“For a successful performance in San Remo!”: how a MK journalist played along with Shirvindt
[ad_1]
On March 18, they said goodbye to Alexander Shirvindt in Moscow. On this sad day, the MK correspondent remembered the events of more than 40 years ago, when he had the opportunity to play along with this wonderful artist on the set – in the literal sense of the word.
Several decades ago, I, a recent university graduate, had not yet thought about a journalistic career. Other interests took priority – among them the one that once brought him together on the same stage with Alexander Anatolyevich.
July 1982. Peak summer heat in the capital. Vacation. Suddenly a call comes from a school friend: “I know you play in a vocal-instrumental ensemble in your spare time. Would you like to act in a movie? Now Ryazanov is working on a new film – “Station for Two”. They need pop musicians with equipment…”
A day later, we, several fellow musical enthusiasts, were already unloading our speakers, amplifiers, and drums from the car near the Rizhsky railway station building.
One of the large rooms, usually occupied by some technical services, was turned into a station restaurant by the filmmakers. It is there, according to the script, that the relationship between the main characters, the waitress Vera and Platon Ryabinin, begins. In the center, the carpenters and prop makers built a small semicircular stage on which we, the musicians, were to sit.
In this whole story with participation in filming, there was initially a mystery for me and my colleagues: the assistant director, with whom we had previously discussed organizational and technical nuances, warned that, among other equipment, we must take an electric organ with us, but our keyboardist-organist did not needed.
It was possible to sort out this inconsistency on the set with the help of Eldar Ryazanov himself. As soon as the equipment was set up, the chief director came up to see what it looked like: “Order? Are you ready to film?” – “Eldar Aleksandrovich, but we are short-staffed. An electric organ was brought, and a piano was also placed on the stage. Who will play them? – “Do not worry! There will be an organist-pianist for you. And what a one!” — Ryazanov intrigued with a smile.
Soon the master’s promise materialized in the person of actor Alexander Shirvindt, who was to play the role of Shurik, the leader of our small ensemble.
Restaurant filming lasted three days. During this time, we managed not only to work in several episodes with Alexander Anatolyevich, but also to witness some off-screen events.
It should, however, be admitted that the popular artist himself was not always present in the footage with the participation of his hero. When filming a general panorama of the restaurant hall with orchestra members and dancing visitors, his place was taken by a guy of suitable texture, chosen from among the extras. But in close-ups the actor worked hard. And I prepared carefully for each mise-en-scène.
I remember, for example, the situation with the filming of the very first shots, where the restaurant orchestra was shown. At first, Shirvindt tried to sit at the piano, facing the camera: this angle seemed to him more advantageous. However, then he asked to turn on the soundtrack of the song, which should sound: “We live somehow without excitement, / Monotonously, like in paradise…” Listening closely, he was convinced that the sound of an electronic keyboard instrument was on the recording. As a result, the artist took a place in front of the electric organ.
Then followed several takes of his “performance” of this song, which became the leitmotif of the entire film, to the accompaniment of our ensemble.
I had a chance to be present at the birth of one of Alexander Anatolyevich’s verbal impromptu words. Eldar Ryazanov had a very positive attitude towards the improvisations of the actors on camera. This is what happened this time too. In the scene when, after closing the restaurant, the waitress hands over to the head of the musical ensemble a “grocery set” with products “saved” when serving visitors and thanks for the musical number performed at her request – “Shurik, thank you for the song, dear,” Shirvindt gave a cool phrase: “What kitchen, that’s the song!” The remark came as a surprise to those around him. It was easy to guess about this when, after a second, the command “Stop!” Cut!” Ryazanov’s assistants laughed in unison, and the director himself turned to Shirvindt with a pleased look: “Well done! Screwed it well!”
A funny situation arose during the filming of an episode showing how the musicians during the intermission were relaxing and having a drink and snack backstage. Initially, it was decided to decorate the table with treats with a “white” bottle (in fact, they poured water into a half-liter bottle), but after the first take, Eldar Aleksandrovich suddenly had doubts: “Isn’t there a lot of alcohol on the screen? The times are now such that this topic is not welcome. They might not understand us at Goskino…” As a result, it was decided, just in case, to remove another option, replacing the forty-degree beer with beer.
This decision caused some confusion among the props managers: “We’ll have to wait until we get the beer bottles and pour diluted tea into them.” And then came our – the invited musicians – finest hour. Noticing that Ryazanov was upset by the unexpected delay, we “rescued” him: “And we have real beer!”
Indeed, I was lucky to get hold of a dozen bottles of this drink in one of the grocery stores on the way to filming. We hid this “contraband” in equipment cases. “Well done! Let’s!” – Ryazanov reacted. Shirvindt did not hide his pleasure: the actor clearly liked the prospect of drinking beer instead of diluted tea. As a reward for saving the filming process, guitarist Sergei agreed with the director on a privilege: “Let me pat Shirvindt on the shoulder in the frame and propose a toast to the boss.”
That’s exactly how it was filmed. Alexander Anatolyevich did not remain in debt and, saluting with beer, said: “For you, men!” And then, turning half-turn to the camera, he gave out his next impromptu speech with a smile: “For the successful performance of our team in San Remo!” (For those who don’t remember, this festival was at that time for the Soviet public perhaps the coolest event in the world of foreign pop music.) We gave free rein to expressions of delight.
However, almost none of these creative shots were included in the film: after all, the director decided not to highlight the alcohol theme in his film.
Newspaper headline:
“For a successful performance in San Remo!”
[ad_2]
Source link
