Valery Uskov is a director who does not need to be introduced. Viewers remember him in such cult TV projects as “Eternal Call”, “Shadows disappear at noon”, created in a creative tandem with a friend Vladimir Krasnopolsky. The master also has more modern paintings, thanks to which his popularity remains unchanged. So, what interesting details are known about the master’s biography, what films and television series should he watch first?
Valery Uskov: biographical information
The birthplace of the famous director is Yekaterinburg (formerly Sverdlovsk) - it was there that he was born in 1933 in the family of an agronomist and a doctor. The boy’s childhood passed in a creative atmosphere, his mother and father were seriously interested in theater. All school years, Valery Uskov sat at the same desk with his cousin Vladimir, who became his best friend. It can be said that his fruitful duet with Krasnopolsky developed just then. In addition to the school, the children attended the drama club, together created a puppet theater, which was popular with children.
Valery Uskov became a student at VGIK in 1957. By that time, he already had a journalist’s diploma and a little experience in the specialty, but the desire to become a director that appeared in his childhood won. In VGIK in the same year, Vladimir entered the same faculty (film documentary). The graduation work of the director was the tape "Slowest Train", which he shot together with Krasnopolsky.
The filmography of this man is not so small. Valery Uskov in his piggy bank has about 30 paintings, most of them are the fruits of a creative tandem with a cousin. The most successful films and series of the director deserve separate consideration.
“Shadows disappear at noon” (1972)
The plot of the saga, which includes seven episodes, was taken from the work of Anatoly Ivanov. The action takes place in the small village of Zeleny Dol, located in the Siberian wilderness. A prosperous family is hiding here from the Soviet regime, hiding its origin. The saga covers a 70-year period, showing human tragedies typical of that time, considering historically significant problems. Interestingly, the characters of some characters Valery Uskov “copied” from his own parents.
The painting, which saw the light in 1972, became a grandiose event, made a huge impression on the audience. The original version did not go through censorship, the creators had to rid their brainchild of some scenes, mainly related to arrests, interrogations. Cut pieces were seen only by close friends of the directors.
The Eternal Call (1973)
The television series, which turned out to be much larger than the previous project, includes two seasons. This work is recognized by critics as the best of everything that Valery Uskov has ever created. The director, as always, in collaboration with Krasnopolsky, shot the story of the 60-year historical period, placing an ordinary family in the center of events. The Savelievs were forced to survive three devastating wars, a coup d'etat and its consequences. The characters were required to constantly balance between hatred and love, to make vital decisions.
In 1996, the creators mounted a new version of the series, supplementing it with deleted episodes. Like "Shadows disappear at noon, " the picture was a great success with the public, has repeatedly been awarded prestigious awards.
“Wolf Messing: A Look Through Time” (2009)
The protagonist of the telenovela is a real-life character, ranked among the most mysterious personalities of the last century. Messing was born into a poor Jewish family, as a child, learned independence, worked as a laborer until his telepathic talent was revealed. This man went down in history as a predictor of the fate of Nazi Germany, a personal stargazer of Stalin.
Films of Valery Uskov were not always warmly received by critics, this happened with this picture. The main claim that was presented to the television series is to work with unproven facts, of which Messing's biography is half composed. However, the television project has gained popularity among viewers.
