allowed him to have young mistresses.
By the way, some actresses themselves enrolled themselves in the ranks of his mistresses. Thus, Anastasia Martsinkovskaya once stated that she was raising Govorukhin’s illegitimate son, although he denied their affair.
Setting a high bar for himself in his creative pursuits, Stanislav Govorukhin always noted with bitterness how the level of Russian cinema had declined. Being a well-read and thoughtful person, he was sensitive to illiterate upstart directors who, having money, made low-quality films. And he saw the problem of Russian culture in general and cinema in particular not in the lack of funding (as he previously believed), but in total moral degradation.
Govorukhin had two truths: he was sure that one must live by honor, and he believed that one person could change history. Guided by these principles, the director went into politics. His journalistic films “You Can’t Live Like This” and “The Russia We Lost,” as well as the film “Voroshilov’s Shooter,” are dedicated to acute social problems. These were strange jobs for a State Duma deputy and presidential candidate. Govorukhin’s political vacillations undermined his credibility as a public figure and provoked condemnation from colleagues and fans. The director himself justified himself by saying that he views politics only as a way to answer pressing questions: what to do and how to live next?..
In the last years of his life, as if anticipating his imminent departure, Govorukhin worked a lot. He wrote the script for the military drama “In June 1941” and completed the comedy “In Jazz Style.” And he even went on a bold experiment: in the age of color cinema, he made a film in the noir style with the intriguing title Weekend. In 2020, at Kinotavr, Govorukhin presented “The End of a Beautiful Era,” a biographical drama based on the ironic prose of Sergei Dovlatov. The film was awarded the Golden Eagle and Nika. “This is my farewell work,” Stanislav Sergeevich shocked the press. “I’ve already taken all the best ones.” It's time to leave with dignity...”
Stanislav Sergeevich never complained about his health, at least in the press. He admitted that he does not follow any regime, drinks a lot, and smokes even more.
Six months ago, the director was diagnosed with lung cancer. An operation was performed, after which Govorukhin lived with one lung. But the body was unable to recover. No joke, 82 years old!
At the beginning of summer, Stanislav Sergeevich became weak: he could not talk and often lost consciousness. He was hospitalized; better conditions were created in the elite ward of the Barvikha sanatorium near Moscow, but his condition worsened every day. On June 14, 2020, Stanislav Govorukhin died.
After the director's death, rumors spread in the press about his multimillion-dollar inheritance. Indeed, Stanislav Sergeevich has accumulated substantial capital. He owns 2,000 square meters of land in the Moscow region, two apartments in premium class buildings in the capital, as well as a mansion in the town of Krekshino - next to the mansions of Gennady Zyuganov and Vladimir Vinokur. It is difficult to name the exact cost of the master’s legacy. Apartments in the capital cost at least 4 million dollars, and a country house costs around 19 million rubles. And also a collection of paintings, antique porcelain and ceramics, its full value has not yet been made public.
The director's direct and main heir was his widow, Galina Borisovna Govorukhina. Although Stanislav Sergeevich’s three grandchildren can also claim their share of their grandfather’s property.
Govorukhin also left behind other wealth - honest paintings, piercing books, frank interviews. I would like to believe that the value of this heritage will only increase over the years.
Author: Anna Samarina
“Voroshilovsky shooter”, 1999
Photo: still from the film “Voroshilovsky Shooter”; Director - Stanislav Govorukhin, script - Alexander Borodyansky, Yuri Polyakov, Stanislav Govorukhin, production - NTV-PROFIT
The film is based on the novel by Viktor Pronin “Wednesday Woman”. The director was so impressed by the story that he decided to film the story.
Govorukhin invited Mikhail Ulyanov to play the main role, although there were enough contenders; for example, Georgy Zhzhenov really wanted to play Afonin. There were two contenders for the role of Katya - then still Gnesinka students Anna Sinyakina and Yulia Nachalova. The director gave this choice to Ulyanov. So Sinyakina was approved for the role.
The film was shot in Kaluga. Govorukhin decided to do without decorations, so they worked in real apartments, entrances and courtyards, and ordinary local residents kept appearing in the frame.
"Bless the Woman", 2003
Photo: still from the film “Bless the Woman”; Director - Stanislav Govorukhin, script - Vladimir Valutsky, production - Mosfilm Film Studio, Vertical Film Studio
Almost all of Govorukhin’s paintings are largely autobiographical. He dedicated “Bless the Woman” to his mother, the village dressmaker Praskovya Ivanovna.
The melodrama is based on Irina Grekova’s story “The Hostess of the Hotel.” The film takes place in a small seaside village in the pre-war years. A young girl falls madly in love with a visiting military man and leaves with him to his place of duty. Through the hardships of army life and the hard times of war, she carries her feelings to her middle-aged husband, giving herself completely.
The main role was played by Svetlana Khodchenkova, whom the director called his “muse.”
Khodchenkova - Govorukhin’s buxom muse
By the time filming began, Svetlana Khodchenkova was an unknown first-year student at “Pike,” cute, but slightly overweight. Masha Mironova auditioned for the role of Vera, and the image of Larichev was supposed to be portrayed by Alexey Guskov, the star of Alexander Mitta’s “Taiga Romance,” but everything happened differently.
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Baluev was chosen for the role because of his portrait resemblance to the prototype, and Khodchenkova, being one of the last to arrive at the casting, immediately won Govorukhin’s heart. Until a certain point, the director considered Sveta the ideal of a Russian beauty. But it all ended when the actress suddenly lost weight.
“The end of a wonderful era”, 2020
Photo: still from the film “The End of a Beautiful Era”; Director - Stanislav Govorukhin, script - Stanislav Govorukhin, production - Film Studio "Vertical"
His latest film, “The End of a Beautiful Era,” is based on Sergei Dovlatov’s story “Compromise” (it was awarded the Golden Eagle Award for Best Director). Govorukhin himself considers this film his best. The film marked the return of actress Svetlana Khodchenkova, his muse and “Govorukhin’s discovery” to the director. At one time, he did not accept the actress’s new image, but years later the old grievances were forgotten, and they began to work together again.
It was after this film that the director said: “I decided not to shoot anything else at all, because it seems to me that there is no better way to do it.”
To the aid of the Hollywood Wolverines
It was because of the actress’s weight loss that Govorukhin and Khodchenkova had a protracted conflict that lasted several years. The fact is that after the release of the series and the wild popularity that followed the premiere (by the way, the film failed miserably at the box office), Svetlana was in panic fear of remaining hostage to the role of a lovely provincial girl, so she immediately took on herself. In just a few months, Khodchenkova lost two dozen kilograms, changing literally beyond recognition.
No matter how angry the eminent director was, believing that Svetlana had turned from a unique beauty into one of many “hanger actresses” with a standard appearance, offers for filming fell in abundance on the slimmer Khodchenkova. The actress even played in Hollywood, taking part in the film “Wolverine. Immortal". In 2020, the director and his long-time muse finally made peace, and Svetlana starred in one of the master’s last films, “The End of a Beautiful Era.” After the death of Stanislav Sergeevich, the actress posted a mournful post on her Instagram account.
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