Gleb Panfilov buried next to Churikova

The director’s son Ivan called each of the parents “a model of a Russian person”

On August 30, in Moscow, they said goodbye to the famous director, People’s Artist of the RSFSR Gleb Panfilov. Many famous people came to mourn an outstanding colleague in the temple near the Novodevichy cemetery and the cemetery itself: Solzhenitsyn’s widow Natalya Dmitrievna, Maria Mironova, Akhedzhakova, Yarmolnik, Yankovsky Jr. (Philip Olegovich played Ivan Denisovich in Panfilov’s last film based on the novel by Alexander Isaevich), director ” Lenkom “Mark Varshaver (it was he who punched Panfilov’s place on Novodevichy) and others. There were many funeral speeches, and only Ivan Panfilov was heartbroken and restrained in his words. He delivered a short heartfelt speech only at the grave of his father, when only a few minutes remained before the burial.

But it all started at 12 noon in the Church of the Beheading of John the Baptist, not far from the Novodevichy Convent. There were not as many people gathered there as you might imagine at the mourning of a movie celebrity, but a small temple would not have accommodated more.

The first to arrive were Mironova, Karen Shakhnazarov, Akhedzhakova, who tried to remain unnoticed – in a black suit and tinted glasses. But the journalists who hunted the stars still haunted her and other mourners. Natalia Solzhenitsyna tried to avoid questions from the press; despite the pleading “say at least a couple of words!”, she quickly entered the temple. But on the way out, they caught her.

“We are seeing off a talented, bright person. People who lived in the 20th century together with Russia are leaving one after another. We are staying,” she said.

A black-and-white portrait of Gleb Anatolyevich left a bouquet of white roses with an inscription on a black ribbon: “From the Solzhenitsyns.” To the left and right are wreaths from the Ministry of Culture, Mosfilm and Vakhtangov.

The funeral itself took place without cameras and media representatives. What will happen next – such a question worried everyone. Finally, one of the organizers of the funeral explained that the coffin with the body of the deceased would be taken in a hearse to the cemetery (it is very close, and almost everyone went there on foot). A sprawling monument to Boris Yeltsin was appointed as a gathering place on Novodevichy – from there the coffin was carried in their arms to the place of Panfilov’s last shelter.

Requests to let reporters under the vaults of the temple were refused: “No, the family categorically asked. Do not shoot. There is nothing to breathe.” Prayer peace was preserved, but the elderly relative of Gleb Anatolyevich became ill in the temple (he called himself his brother, but this information could not be verified). The man was seated on a bench and an ambulance was called – the doctors arrived in a couple of minutes. The police on duty in the nearby park did not intervene in the incident – the task of the security forces was to ensure security.

When the hearse had already left, Liya Akhedzhakova and Natalya Solzhenitsyna were able to talk as close friends. “Where to go? Where is everyone going? On foot?” – then the actress said in confusion. And she said, as if startled: “I saw you (with the wife of the Nobel laureate) under such sad circumstances.”

At the cemetery, the alley near the graves of Gleb Panfilov and Inna Churikova, who spent half a century together and will rest nearby, was completely filled with people by the time the procession arrived with priests at the head.

Admirers of creativity and friends of Panfilov were invited to say the last words. Ivan Panfilov at some point broke the silence.

“My whole life, all my childhood and part of me is gone. But a lot of good things remain. I was brought up thanks to Inna, Gleb, they are examples of a Russian person for me. They set such an unattainable bar for all of us that I consider it an honor to strive for it.

It is difficult to say how many sunny days there will be in 2023, but on the day when they saw off Gleb Anatolyevich on his last journey, the sun shone brightly, as if trying to compensate for the sorrow spilled in the pre-autumn air.