My Favourite Clown
"Mosfilm" Studios. 1986
Directed by Y. Kushnerev
Screenplay by A.Adabashiyan, N. Mikhalkov
Director of photography: I. Bek
Music by O. Petrova
Art-director: V. Zenkov
Cast:
Sergey Sinitsyn - O. Menshikov
Roman Samonovsky - V. Iliyn
Alisa Poldi - N. Saiko
Polina Chelubeyeva - T. Dogileva
Vanka - I. Turin
A young circus artist, clown Sergey Sinitsyn decides to adopt a six-year-old orphan Vanka. Everything is against this decision, but the clown doesn't change his mind. His profession is to make people laugh and he likes to amuse them… But he doesn't like to cheat or betray.
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...The screenplay of "My Favourite Clown" is based on Vasiliy Livanov's story and was written by Nikita Mikhalkov and Alexandr Adabashiyan. Probably, the names of the screenplay's authors - the people respected by Menshikov - played the crucial part in his agreement to take part in the production, though he had some doubts. The good taste didn't let him to submit to ordinary dramaturgy. He didn't know then that soon he would have even harder ordeal - the work with director Yuri Kushnerev.
"The film was shot in Kiev", recollects Vladimir Iliyn. "We acted in the local circus, during the performances, and entered the ring together with circus artists. Then the famous Volzhnsky's group performed. Our cameraman, Igor Bek, shot them jumping up to the top with them. In a word, we had real circus life.
But… It was April of 1986. The end of the month. The explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. And the people are not informed, we don't know anything. Later, they started to bring children with blue necks to the hotel where we lived. Then - men, also blue-and-white. And again deathly silence on the part of authorities. But the maid in the hotel suddenly tells us: "Guys, something's happened... Be careful…" But we didn't understand anything. There were no shooting and we went fishing. People tell us: "Throw the fish away…" And then tell us something about X-rays. We still don't understand anything. We fried the fish and ate it.
Kiev circus artists suddenly ask me: "Vova, take our children to Moscow, they will die here…" Then everything was clear already, everything or almost everything was known - explosion, radiation, airborne contamination. And how do we take away the children? Oleg and I could hardly get on the train. All the way to Moscow, 12 hours, we were standing…"
The tragic hours experienced in Kiev in their own way stress the failure of the film. "The performance is over, the candy is eaten", finishes his review on "My Favourite Clown" witty and caustic critic Alexey Erokhin, thus having phrased in a short summary the essence of director Yuri Kushnerev's creation.
May be the part of Sergey Sinitsyn is not a complete Menshikov's failure. He did everything he could. But he didn't have to do much there. The actor's efforts were left hanging. The critics, stressing Menshikov's doubtless talent, knitted their brows slightly.
From Menshikov's interview to "Kultura" newspaper:
"Do you take offence at critics? I remember them crush the film "My Favourite Clown" were you played the leading part".
"Take offence or not, they didn't accept the film - and that's all!.."
"Are you lucky with directors?"
"Yes. I've never met those to dictate terms. Unfortunately, sometimes the actor fulfilling the director's concept is to blame for the failed part".
"Oleg, what do you consider the most important in your life and creative work?"
"To enter my door. There's a parable: a man is standing in front of the open doors and hesitates to enter. Finally, the doors close, and the sigh appears: "These doors were meant only for you".
(from the book by Elga Lyndina "Oleg Menshikov", Moscow - Panorama, 1999)
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