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A Jubilee of the Best “Grigoriy Melekhov”

On the 14^th of April, 2010, it was the 95^th anniversary of Pyotr Petrovich Glebov, the actor, who performed Grigoriy Melekhov in the brilliant Gherasimov’s screening version of the novel “And Quiet Flows the Don” by M.A. Sholokhov. We have missed Pyotr Petrovich for ten years already, but his hero is living on the screen, and he remains the best of all “Melekhovs” who have ever appeared in the cinematograph.

Born in 1941, Pyotr Glebov worked in the Moscow Drama Theatre named after Stanislavskiy, in the Film Actor’s Theatre-Studio. By the time of shooting “The Quiet Don” by S.A. Gherasimov, the forty-year actor had the Great Patriotic war behind him. The film-director managed to grasp the characteristic features and life experience of the actor. Glebov was reliable and convincing, he was truthful to embody an image of a Don Cossack, who, on the one hand, was self-controlled, profound, and on the other – emotionally brightly coloured. Though Glebov had performed in more than forty films, yet no other role made him so famous and widely known but that of Grigoriy Melekhov.

Pyotr Petrovich visited Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya many times, he met with Sholokhov, later he took part in the literary and folklore festivity of “Sholokhov Spring”, and each of his visits produced bright impressions both in the actor and the residents of the stanitsa.

… It is 1995. The stadium of Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya is crammed full. The festivity is in full swing: folklore groups and soloists are singing and dancing on the improvised stage. Young sportsmen are performing, horsemen are showing their mastery. Suddenly the intertainer announced: “The holiday is visited by Grigoriy Melekhov – Pyotr Petrovich Glebov!” The stadium rises. Hundreds of viewers and holiday-makers turn to the actor modestly standing on the lawn, the greetings drowning out in a storm of applause. Glebov is waving his hand, the moment brings tears to his eyes…

The Cossacks of Vyoshenskaya had always received Pyotr Petrovich like their relative, considering him to be real Grigoriy Melekhov.

L. Bukina

In the photo: Pyotr Glebov and the sculptor Nikolay Mozhayev
are at the embankment of the river Don in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya. 1995.