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“The Film is Supposed to Succeed…”

45 years ago, on June 10, 1974, the film crew “They Fought for Their Country” met with M.A.Sholokhov. According to the writer’s advice the filming took place near Melologovsky Village the Volgograd Region, near Stanitsa Kletskaya. In summer 1942, there was a crossing of the Soviet troops retreating to Stalingrad and a fierce fighting witnessed by the writer. There were preserved trenches, and the ground was littered with shrapnel and shells.

Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya was visited by the film director S.F.Bondarchuk, cameraman V.I.Yusov, and the starring actors – V.M.Shukshin, V.V.Tikhonov. I.G.Lapikov, G.I.Burkov, who came direct from the film set for advice how to film and how to perform.

The meeting and the talk in the hospitable Sholokhov’s house is well remembered by its members:

Cameraman Vadim Yusov:

“When Sergey Bondarchuk started working over the film, <…> it was 1974. At that time only Mikhail Alexandrovich and Sergey Fyodorovich could afford themselves to show blood and severity of the war so hard. <…> In the midst of the filming we visited the writer in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya. Mikhail Alexandrovich received our “landingparty” cordially. Many of us saw the living classic for the first time. A relaxed atmosphere was quickly established at the dinner table. We talked about life, about village, joked…”

Sergey Bondarchuk wrote:

“I often think: what is the greatness and originality of the writing talent of Sholokhov, what does he capture the soul of every person with wherever he may live,whatmakes you worry about the fate of different people as deeply personal? I remember one of the many of our meetings with Mikhail Alexandrovich in his house in Stanitsa Vyoshenskaya on the River Don. It left a deep impression in the soul of everyone who worked over the film “They Fought for Their Country”. The conversation turned on the truth in art. And Mikhail Alexandrovich thoughtfully said that writing the truth is not easy,but the writing mission is not limited to this – it is more difficult to write the verity. We made a film about inescapability of life, and that is why our main goal was to comprehend the events of severe year 1942, to show the warrior spirit, origins of future victory and the atmosphere where it originated…”

This meeting was especially important for Vasily Shukshin. Later Vasily Makarovich said: “Sholokhov is a discovery for me. <…> Meeting him personally I saw him to be very deep, wise, ordinary. For me Sholokhov is personification of a chronicler. <…> Sholokhov turned everything in me. <…> He opened for me in a real earth light as a toiler in literature”.

The visit of the filming crew “They Fought for Their Country” was also well remembered by Mikhail Alexandrovich. Later the writer confessed: “The film is supposed to succeed. The film director made the right decision: to show the psychology of the soldier, his inner world, his manhood and hardening in the severe trials of the war.We often like to talk about a soldier in general, about a soldier who won the Patriotic War, but really all the people dressed in the soldier’s field shirts were fighting. <…> I think they willsucceed”.

Yelena Popova