I’ve figured it all out.
We'll start a new life. Pure as a spring! Bright as the sun!
Reading the diary notes of Anton Pavlovich Chekhov, Nikita Mikhalkov1 stumbled across the phrase: «механическое пианино». Two words reading alound make sense without throwing a glance at GoogleTranslator. The image of mechanical, predictable and inertia being запал кинематографисту в душу2. The title of the film is Неоконченная пьеса для механического пианино (An Unfinished Piece for Mechanical Piano, 1976).
Nikita Mikhalkov and Aleksandr Adabashyan collaborated on a screenplay inspired by Anton Chekhov’s play Fatherless. The play has a remarkable history: written while Chekhov3 was still a gymnasium student, it was discovered only after his death. Additionally, the script incorporates fragments from other Chekhov works, such as Three Years, At a Country House, My Life etc.
The filming took place in Pushchino, Moscow Oblast, on the picturesque banks of the Oka River, at the Artsybashev estate. В двухэтажном каменном mansion <of> XVIII века, окружённом аллеями старого парка и прудами, затянутыми ряской4, и развернулось действие картины.
From the very beginning, the screenplay was written specifically for this forgotten corner of antiquity, which appeared as a dilapidated nobleman’s nest.
Exercise 1. Reading the sentence above you may think the sentences below are equal. And you’ll be right. So, fill in the blanks with the correct prepositional case endings:
“Этот забытый уголок стар__ (старина) стал главным местом действия.”
“Дом стоял среди аллей стар__ парк__ (парк) и пруд__ (пруд).”
After completing the screen tests, Mikhalkov invited the selected actors провести в усадьбе лето, adopt a measured pace of life, и приходить на съёмки пешком. At his insistence, артисты много гуляли5, ходили в лес за грибами и обязательно участвовали в вечерних чаепитиях6. These conversations would begin exclusively with topics of nature and weather, only gradually transitioning to discussions about the upcoming shooting day. The table talk would naturally evolve into rehearsals. In this way, the filmmaker fostered a warm, almost familial creative atmosphere. Three actors were cast in the film without preliminary auditions.
Exersice 2. Replace the infinitives with the correct verb form (perfective/imperfective) in past tense:
Exercise 3. Unscramble the words to reconstruct a sentence:
утверждать, без, актёры, пробы, трое, на, роли, предварительный9
The film’s soundtrack merits particular attention. In addition to Eduard Artemyev’s deeply moving compositions, the feature includes pieces by Rachmaninoff and Liszt. A segment from a Donizetti opera lends the finale its unforgettable emotional texture, kindling hope for brighter days ahead.
What a devoted filmmaker is Nikita Mikhalkov! Cool, inspirational, and utterly human.
P.S. What a beautiful piece of opera was chosen! Luciano Pavarotti’s voice is incredible.
And yes, the Title is of today’s newsletter is an excerpt said by one of the characters from the film. Invent, dance, cheer up!
I wrote a letter about another film The Barber of Siberia which a Russian filmmaker made a world-wide known.
sunk deep into a fillmaker’s soul
Кстати, я уже писала несколько писем об Антоне Чехове: Rothschild’s Violin by A. Chekhov и Let’s dwell on Chekhov’s idea
surrounded by avenues of an old park and ponds covered with duckweed
took long walks
always participated in evening tea gatherings
окончил, предложил (both perfective: completed actions)
гуляли (imperfective), участвовали (imperfective — habitual actions)
Трое актёров были утверждены на роли без предварительных проб.