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The Year of Russian Cinema is Over

The Year of Russian Cinema has left behind. It was significant in its way. Some films of Russian production manifested their ability to claim for high ranking in popularity against Hollywood works. It doesn’t just make us happy, but it gives us hope for the future.

As for the films after the works by M.A.Sholokhov, the cinema community last year went on discussing the latest filming of ”The Quiet Don” by the film director S.Ursulyak. There revealed two trends: young onlookers reacted to the film favourably than the older generation, who formed their opinion about “The Quiet Don” after the classic film by S.Gerasimov. It should be noted that Gerasimov’s three-part film remains among the best works annually demonstrated on different TV channels of Russia. The year of Russian Cinema wasn’t exception. A high level, quality and the cast provide a constant high interest of the audience to this masterpiece.

By the present, all the major works by M.A.Sholokhov (“And Quiet Flows the Don”, “Virgin Soil Upturned”, “They Fought for Their Country”) and many of his short stories have been filmed. Last year it was ascertained that the next filming would be “the seventeenth”. We can only guess which of the works it will be, but it will undoubtedly take place.

The films after Sholokhov were often made by the Russian filmmakers, but there is also an American screen version of Sholokhov’s short story “The Foal”, which was shown in Russia as “Born Free”. This film was made based on the well-known short story, but the action was transferred to America of the XIX century.

In the Year of Russian Cinema we remembered to celebrate A.A.Khanzhonkov, one of the pioneers of the Russian feature filmmaking, a countryman, former Don Army Cossack. Last year, the Sholokhov country, Stanitsa Karghinskaya, was visited by I.A.Orlova-Khanzhonkova, a granddaughter of Khanzhonkov. She took part in the opening ceremony of the reconstructed old cinema house “Ideal”, one of the first in the Don country. This Karghin “cinematograph” showed an exhibition “Sholokhov’s Personages in Cinema”.

Our cinematograph has old roots and wonderful achievements. The Museum-Reserve of M.A.Sholokhov widely uses the best films in its work.

Larisa Bukina