With The Orchestra Along The Main Street
"Mosfilm" Studios. 1986
Directed by P. Todorovsky
Screenplay by A. Buravsky, P. Todorovsky
Director of photography: V. Shuvalov
Music by P. Todorovsky
Lyrics by G. Pozhenyan
Art-director: V. Konovalov
Cast:
Vasiliy Muravin - O. Borisov
Lida - L. Fedoseyeva-Shukshina
Ksusha - M. Zudina
Kostya - V. Gaft
Igor - I. Kostolevsky
F.S. Korolkov - O. Menshikov
It may happen perhaps to anyone: you suddenly want to reverse your whole life, to start a new page, not to niggle anymore, but to walk the main street…
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In the screenplay written by Todorovsky together with Alexandr Buravsky there was a character named Sergey Korolkov, "puny boy" (quoting the screenplay). In the literary version it is written about Korolkov: "…creates an impression of an indoor plant for whom any sport except chess was as far as the Moon. But he insistedly curtseys, having closed his eyes hidden with eye-glasses".
Choosing Oleg Menshikov for the part of Serezha Korolkov not that swinged the lazy flow of ordinary events with aspiration reproduced on screen, but his participation undoubtedly brought some fresh air in the production. There appeared a character totally different from the cheerless milksop notionally created in the screenplay by Todorovsky and Buravsky. His name even became different - not Sergey, but Fedya, Fedor. "F.S." as the boy bravely calls himself.
Menshikov frisked so lively in the dreary crowd of other characters, that only his scenes turned out to be at least partly filled with life and energy. In some way he reminded of his Kostik Romin. In some way, probably, he still kept memories about recent students' amusements. Today, looking at the respectable, reserved, avoiding any contacts prime actor, star actor, it's hard to imagine how much humor, fun and liveliness he used to bring in the life of his course… May be by the part of "F.S." Menshikov was saying good-bye to his own youth recreating it on screen for the last time?
The duet Borisov-Menshikov is one of the most internally significant and delicate episodes in the film, performed with such a lightness, that you think about the craft of the actors only later.
In 1994 in Anapa at the "Kinoshock" festival I was lucky to talk not once to the great Russian actor Oleg Ivanovich Borisov. These were not interviews, not professionally aimed talks about the profession of an actor. We knew each other before, shared a table three times a day - at breakfast, dinner and supper, and our communication was surprisingly confiding. Now we talked about the competing films, now Oleg Ivanovich recalled how he started in Kiev, in Russian Drama Theatre after graduating the Art Theatre School, now he told about his work with Vladimir Abdrashitov in three films - he liked these parts… Once he began to speak about Oleg Menshikov: "His space is lyrics", he said. "Why the directors don't see it? He is always proposed to play last judgment and the end of the world, eternal undecidedness… But you know he's a light boy…"
The film "With The Orchestra Along The Main Street", in my opinion, slightly opened the door to lyric Menshikov, and this side of him disclosed itself with a gentle hint, gentle touch. The part of "F.S." actually gave small opportunities to the actor for lyric splashes; moreover he is not tending to do it straight. But to some extent the actor made use of what the screenplay and, mainly, his own imagination proposed to him. Again he was guided by his ability to direct his part himself.
(from the book by Elga Lyndina "Oleg Menshikov", Moscow - Panorama, 1999)
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